Cubs Press Conference and Interview with Laura Ricketts, first Openly Gay MLB Owner

Written by Bill Gubrud Friday, 30 October 2009 20:51

Before you read this, I wanted to give my kudos and congratulations to the Ricketts family on the purchase of the Chicago Cubs. Also, I want to say today was a historic day for gays and lesbians.  Laura Ricketts has become the first openly-homosexual to own a major league baseball team.  The following is a story of why today was a special day for me, my recap of the press conference and my one on one interview with Laura Ricketts.

Today, October 30^th 2009 was the most exciting day in my life so far. I have always been a die-hard Cubs fan and always will be one. To let you know how much of a fan I am, when I started working in the gay media in 2000 the first call I made was to the Chicago Cubs to inquire about advertising. The owner of the paper I was working for at the time thought he made a mistake hiring me because he thought it was a wasted call and appointment. Well, three short months later the Cubs called me and said they wanted to purchase an ad. While the Cubs did not know it at the time they made history that day by becoming the first professional male sports team to advertise in a gay paper. Around October of 2000, I sent a proposal off to the Cubs’ ad agency, J. Herman Sitrik Advertising, regarding 2001. In December, I received a call from the Cubs' ad agency telling me that the Cubs accepted the proposal to advertise. Shortly after receiving that call, the wheels in my head started spinning with ideas as to how I could capitalize on this. So I called to inquire about holding an event at Wrigley in 2001. I brought two coworkers with me (one being my close friend Tim Nedoba) to meet with Brian Garza who handles group ticket sales. He showed us where we could buy seats for a group outing and said they come in groups of 500. I looked around and said how many total can I get on this side (3^rd base side) and his reply was 2,000.  I said I’ll take them and the faces of my two co workers dropped and they looked at me like I was crazy. This my friends, was the birth of Out at The Ballgame. Yes, yours truly was the founder of that event and the first to secure ads from a professional male sports team. I did not do this for glory or accolades but because I loved the Cubs. So what does all that have to do with today? Well, I was invited to the press conference and private luncheon of the Chicago Cubs' new owners Tom, Laura, Todd and Pete Ricketts today at Wrigley Field. I was also granted one-on-one time to speak with one of the owners, Laura Ricketts.  Here is a summary of the conference and part of the interview transcript.

Recap of the press conference:

Around 11:00 a.m. the four siblings walked in led by Pete followed by Todd, Laura and Tom. Tom was the main speaker for them today, and is the chairman of the Chicago Cubs. Pete, Todd and Laura are directors for the Cubs.  Tom Ricketts thanked a lot of people for their hard work on getting the purchase of the Cubs complete.  He stated, “but most of all we'd like to thank the fans. Through this long process the best part was how much support we received from fans like us ,who would send a note, or reach out to say ‘hang in there you're the guys we want to see win’. For those fans we have three messages. Number one is we’re gonna win the World Series... The second thing is that we love Wrigley Field and we're going to do everything we can to improve the Wrigley Field experience for the fans… Thirdly, we want tell everyone how much we love the city of Chicago. Wrigley Field is a ballpark in a neighborhood and we intend to be very good neighbors. We also know the Chicago Cubs are part of the fabric of the city of Chicago and we intend to be active in giving back to the city of Chicago and the surrounding areas.” 

When Tom was done with his opening remarks, he asked if there were questions. People would say their name and where they worked. There was question after question and I thought I am here and I need to ask one. I waived down one of the people walking around with microphones so I could ask a question. My heart was pumping and my stomach felt like I had giant birds flapping their wings inside it as opposed to butterflies. It was my moment as Tom Ricketts looked at me and I said “Hi Tom, first I want to say I’m Bill with Market to Market Chicago and want to say congratulations to you and your family. I know we’ve been hearing the last couple of months of  Ryne Sandberg’s desire to manage. Have you talked to him or sat down with him about his future with the Cubs?” His response was “No, I have had no discussion with Sandberg and frankly in the process of closing the deal was very much all consuming. There hasn’t been very many discussions with very many baseball people.”

As for the family itself, all four are die hard Cubs fans and recalled when they moved to Chicago and became Cubs fans.  Pete moved here in 1982 to attend the University of Chicago. Todd came around the late 1980’s to attend Loyola.  Laura said she came here to live on the south side and said it was easier to go to White Sox games at the time until she stayed one summer with her brothers Pete and Tom who lived on the corner by Wrigley.

I am not sure if it is the excitement of going to the press conference and actually meeting the owners of the Cubs or just ecstatic that the Tribune is no longer the owners, but I believe in the commitment the Ricketts family has to make the Cubs a winner. As Tom was walking out I stopped him and shook his hand and said “I, being a die hard Cubs fan am happy you are living your dream and I ask that you make mine happen by winning the World Series.” He smiled and chuckled at me and said, “Thanks, there’s no pressure there.” And we shook hands again, smiled at each other, nodded are heads and went are separate ways.

Mike Plass (who was there on behalf of MTM Chicago taking pictures) and I went to the Stadium Club upstairs to have lunch with the Ricketts and some of the media personnel. As Mike and I were eating, we were looking around at all the people up there and could not believe we were there with them all. Some that were in attendance included Cubs announcers Bob Brenly, Len Kasper and Pat Hughes. Then, we could not believe what we were seeing, Pete, Todd and Laura were walking around to the tables introducing themselves and thanking everyone for attending.  It hit us, these are regular people owning the Cubs. There were no signs of a corporation; the team has actual people that care about the Cubs and their fans.

At around noon, Mary Ann Childers and Lisa Trafficanta came to us and said we are scheduled to meet with Laura Ricketts at 12:20 for a one-on-one interview. Before I continue on I must say a special thank you to the people of Res Publica Group, Lisa Trafficanta, Mary Ann Childers, Fabiola Estrada and especially Dennis Culloton for all of their help in getting me invited to the press conference, the luncheon and an interview with Laura Ricketts. They are without a doubt the nicest PR company I have ever met.

Interview with Laura Ricketts:

MTM Chicago: Buying the Cubs, was that Tom’s idea 100%?

Laura Ricketts: Yeah, it was actually he who knew the Tribune Company was going to be changing ownership and he figured they would have to spin off the Cubs. And I think he was the visionary one who fantasized about that we could actually make it happen. When he told we were all ‘like yeah ok Tom you go for that’. Obviously he did not have to convince any of us.

MTM: What role will you have personally with the running of the team?

LR: Tom is the chairman. Pete, Todd and I will all be on the Board. That will be our primary focus being on a Board like any other corporation or non-profit organization, we all have experience in that. Initially, I will me more focused on government relations, community relations and philanthropy since that’s largely my background.

MTM: Now is it just the four siblings on the Board, do your Mom and Dad have anything to do with it?

LR: No, Mom and Dad are not going to be on the board. They each have their own interests and I am sure they will be at plenty of games but they’re retired and my dads idea of retirement was to start a handful of new businesses so he’s pre-occupied with those things right now. He’s not really a golfer, he’s an entrepreneur. So he’s preoccupied with those things right now.

MTM:  When you worked with Lambda Legal, what was the capaicity?

LR: Oh, I didn’t actually work for Lambda Legal. I was a volunteer for a number of years, helping them organize women’s events and then I was asked to join theBboard. I think that was four years ago and since then I have been on the Board.

MTM: Oh, you are still on the Board?

LR: I am on the Board right now.

MTM: Great organization by the way, they helped many of my friends out.

LR: Thank you, oh great, good. It is a very impressive board too and I feel very honored to be part of it.

MTM: When did you come out to your family?

LR: I came out to my family I would say early to mid 30’s. I think for a long time I wasn’t really out to myself growing up in Omaha, Nebraska, to a Catholic conservative family. It took me awhile to come out to myself and not long after that I came out to them. I think that it really couldn’t of been a better experience. They were all immediately supportive. When I tell my friends about my coming out story they all cry about how supportive my family has been. I have been really really fortunate in that regard.

MTM: I was afraid to tell my Dad I was gay. I am the third out of six kids (3 being gay)

LR: Were you the oldest?

MTM: No, the youngest. He was a policeman and in the military and I was just afraid, but I could not have asked for a better relationship with my parents.

LR: Sometimes I think we short change our family and the public in general. We need to be out and proud of it.

MTM:  Back in 2006, with you brother Pete running for the GOP nomination for Senate for Nebraska, he came out with an anti-gay marriage stance. You had not necessarily a public argument but definitely a public disagreement about the issue.  Tell us about that.

LR: We never really disagreed in public, I mean it is clear we had a difference of opinion on that issue. But if you look at the records I have supported his campaign and I was actively involved in it because you know for a number of reasons I live here in Chicago and involved in various things. I think we are not unlike any other family. When you get big enough you are not always going to agree on any issue of the day but you know we all still love each and we are very supportive of each other and I think we all do in our heart what we feel is best and we are passionate about it. My parents always encouraged all of us to be active and give back to the community, follow our passions and believe our beliefs. I respect my brother Pete and he respects me we love each other immensely. I consider him among my best friends.

MTM: Up on the stage the four of you looked very close.

LR: We really are. I think the large part is my parents the way they raised us and the families they came from very very close families and where you appreciate the diversity and you do not agree on everything and I guarantee you that is not the only issue that Pete and I don’t hold the same views on.  It is actually… you probably haven’t had the chance to notice, but we tease each other quite a bit and so there is a lot of bickering going on back and forth but at the end of the day you know you are not going to agree on everything but you love each other and you don’t let things like that get in the way.

MTM: It seems like your family is very accepting of you

LR: Not once have I thought they don’t accept me and my partner.  They love my partner and my parents refer to her as their daughter-in-law.  Even Pete said ‘I think you should have the same opportunities that my wife and I have’ so there is definitely common ground between us.

I don’t think there is much that I  can do to make the Cubs more LGBT inclusive or accepting.  I checked in to our insurance policy and whether or not they offer domestic partnership and of course they do.

MTM:  In 2008, there were shirts around Wrigley in poor taste regarding Fukudome and his Japanese heritage and the Tribune company forcibly made the vendors remove stop selling them.  I have been to many Cubs games this year and have seen horribly offensive anti gay shirts. Will you do the same thing with these kind of shirts?

LR:  You know I would have to look in the issue but certainly you wouldn’t want to offend any of our fans.  Our family is very diverse and we wouldn’t want anybody to be offended when they go to the park.

MTM: How does it feel to be the first openly gay major league baseball owner?

LR:  I don’t know what it’s like to be a regular old Major League owner much less the first openly gay one. Give me a few months and then maybe I can adjust to that role and I’ll tell you.

MTM: Do have any messages you would like to say to the GLBT Cub fans?

LR: I think that the Cubs appreciate diversity and welcome it and are supportive of the LGBT community already before my involvement and I see that continuing certainly.  The LGBT community is part of the Chicago community and we want to be part of that.    

I think all Cubs fans are going to be happy with the Ricketts family. I know I am.