History Links Fenway, Wrigley

Red Sox, Cubs look to the future while staying true to past
By Doug Sweeney,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 23, 2007 10:45 PM CDT
History Links Fenway, Wrigley
Monster View   ((c) Eric Kilby)

Boston’s Fenway Park, erected in 1912, and Chicago’s Wrigley Field, 1914, are baseball’s oldest ballparks and give their respective teams and fan base an identity, and the former holds lessons for the latter. “The one thing I noticed with both Fenway and the Cubs is the allegiance. It's more than a sports allegiance. It's a lifestyle,” said the Cubs' president after a visit to Boston, reports the Chicago Tribune.

In recent years Fenway underwent major renovations, including adding seats on the Green Monster, and capacity increased by 10%. Alterations to Wrigley have been more subdued. Both clubs have sought to add to park revenue to better compete, which at Fenway has included reintroducing ads on the Monster. "You're playing against the Yankees, and you have to do that," ESPN's Peter Gammons said. (More Fenway Park stories.)

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