The Cubs Convention looked a little different this year. Notably absent from the agenda were the usual sessions with President of Business Operations Crane Kenney and Executive Chairman Tom Ricketts - a change that didn’t go unnoticed. But while Kenney didn’t take the stage, he did sit down for a wide-ranging interview, and in that conversation, he revealed something that’s sure to resonate with Cubs fans: a permanent monument is coming to honor the franchise’s World Series champions - all three of them.
The new tribute will take the form of an archway monument at the Clark Street entrance of Gallagher Way, and it’s set to be unveiled the weekend of July 17. That timing isn’t just a coincidence - it’ll coincide with an in-season celebration of the 2016 team, the squad that finally broke the 108-year drought in unforgettable fashion.
But this isn’t just about 2016. The Cubs are making a point to honor the full scope of their championship history, which includes the 1907 and 1908 teams as well.
According to Kenney, the organization wanted something more inclusive than a single statue or individual tribute. The idea is to create a gateway - quite literally - into the space where the team already celebrates its legends with statues of Ernie Banks, Billy Williams, Ron Santo, and others.
Construction on the monument is expected to begin about six weeks before its unveiling, with the finishing touches - including the name of the gate - being installed shortly before the big reveal. While there are no renderings available yet, the location is expected to be near where the Wrigley Field Christmas tree usually stands, right at the southeast corner of Clark and Addison.
Kenney explained the thinking behind the design choice, pointing to the collective nature of the 2016 championship run - particularly the drama and depth of Game 7 - as a reason why a single statue didn’t feel right.
“We could never get comfortable that there was a way,” Kenney said. “Especially because that team and Game 7 - you think about Game 7 and the contributions were from everyone in the entire roster. So how in the world can we ever pay tribute to the roster and coaches?”
Instead, the Cubs opted for something that could represent the full history and the full team effort - not just from 2016, but from every title-winning group. “We treasure our history and heritage,” Kenney added. “It allows us to share the story, the history, and, importantly, would not leave any out.”
That same balance of tradition and forward-thinking showed up in other parts of the conversation as well, particularly when Kenney addressed the Cubs’ spring training broadcast plans. Marquee Sports Network, the team’s in-house channel, is expected to scale back its coverage of the Cactus League schedule this year.
While the final number hasn’t been confirmed, Kenney said it will “probably” be fewer than 10 games - a noticeable drop from previous years. For context, Marquee aired 17 of the Cubs’ 29 spring games last year, and 28 of 35 the year before.
“It was a really hard decision,” Kenney said. “But it seemed like it made the most sense to us in terms of, like any budget, where do you want to cut and what do you want to emphasize?”
The focus now, he explained, will be on investing in the regular-season broadcasts - pregame, postgame, and in-game coverage - with the same high-level technology and talent that fans have come to expect. The message is clear: fewer spring games, but a stronger product when the games count.
It’s worth noting that the 17 games aired last spring were all home games at Sloan Park. This year, with 18 home dates on the schedule, a reduction to fewer than 10 broadcasts would likely mean only about half of those will be televised.
For fans hoping to catch every inning, that’s a bit of a blow - though there’s always the possibility of catching some away games on the opponent’s network. And while nothing’s been confirmed, there’s hope the Cubs might bring back audio streams for spring games, something they used to offer about a decade ago.
Kenney also touched on a broader media topic that’s been gaining traction across MLB: the idea of centralizing all 30 teams’ local broadcast rights under the league’s umbrella. It’s a concept that’s been floated as a way to streamline distribution and potentially boost revenues. But as far as the Cubs are concerned, they’re not exactly lining up to join.
“If the league comes and says, ‘What if we put all 30 teams together?’ our bias typically is we like to do things ourselves,” Kenney said. “But we would listen.”
Still, he made it clear that the Cubs see value in controlling their own broadcast destiny through Marquee. “It’s hard for me to see a world where Marquee’s not predominant,” he said. “It just allows us to do things, like, we want to spend more on (TV) talent... and if you’re in with the league and they’re like, ‘OK, here’s your budget for your on-air,’ we want the best on-air.”
Kenney likened the approach to how president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer handles trades: always listening, but not necessarily eager to make a move unless it makes sense. For now, the Cubs are sticking with their own playbook - whether it’s how they honor their past or how they broadcast their future.