10 hours ago, southsider2k5 said:

The Sox don't even need to "pass" the Cubs. Just building the fanbase past the leagues worst revenue generation machine has to happen. Building new fans has to happen. Getting people who show up for something other than playoff seasons has to happen. A new park in an active neighborhood with things to do will help immensely.

Yep. Chicagoland has 9M people - they don't have to surpass the Cubs to become a successful franchise here, they just have to start making the playoffs more frequently AND have a park and area that'll draw more than just legacy Sox fans and keep people coming back even during the down times.

We'll see if Ishbia wants to privately finance a new ballpark at the 78. The news about him in serious talks to buy the Amtrak yard across the river sure seems to strongly indicate a "yes" to that, though it's far from certain, of course.

7 hours ago, Ducksnort said:

Exactly. I couldn't care less about passing the Cubs. As a Sox fan that's been a fan since childhood and will be one for life, I just want a winning baseball team, which will draw fans in and of itself. A new ballpark, done the RIGHT way, will help draw in even more people that aren't currently fans of the team. I'm all for this fanbase to grow and there is plenty of opportunity for that. Who cares if the Cubs are more popular. This isn't a popularity contest, there is plenty to go around for both teams. Ishbia just needs to go about things the right way to really capitalize on opportunities, and there are ways I'm sure to do that and make fans happy at the same time, unlike Jerry who for some reason it always feels like his decision making ends up going against the fans' interest. Ya know, the people that ultimately bring in the dollars, aside from the investors.

Jerry has long had an antagonistic relationship with the fans other than the people in the luxury suites. He runs the team in a very insular way. He's more interested in proving his critics (the fans, the media) wrong than what is in the fans' interest.

Needless to say, buying the Sox for somewhere close to $2B is a huge investment for Ishbia and in all likelihood it's a team that he'll own for decades. Surely he knows what isn't working with the franchise both on and off the field. If he thought the current ballpark situation was "just fine", he wouldn't be buying up a huge tract of land next to the 78.

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by 77 Hitmen