Opening Night at Wrigley Field was such a mess Cubs fans had to pee in cups
Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo vowed the team would finish No. 1 this season. This is probably not what he meant.
Wrigley Field is undergoing a mammoth $575 million renovation project to bring the 101-year-old stadium into the 21st century. I say "undergoing" because the renovations are far from finished, a point made clear during Sunday's Opening Night matchup between the Cubs and Cardinals.
Though an enormous new jumbotron was up and running, the Cubs had to mask entire sections of unfinished bleachers. Worse, new bathrooms remained unfinished — there were only two functioning restrooms in the entire main concourse, according to USA Today — forcing fans to wait in winding, innings-long lines just to relieve themselves.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
For those unwilling or unable to hold it, random cups sufficed in lieu of a proper loo. As Yahoo's Jeff Passan reported, the stadium had a concerning number of "stray cups filled to the brim with something that looked like beer but wasn't."
"With 35,000 fans showing up in the ballpark tonight, we were simply not prepared to handle guests during peak periods," the Cubs said in a euphemistic statement after the game.
Chicago promised to get new facilities installed as soon as possible. If they can't meet that goal, a once-hopeful season could quickly go down the toilet.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jon Terbush is an associate editor at TheWeek.com covering politics, sports, and other things he finds interesting. He has previously written for Talking Points Memo, Raw Story, and Business Insider.
-
6 hands-free items to make traveling easier
The Week Recommends These practical products will definitely come in handy
By Catherine Garcia, The Week US Published
-
'The scene runs as intended the vast majority of the time'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Why are (some) Democrats backing DOGE?
Today's Big Question Elon Musk's cost-cutting task force gets bipartisan flavor
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Quincy Jones, music icon, is dead at 91
Speed Read The legendary producer is perhaps best known as the architect behind Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
OJ Simpson, star athlete tried for murder, dead at 76
Speed Read The former football hero and murder suspect lost his battle with cancer
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Momofuku's 'Chili Crunch' trademark uproar
Speed Read The company's attempt to own the sole rights has prompted backlash
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published