Chicago Cubs

What Chicago Cubs does

The Chicago Cubs are a professional Major League Baseball franchise competing in the National League Central division, founded in 1870 as one of the original professional baseball clubs and a charter member of the National League in 1876. The franchise plays home games at Wrigley Field in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood — a venue in continuous use since 1916 — and won the 2016 World Series, ending a 108-year championship drought. The Cubs are privately held by the Ricketts family, with Tom Ricketts serving as chairman, and operate as one of 30 MLB clubs under the league's collective bargaining, revenue sharing, and regulatory framework.

The franchise operates four primary revenue streams: ticket sales at Wrigley Field (season tickets, single-game, and group packages), MLB-aggregated broadcasting and media rights, Cubs-branded merchandise and licensing through MLB Shop, and subscription streaming via MLB.TV. Pricing is transaction-based for tickets and merchandise, with subscription-based recurring revenue from MLB.TV; broadcasting economics are pooled across all 30 clubs. The Cubs reach fans directly through MLB's centralized digital infrastructure — MLB.com, the MLB mobile app, MLB.TV, and MLB Network — and supplement secondary ticket distribution through a partnership with SeatGeek.

The Cubs' core product is live MLB baseball entertainment and the Wrigley Field experience, with the franchise's brand, on-field performance, and 2016 championship serving as the primary demand drivers. Underlying technology (Statcast, MLB.TV, MLB.com) is owned and operated at the league level rather than by the individual franchise, meaning the Cubs' product surface is largely a function of MLB's centralized technology roadmap rather than club-specific innovation.

Name

Chicago Cubs

Legal name

Chicago Cubs

Website

https://mlb.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1870

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

The Chicago Cubs are a privately held MLB franchise competing in the National League Central, playing home games at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The club monetizes ticket sales, MLB-aggregated media rights, merchandise, and MLB.TV streaming subscriptions, serving a global fan base under the Ricketts family ownership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Sports Entertainment

NAICS

Radio and Television Broadcasting Stations (5161), Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Baseball & Softball Leagues (MPAKAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Sports Broadcast Networks (MPABAAAC), Team & League Branded Merchandise Retail (Non-Apparel) (CRAMAOAF)

Keywords

• Professional baseball franchise
• Sports entertainment
• Live sporting events
• Team merchandise sales
• Sports broadcasting

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from selling tickets to home games at Wrigley Field, including season tickets, single-game tickets, and group packages.
2. Broadcasting & Media Rights: MLB negotiates national broadcasting deals (TV, streaming) that distribute revenue to all 30 teams, including the Cubs.
3. Merchandise & Licensing: Sales of Cubs-branded merchandise including apparel, memorabilia, and collectibles through MLB Shop and team stores.
4. MLB.TV Subscriptions: Fans can subscribe to stream Cubs games through MLB.TV, with blackout restrictions applying to in-market games.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

The Chicago Cubs operate as a professional MLB baseball franchise, providing live baseball entertainment at Wrigley Field through ticket sales for home games, group packages, and season tickets. The franchise also distributes Cubs-branded merchandise including apparel, memorabilia, and collectibles through MLB Shop, and generates revenue through MLB's centralized broadcasting and media rights deals plus MLB.TV streaming subscriptions.

Product overview

The source data provided is from MLB.com (Major League Baseball's official website), not the Chicago Cubs' official team website. While the Chicago Cubs are referenced as one of the 30 MLB teams in the league structure, no specific Chicago Cubs product offerings, services, or technology information is contained in the provided sources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single Game Tickets Individual game tickets for Chicago Cubs home games at Wrigley Field, with pricing varying by opponent and seat location. Available to individual fans and groups through the Wrigley Field box office and designated online channels.
• Season Tickets Multi-game ticket commitment packages for the full Cubs home schedule at Wrigley Field, providing dedicated fans with priority seating across the MLB regular season.
• Group Tickets Group ticket packages for Chicago Cubs home games at Wrigley Field, designed for larger parties including corporate outings, community groups, and special events.
• Cubs Branded Merchandise Cubs-branded apparel, memorabilia, and collectibles sold through MLB Shop and team stores, targeting individual fans and collectors of Cubs merchandise.
• MLB.TV Streaming Subscription Subscription streaming service allowing fans to watch live and archived MLB games including Cubs matchups, with blackout restrictions applying to in-market games. Cubs receive revenue distribution from MLB's centralized subscription service.

Named customers2 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SeatGeekcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSeatGeek serves as an authorized secondary market ticket platform for MLB teams including the Cubs, allowing fans to buy and sell tickets for Cubs games.
• MLB NetworkcoreTechnology or IntegrationMLB Network provides national broadcasting coverage of MLB games including Cubs matchups, delivering live game coverage and sports analysis.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• St. Louis Cardinals: NL Central division rival of the Chicago Cubs. Operates the same business model (MLB franchise with ticket, broadcast, and merchandise revenue) and competes head-to-head multiple times per season for division standing, regional sponsorships, and postseason positioning.
• Milwaukee Brewers: NL Central rival currently leading the division at 64-38, directly competing with the Cubs for the division title, playoff seeding, and regional Midwest fan share under the same centralized MLB economics.
• Pittsburgh Pirates: NL Central division peer sharing the same league-wide revenue, broadcasting, and merchandise infrastructure. Comparable in business model (ticket sales, MLB.TV allocation, MLB Shop merchandise) though smaller market scale.
• Cincinnati Reds: NL Central division peer operating under the same MLB franchise economics, with shared distribution via MLB.TV and MLB Shop. Comparable in business model and revenue mix.
• Chicago White Sox: Crosstown rival sharing the Chicago market. Both teams compete for the same regional sponsors, casual ticket buyers, and local broadcast attention — the most direct competitive overlap on the Cubs' home turf.

Broad incumbents

• Los Angeles Dodgers: Large-market NL franchise operating with the same MLB franchise economics but materially larger scale, revenue base, and global brand reach. Useful benchmark for upper-bound commercial potential within MLB's shared infrastructure.
• Boston Red Sox: Historic, large-market AL franchise with a comparable century-plus brand heritage and recent championship success (2004, 2007, 2013, 2018). Closest historical comp to the Cubs in legacy, fan devotion, and ballpark-as-destination economics (Fenway Park parallels Wrigley Field).
• New York Yankees: The most globally recognized MLB brand and the upper-bound comp on valuation, sponsorship rates, and merchandise volume. Operates under the same MLB economics but exemplifies the scale ceiling for a top-tier franchise.
• San Francisco Giants: Historic NL franchise with a similarly iconic urban ballpark (Oracle Park parallels Wrigley Field) and three recent World Series titles (2010, 2012, 2014). Comparable in brand heritage, fan base depth, and ballpark-driven experience economics.
• New York Mets: Large-market NL franchise sharing the same MLB centralized revenue and tech infrastructure. Comparable in business model and revenue mix, with a different market position (sharing New York with the Yankees parallel to the Cubs sharing Chicago with the White Sox).

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cubs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Chicago Cubs