NAMING RIGHTS, CIRCA 1926-- In the early days of Wrigley Field, there were billboards installled on the scoreboard and outfield wall. Even the name became marketing when Cubs Park became Wrigley Field in 1926. This was the idea of advertising man Albert Lasker who said it would promote the owner's chewing gum business.
On the pre-1937 scoreboard, there were two cartoon figures standing, one pitching and one hitting. They were known as the Wrigley "stick men" as in a stick of gum.
FREE TIME-- The Cubs 1937 scoreboard arrived without ads. When a clock was added atop it in 1941, it went unspobnsored. In conrast, other big league parks had the names of clockmakers such as Longines, Elgin (local) or Bulova on their scoreboard clocks. What, no Timex to keep on ticking?
SUBTLE CHANGES-- There was no significant advertising inside Wrigley Field from the late 30s until the early 80s, when two beer ads were put under the scoreboard. They were removed after a few years. Then, in 2007, there was adeal to let Under Armour sports apparel advertise on the outfield walls. These and future advertising were to bring in big bucks "yet have low impact on the visual quality of Wrigley Field.
I remember whenall you'd see on the rooftops across from the field were an occasional watcher and then there was the corner of the building with WGN printed on it.
More to Come. --Cooter
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