Chicago's Wrigley Field is ringed

Chicago's Wrigley Field is ringed with quirky rooftop baseball clubs. These venues give Cubs fans stadium-quality views in a private setting. The rooftop clubs have existed since the day the stadium opened in 1914, but their presence was endangered four years ago when Wrigley bigwigs threatened to put up screens blocking views of the field if the clubs didn't agree to share their profits with Cubs owners. The rooftops survived the dispute by agreeing to give the ballclub 17% of their profits, but one club owner refused to sign on. Now, the team is threatening to block out the three rooftops owned by renegade club honcho Tom Gramatis if he doesn't pay up by April 15th. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the 14 rooftop clubs made "as much as $18 million last year," and both the clubs and the Cubs have "thrived" under the profit-sharing agreement. [Chicago Sun Times]