Cubs Get the City’s Green Light for Weekend Night Games This Year
The Chicago Cubs have long battled their own Alderman over this and that at Wrigley Field, with night games among the many subjects of sparring.
The Cubs have wanted to increase their flexibility to have more games at night, where the players can be on a more consistent schedule and – more importantly – the games are more valuable on TV and in the stands. But, in deference to the unique neighborhood, Alderman Tom Tunney has sought to greatly limit both the volume of night games and night games on Friday and Saturday. Personal preference? I like the 1:20 pm starts on Friday, and afternoon baseball on Saturday is my jam. But I also understand that the Cubs want flexibility.
In any case, for this special year, the Mayor and Alderman Tunney apparently got together to make sure that night games on Fridays and Saturdays aren’t going to be an issue:
Mayor Lori Lightfoot to get OK for Cubs weekend night home games at Wrigley Field https://t.co/cV4qr8tOC0
— Chicago Breaking News (@ChicagoBreaking) July 14, 2020
Both MLB and the Cubs have a very strong interest this year in maxing out primetime TV space, including on the weekends. Hence, the need to ensure these night games can go off without a hitch. (What happens if and when fans are permitted? I guess that’s a question for another day.)
As it stands now, every single Friday and Saturday game at Wrigley Field this season will be at night, with the sole exception being Saturday, July 25. There’s an ordinance that needs to pass to make things official, but it’ll happen.
