Editorial: Cubs need wide leeway on new ads at Wrigley

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Updated: February 19, 2012 8:14AM

On this one, the Chicago Cubs deserve the benefit of the doubt.

For the last several years, successive Cubs owners have tried to get taxpayers to subsidize renovations of historic Wrigley Field. We’ve fought them each time, doing our part to prevent the raiding of public coffers for the benefits of a baseball team that does very well on its own, thank you very much.

But we aren’t against all things Cubs. The Ricketts family, which owns the team, has to be able to make a buck, after all.

For that reason, it’s crucial that the City of Chicago keep an open mind on plans forwarded by the team’s owners to build a 75-foot electronic sign in right field. Because the city landmarked certain historic elements of park, there’s a strong likelihood the proposed LED sign will go before the Commission on Chicago Landmarks.

If that happens next month, we urge the commission to err on the side of letting these private owners do what they think is best for their ballpark. The city’s landmark status must be respected, if it’s truly at play here, but the city cannot unfairly hamstring the team’s owners.

Like most Cubs fans, we’d prefer that the stadium remain pristine, with minimal new glitz, but that is not the world we live in. And the advertising the Cubs have tried, including ads behind home plate, in the dugout and the two-year-old red Toyota sign, have not ruined the park.

The Cubs know its greatest asset is the park’s charm, offering strong incentive to keep crass advertising to a minimum. That should be deterrent enough.