Football at Wrigley all about the cash

Contrary to local sports media hype, the recent sandlot exhibition at Wrigley Field between Northwestern and Illinois deserves to be nowhere but in the Hall of Shame.

I can see the greed factor driving the Ricketts family, who think their baseball park needs to bring in cash in the off season. After all, it is their asset and it needs to earn its keep. But it is not a football stadium.

But how can two respected universities condone a circus masquerading as a college football contest? Action toward one goal? Team benches on the same side? Team bench half a field away from the action? Switching benches at halftime? Obscuring bench signals with a blanket? Player safety compromised? Attendees half a field from the action? Teams stuffed in a locker room that was less than half what was needed?

Northwestern is the greater culprit here. They gave up home field advantage. They shafted their long-running season ticket holders by elimination their seating choice advantage. They raised prices big time. They put one of their higher-attended season games into a smaller venue.

Illinois, too, accepted this mess, and hyped it as well. The media loved it. It was a circus, something different.

Never mind how different. Sports media have strongly drifted toward the odd and the bizarre. They were pitching oddity, not reporting sports. This was a chance to sell time and space. Shame on you Northwestern, for a bush-league venture.

Richard Cichanski

Palatine