Yesterday, we blogged about how the Chicago Cubs had stood up to Horseshoe Casino, a Harrah’s owned gambling venue located in Hammond. We discussed how the Cubs, a baseball team which is known for fiercely defending its reputation, took a stand against the Horseshoe, who had purchased prominent advertising space on a nearby building.
You can check out our full analysis of the news item by reading yesterday’s blog post, but the summary is that the building’s owner, Tom Gramatis, sold the ad space to the Horseshoe, without consulting with the Cubs or contributing a percentage of the advertising revenue. The Cubs, to hit back at Gramatis and the Horseshoe cashing in on lucrative ad space, have since erected blank billboards, blocking out the casino promos.
Many of us wondered what Gramatis and the Horseshoe would say about the issue and fortunately, the Chicagoist.com managed to get in touch with a PR representative at the casino. Dan Nita, Senior Vice President at the casino, told the Chicagoist that 2009 has been a “milestone year” for the casino, noting that not only did they launch a new casino, they “became a corporate sponsor of the Cubs organization, with a substantial six-figure investment”.
Nita’s suggestion that the Cubs are already partners with the Horseshoe Casino throws the entire disagreement into a new light. Before, Budweiser advertised nearby (without the building the ad was located on paying a percentage of ad revenue), but this was allegedly allowed because the beer company also sponsored the Cubs. As Horseshoe already has an agreement with the baseball team, blocking their advert sends out mixed messages, specifically that it’s okay for one company to take advantage of nearby ad space, but not another.
The Cubs’ decision over the advert harks back to the infamous Billy Goat curse, which it’s believed the baseball team is still suffering from. The legend began in 1945, when Billy Sianis attempted to take his goat to a World Series game at the Cubs’ baseball ground. Sianis was asked to leave, as the odour of his goat was apparently annoying fans and he subsequently cursed the club, suggesting that “Them Cubs, they aren't gonna win no more”. Since then, the Cubs have yet to regain their pre-1945 success and have desperately tried to lift the curse, with some fans (and even Billy’s nephew) taking goats to Cubs games.
Here’s hoping that the Horseshoe Casino, which has been wronged just like Billy’s goat, doesn’t decide to curse the already unlucky club. With this in mind, it may be that the Cubs decide to remove the blank bleacher and even replace it with a Horseshoe Casino ad.
