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7/6/09

Cubs Might Be Worth Less If They Win A World Series

If The Cubs Won A World Series, Would Their Value Actually Go Down?

MLB, Chicago Cubs, Tom Ricketts buys Cubs, Cubs bought by Ricketts, Cubs sold for $900 million, Cubs sold for $900 million to Ricketts, Cubs World Series

Pat

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Today, a deal was reached to sell the Chicago Cubs to the Ricketts family for around $900M. Deadspin's headline for the link that they posted to the story was a bit interesting to me.

"Worth Almost $900 Million Now, Imagine If The Cubs Won A World Series"

I guess it was a pretty good headline, because it actually got me thinking... what if the Cubs won a World Series? Would they be worth more? Honestly, I don't think so.

Right now, the biggest universal appeal that the Cubs have is that they are the "Lovable Losers". They have gone so long without a World Series Championship that a lot of people like them who wouldn't normally cheer for the Cubs.

The REAL issue though, is that the biggest reason that someone would want to buy the Cubs right now is that they would want to be forever known as the person who finally brought a championship to Chicago's North Side. Once they win one, that thrill will forever be gone. The next owner will almost certainly never measure up to the previous one, and will forever live in the shadow of the man who saved the team from over a century of despair.

It's sad to say, but the Cubs with a championship just wouldn't be the same anymore.

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7/6/09

Raider_Dave

That's a very intriguing point, and I think it holds a great deal of validity. One of the Cubs main selling points is that they are the lovable losers, and that "this may finally be the year." If and when they do win, part of the luster will be gone. If they were able to create some sort of dynasty, it may build them up and color them in an entirely different light. I think the dynasty would need to happen or else they would be "just another team that won a title." Sadly, that has a very small chance of happening.

Either way, baseball is a bit more fun by having a team like the Cubs, but I hope for that city and for their fans that they do finally win one sometime soon.

7/6/09

Pat

"If and when they do win, part of the luster will be gone. If they were able to create some sort of dynasty, it may build them up and color them in an entirely different light."

Sounds an awful lot like another team, who used to have a pretty long World Series drought, but then won a couple pretty quickly and now everyone views them as "Evil Empire v2.0" despite the fact that there are several teams with higher payrolls.

Perception changes when you win.

7/6/09

Boski93

Pat wrote:

No as a White Sox fan, they will be seen as evil no matter what.

7/6/09

Raider_Dave

Pat wrote:

I definitely had the Red Sox in mind with that thought process. Perception definitely changes when you win, but until the Cubbies do, they will continue to be those ole "lovable losers."

7/6/09

Pat

Just so you know, the Mets have been extremely close to the Red Sox, and have even outspent them for the past few years. It's funny that we don't hear "the Yankees and the Mets" when people talk about high payroll teams, it's always the "Yankees and Red Sox".

Keep in mind that the Red Sox are forced to spend some money now and then because they're competing with a team that has a payroll that is well over double the mean. The Mets, on the other hand, are competing with teams that generally don't even make it into the top 10 in salaries. The Phillies splurged this year after winning a championship, but for the most part the NL East teams (aside from the Mets) have not been huge spenders.

As I said, winning changes perceptions. Sure, they're spending more than they used to. But the phrase "Yankees and Red Sox" is extremely overused when talking about salaries. The Yankees are in their own stratosphere (by at least $50M every year), and then it's a group of teams, among which the Red Sox are one of several.

7/6/09

mikecubbie69

While I do think there might be some truth to the idea that once the Cubs win they will no longer be lovable losers and their value will go down, I think the true die-hard Cubs fans like me really want to see the Cubs win a Championship. Only the bandwagon jumpers will leave once they win. And to them I say, "good riddance!" because you are the ones who have made it impossible to get a seat in the bleachers the last 6 years. Ive been waiting 40 years and the day they win a World Series will be the greatest celebration ever! And once theyve won one championship, then I will want another!

7/6/09

mk_donley

0	So the Cubs are the "lovable losers"; we know that. What about us? We should be nicknamed "the lovable losers" as well! -The Cleveland Indians

7/7/09

jswol54

Really, it could go either way. The Cubs have been on fire in the attendance department the past few years because they've fielded good teams. The frat-boys, yuppies, and bandwagon jumpers would come out in droves if the Cubs actually won a World Series. Don't get me wrong, it's already happening, but if you add a title to the Cubs resume, I believe the Cubs would become a lot like the Red Sox. By that, I mean they will go from the "Lovable Losers' to a team that is despised by other fans. Either way, the Cubs are going to continue to be one of the more popular teams in baseball.

7/7/09

Pat

You could have included 2009 in there as well, since the Mets are #2 again.

My point is that the difference between the Yankees and Red Sox has been consistently far more than the difference between the Red Sox and the Mets, or whoever the next team happened to be.

So it shouldn't really be considered the "Yankees and Red Sox" when we talk about high salary teams. In some years, it has been "The Yankees... ... ... ... ... and the Red Sox ... and then everyone else." But the Red Sox are a lot closer to the rest of the league than they are to the Yankees.

7/7/09