The Michael Hirsley article on baseball attendance at Wrigley Field and Comiskey Park is a waste of newspaper space. The one fact that can be etched in stone regarding the Chicago Cubs is that there is absolutely no correlation between fans passing through the turnstiles and success on the playing field.
Only in the vast wasteland that is the professional sports scene in Chicago do the media insist on involving the paying customer in the on-the-field futility of the franchises. In other cities, notably New York, the sports media focus on the players on the field and front-office personnel moves to improve the product on the diamond, the court or the rink.
Why don’t the Chicago sports media follow the lead of their colleagues in other cities and hold ownership, management and players accountable? The sports media here help perpetuate losing by being willing tools in spreading myths such as “great Bears tradition,” “good young Sox pitching” and “the Wrigley Field experience.”
I have a novel question for the ownership of the Cubs and Sox: Exactly how many paying customers have to pass through the gates before an honest effort is made to win a World Series?
