(670 The Score) As they have for years, the Cubs are continuing their push to bring the All-Star Game back to Wrigley Field.
The Cubs recently held a meeting with mayor Brandon Johnson’s administration in an effort to help make that happen, president of business operations Crane Kenney said on Inside the Clubhouse on Saturday. While MLB has indicated it wants to bring the showcase event back to Wrigley Field for the first time since 1990, there have been a handful of reasons that hasn’t come to fruition yet.
Security around any ballpark hosting the All-Star Game is always one of MLB’s main concerns. That requires coordination with and cooperation from the city, and in the case of the game potentially coming to Wrigley Field, all the parties haven’t gotten on the same page in the past. MLB’s safety requests often involve installing the proper barriers around a stadium (such as concrete retaining walls) and agreeing to close off the streets surrounding it.
In 2023, the Cubs experimented with barriers and temporary gates on the streets surrounding Wrigley Field. Rerouting traffic on Clark Street remains an issue to address for hosting the All-Star festivities.
In the Cubs’ view, they have a better chance to host the All-Star Game now that Johnson is in office. He took over as the mayor back in May.
“Baseball has stepped up this time and asked the city of Chicago to support us,” Kenney said. “The simple ways are not simple. We have real worries with the security of our streets. Certainly, the concerns are what happens outside our ballpark. Unfortunately, the world is not as safe as it once was. The commissioner wants to see a sign of good faith and progress instead of obstacles that create barriers for the team. I think we will get the game. The new administration is very focused on getting the game. I have had the most constructive meetings I have had in 10 years with the mayor's office. Brandon is a big fan and comes to a lot of games. He wears his Cub jersey from the mid-‘80s and can tell you the lineup from 20 years of Cub teams. We have a Cub fan mayor who is keeping his eye on us and what is happening at Wrigley Field.”
The soonest the Cubs could next host the All-Star Game is 2025, for which a host city and park hasn’t been announced yet. The All-Star Game will be held at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas in 2024 and at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philadelphia in 2026.
Another reason the Cubs have been playing the waiting game is because MLB often rewards cities that have helped finance a new ballpark. That was the case in Arlington, which contributed $500 million in public financing to build Globe Life Field, the Rangers’ home that opened in 2020. As another example, LoanDepot Park, the Marlins’ home in Miami, was also publicly funded and hosted the All-Star Game in 2017 after opening in 2012.
"When an All-Star Game comes into a market like LA recently, it brings $100 million of economic activity with it to that city,” Kenney said. “It creates revenue to a city and ballpark that would be empty otherwise. Commissioner (Rob) Manfred wants teams and cities to compete for the game. You are now seeing the game go typically to teams that have financed new buildings for their teams. We did not get any financing for the restoration of Wrigley Field because (the Ricketts family paid it) themselves."
The Cubs have hosted the All-Star Game three times – in 1947, 1962 and 1990.
“It’s something that we want to have, and the league would love to give it to us,” Kenney said.
Bruce Levine covers the Cubs and White Sox for 670 The Score. Follow him on Twitter @MLBBruceLevine.