I was at a Cubs game in 1974 and asked an old Cub fan when will they put lights in Wrigley? When hell freezes over was his reply. In 1986 the Cubs and Sox had an exhibition game at Wrigley and Harry Caray read a statement from the COMISH office it read....and I paraphrase if the Cubs should make the playoffs in 1986 home games will be played in St Louis. When the Cubs were in the playoffs in 1984 and the first 2 games were at Wrigley TV lost a ton of people during those games because people were at work so by '86 MLB forced the issue put lights in Wrigley or build a new ballpark
What people feared was those getting drunk and especially after games urinating on lawns. It's why unless national TV is involved the Cubs still can't play Friday or Saturday games at home at night.
"And they said they would not purchase lights, until the Cubs became contenders!" Okay imagine ownership making a plea like that to fans..."Will give you night games when we as a front office figure out how to build a winner."
I read another story about no lights. The reason why there were no lights at Wrigley Field is because then Cubs owner PK Wrigley would only have them up if they were looking like trees.
Man, this is something. A difficult, tense subject. The Mets in '69 were winning night games. Something that Cubs didn't capitalize. Every other team played night games, which was a success.
Actually, that Mets game was the second attempt at a night game. The first attempt at a night game (and what was supposed to be the first night game) was 24 hours earlier against the Phillies. They got to the fourth inning before the rains came and the game had to be rained out (the Phils were the only team to have scheduled two night games at Wrigley Field in 1988 so they would play a night game there on their next trip). Even now, the Cubs are not allowed to play night games on Friday or Saturday at Wrigley unless such games are on national TV (and even though Apple TV+, which does Friday games and could request a game be moved to the night doesn't do so). If I'm Manfred, I put in a rule on this specifically aimed at the Cubs hat on Fridays, unless playing a day-night or twi-night doubleheader, games can't start before 6:00 PM local time and if playing a twi-night doubleheader, the first game can't start before 5:00 PM. This is so the visiting team gets viewers who can't see the telecasts in the daytime because they have to be at work for a Friday afternoon game.
It's not rocket science to anyone who has been there, it is the center of a neighborhood. Residents didn't want drunk baseball fans urinating in their lawn...
And there was no fans either for a long time! In the 70's? I used to go to cubs games at wrigley and there was maybe 8,000 fans. Now? Jump on that bandwagon! The teams still sucks.
Teams in general didn't draw fans like they do now. In the '60s, there were numerous early and late-season Cubs games that failed to even have 1,000 fans in attendance. There were years in the American League in the 1960's the top attendance (for example, in the 1965 the Twins) didn't even get to 1.5 Million. It was not just the Cubs. As beloved as Fenway Park is, it has three of the six smallest crowds in MLB history: 306 on Oct. 1, 1964 against the then-Indians and Sept. 28-29, 1965, a two-game series against the Angels that drew just 461 (9/28) and 409 (9/29) fans respectively for 870 total, the smallest ever for a two-game series that was NOT a standalone doubleheader (and the Red Sox hold that distinction as well as on Sept., 26, 1966 they played a doubleheader at DC, later RFK Stadium against the then-Senators that drew just 485 fans, eighth smallest overall and smallest ever for a doubleheader).
I was at a Cubs game in 1974 and asked an old Cub fan when will they put lights in Wrigley? When hell freezes over was his reply. In 1986 the Cubs and Sox had an exhibition game at Wrigley and Harry Caray read a statement from the COMISH office it read....and I paraphrase if the Cubs should make the playoffs in 1986 home games will be played in St Louis. When the Cubs were in the playoffs in 1984 and the first 2 games were at Wrigley TV lost a ton of people during those games because people were at work so by '86 MLB forced the issue put lights in Wrigley or build a new ballpark
What people feared was those getting drunk and especially after games urinating on lawns. It's why unless national TV is involved the Cubs still can't play Friday or Saturday games at home at night.
I remember when my little league diamond had lights and wrigley field didn’t.
"And they said they would not purchase lights, until the Cubs became contenders!"
Okay imagine ownership making a plea like that to fans..."Will give you night games when we as a front office figure out how to build a winner."
"President Franklin D. Roosevelt jumped"
Citation needed
Not "in darkness", in sunshine, how baseball should be played. The debates in '88 that raged over this were quite hot.
I agree.....
I read another story about no lights. The reason why there were no lights at Wrigley Field is because then Cubs owner PK Wrigley would only have them up if they were looking like trees.
Man, this is something. A difficult, tense subject. The Mets in '69 were winning night games. Something that Cubs didn't capitalize. Every other team played night games, which was a success.
Because Old Man Wrigley was a bloody cheapskate 😂😂
Man nights games at Wrigley fields hits
Actually, that Mets game was the second attempt at a night game. The first attempt at a night game (and what was supposed to be the first night game) was 24 hours earlier against the Phillies. They got to the fourth inning before the rains came and the game had to be rained out (the Phils were the only team to have scheduled two night games at Wrigley Field in 1988 so they would play a night game there on their next trip).
Even now, the Cubs are not allowed to play night games on Friday or Saturday at Wrigley unless such games are on national TV (and even though Apple TV+, which does Friday games and could request a game be moved to the night doesn't do so). If I'm Manfred, I put in a rule on this specifically aimed at the Cubs hat on Fridays, unless playing a day-night or twi-night doubleheader, games can't start before 6:00 PM local time and if playing a twi-night doubleheader, the first game can't start before 5:00 PM. This is so the visiting team gets viewers who can't see the telecasts in the daytime because they have to be at work for a Friday afternoon game.
Wrigley Field wouldn't have gotten the 1990 All-Star Game had they not allowed night games.
Who cares?
0:30 😂😂
It's not rocket science to anyone who has been there, it is the center of a neighborhood. Residents didn't want drunk baseball fans urinating in their lawn...
The neighborhood was not always filled with shotty liberal elitists. The lights intended for Wrigley they donated lights to the war effort.
since 1988, they do it anyway.
Ah they were doing that during day games too I know i grew up in Wrigleyville(Lake View East)
I went to a game at wrigley a few months ago and it was awesome! The neighborhood was amazing before and after the game!!
0:34 Why? It's a baseball video.
I want a time machine to go back and sit in on the Cubs trying to sell the US army on lighting up Wrigley during WWII
And there was no fans either for a long time! In the 70's? I used to go to cubs games at wrigley and there was maybe 8,000 fans. Now? Jump on that bandwagon! The teams still sucks.
Teams in general didn't draw fans like they do now. In the '60s, there were numerous early and late-season Cubs games that failed to even have 1,000 fans in attendance.
There were years in the American League in the 1960's the top attendance (for example, in the 1965 the Twins) didn't even get to 1.5 Million. It was not just the Cubs.
As beloved as Fenway Park is, it has three of the six smallest crowds in MLB history: 306 on Oct. 1, 1964 against the then-Indians and Sept. 28-29, 1965, a two-game series against the Angels that drew just 461 (9/28) and 409 (9/29) fans respectively for 870 total, the smallest ever for a two-game series that was NOT a standalone doubleheader (and the Red Sox hold that distinction as well as on Sept., 26, 1966 they played a doubleheader at DC, later RFK Stadium against the then-Senators that drew just 485 fans, eighth smallest overall and smallest ever for a doubleheader).
Wait what? Thomas Edison stole the idea for the lightbulb? You need to pack that claim up with some facts man
It wasn't seventy years, the first night game was in 1935, so before then, they were just like everyone else.
Dude did you even pay attention to the video? It was 70 years before a night game was finally played at Wrigley Field.
It's obvious the Wrigley Family was too cheap to put in lights.