The Chicago Cubs

What The Chicago Cubs does

The Chicago Cubs are a privately held Major League Baseball franchise competing in the National League Central Division, founded in 1870 (originally as the Chicago White Stockings) and based in Chicago, Illinois. The franchise plays its home games at Wrigley Field, one of MLB's oldest and most iconic ballparks, and is owned by the Ricketts family. The organization operates a multi-layered business: (1) live-event revenue from tickets, suites, premier seating, and group sales at Wrigley Field; (2) consumer products including merchandise and memorabilia sold through the Cubs Store at Wrigley Field and the MLB Shop online platform; (3) concessions and in-venue retail powered by Shift4 end-to-end commerce technology under a 2026 partnership covering Wrigley Field and the adjacent Gallagher Way entertainment district; (4) streaming revenue via the centralized MLB.TV subscription service; and (5) community engagement through Cubs Charities, Cubs Convention, Clark's Crew kids programs, and Cubs Summer Camps. The technology stack is primarily MLB's centralized digital infrastructure (MLB.com platform, MLB Ballpark app for digital ticketing and in-seat ordering), supplemented by Shift4 payments integration and SeatGeek as an authorized secondary ticket partner.

The franchise supports its operations through a full player development pipeline — Iowa Cubs (Triple-A), Knoxville Smokies (Double-A), South Bend Cubs and Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Single-A), and ACL Cubs — plus a spring training facility at Sloan Park in Mesa, Arizona. Customer segments are two-tiered: individual sports fans and baseball enthusiasts (primary) and corporate partners seeking premium hospitality and entertainment venues (secondary). The Cubs' go-to-market is fundamentally direct-to-consumer, leveraging MLB's centralized digital channels alongside team-owned community and content properties (Cubs Pipeline coverage, Cubs Newsletter, SMS alerts). Recent strategic activity has centered on a significant roster build-out — Alex Bregman ($175M/5 years), Nico Hoerner ($141M/6 years), and Pete Crow-Armstrong ($115M/6 years) — alongside a return to the MLB playoffs in 2025 (92-70 record) for the first time since 2020, and the Shift4 commerce technology partnership announced in March 2026.

Name

The Chicago Cubs

Legal name

Chicago Cubs

Website

https://cubs.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 owned, 156-year-old MLB franchise that plays at Wrigley Field in Chicago. They generate revenue from ticket sales, merchandise, concessions, and MLB.TV streaming, serving individual baseball fans and corporate hospitality clients across the U.S. and via global merchandise channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Revenue from single-game tickets, season tickets, group tickets, suites and premier seating, and special event tickets at Wrigley Field
2. MLB.TV Streaming: MLB.TV subscription service for streaming Cubs games live and on-demand
3. Merchandise Sales: Sales of jerseys, caps, apparel, collectibles, memorabilia, and trading cards through Cubs Store and MLB Shop
4. Concessions and Retail: Food, beverage, and retail operations at Wrigley Field powered by Shift4 commerce technology

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Chicago Cubs are a Major League Baseball franchise that competes in the National League Central Division and plays home games at Wrigley Field in Chicago. The team sells live game tickets (single-game, season, group, and premium suites), offers MLB.TV streaming of its games via subscription, sells licensed Cubs merchandise through MLB Shop and on-site Cubs Stores, and operates ballpark experiences, youth programs, and community initiatives through Cubs Charities. Supporting the franchise is a minor league system spanning Triple-A to rookie affiliates and a spring training facility at Sloan Park.

Product overview

The Chicago Cubs operate primarily as a Major League Baseball franchise offering fans a comprehensive set of products and services centered around game attendance and content consumption. The core offering includes Wrigley Field game tickets and the MLB.TV streaming service for remote viewing. Supporting services encompass an extensive merchandise e-commerce operation, the Cubs Charities community initiative, youth development programs through Cubs Kids, and ballpark experience services including tours and mobile payments. The team also provides Cubs Pipeline coverage of minor league affiliates and prospects. The portfolio does not constitute a unified software platform but rather a collection of interconnected fan-facing services and products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Cubs Charities: The charitable arm of the Chicago Cubs organization, focusing on community programs including baseball programs, Race to Wrigley, Bricks and Ivy, Cubs Scholars, and Wrigley Field Neighbors initiatives.
• Cubs Pipeline
• Gallagher Way

Products and services

• MLB.TV Streaming MLB's official subscription streaming service enabling fans to watch live and on-demand Chicago Cubs games online, with various subscription packages available.
• Cubs Tickets Single-game tickets, season ticket packages, group tickets, suites and premier seating, special promotions including Summer Night Special and CUBSU student tickets for Wrigley Field games.
• Cubs Merchandise Official online and in-store merchandise offering jerseys, caps, men's, women's, kids, big & tall apparel, collectibles, memorabilia, trading cards, and home & office merchandise.
• Wrigley Field Ballpark Experience Ballpark tours, parking and transportation information, seating maps, Cubs Store locations, mobile wallet payment options for in-stadium purchases, concerts at Wrigley Field, and the Gallagher Way entertainment district.
• Cubs Kids Programs Kids-focused programs including Cubs Convention, Clark's Crew, Cubs Kids, Kids Sundays, and Cubs Summer Camps for young fans.
• Cubs Pipeline Coverage Coverage of Cubs minor league affiliates and top prospects (Iowa Cubs, Knoxville Smokies, South Bend Cubs, Myrtle Beach Pelicans, ACL Cubs), featuring news about players including Jefferson Rojas, Owen Ayers, Josiah Hartshorn, and Pedro Ramirez.
• MLB Ballpark App Official MLB mobile application enabling digital ticketing, stadium navigation, in-seat ordering, and game day features for Wrigley Field attendees.
• Sloan Park Spring Training Cubs spring training facility in Mesa, Arizona, hosting preseason MLB games and player development activities.

Quantifiable outcome

• First playoff appearance since 2020 in 2025 season
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Shift4coreTechnology or Integration · 30 April 2026Shift4 partnered with the Chicago Cubs to deploy end-to-end commerce technology at Wrigley Field. The partnership covers food and beverage concessions, retail sales, and the adjacent Gallagher Way entertainment district. The initiative aims to modernize the fan experience at the iconic ballpark while streamlining operations across multiple revenue streams. This represents a milestone for Shift4 in expanding its sports and entertainment venue portfolio.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• New York Yankees: MLB's most valuable franchise and a comparable large-market, premium-brand team with historic venue economics (Yankee Stadium) and similar diversified ticket/merchandise/media revenue. Directly comparable in brand prestige, payroll scale, and ticket-pricing power.
• Los Angeles Dodgers: Large-market MLB franchise with industry-leading payroll commitments, premium ballpark (Dodger Stadium), strong merchandise and international brand, and similar reliance on a single historic venue. Closest analog in terms of contract structure and media revenue profile.
• Boston Red Sox: Historic MLB rival franchise with comparable brand prestige, Fenway Park economics analogous to Wrigley Field, and similar high-payroll, premium-ticket positioning. Long-standing head-to-head competition makes revenue and attendance patterns directly comparable.
• Chicago White Sox: Same-market, same-sport rival sharing the Chicago media market and corporate sponsorship pool. Directly comparable for in-market ticket competition, local broadcast rights, and split of regional sports fan wallet.
• San Francisco Giants: West-coast MLB franchise with a similarly iconic urban ballpark (Oracle Park), comparable premium-ticket and corporate hospitality positioning, and parallel reliance on a single historic venue for the majority of revenue.
• New York Mets: Large-market NL franchise with elevated payroll commitments, premium seating at Citi Field, and ownership-driven investment profile. Comparable in private-ownership structure and aggressive contract deployment.
• St. Louis Cardinals: NL Central division rival and one of MLB's most established brands. Directly comparable for in-division win-share economics, head-to-head ticket demand, and shared regional broadcast footprint.
• Atlanta Braves: Historic MLB franchise with a recent World Series win, similarly developed farm system, and large-market revenue base anchored at Truist Park. Comparable in championship-cycle economics and young-core roster construction.
• Philadelphia Phillies: Large-market NL East franchise with high payroll commitments, premium Citizens Bank Park seating, and aggressive free-agent signings analogous to the Cubs' Bregman acquisition strategy.
• Houston Astros: Recent multi-time World Series champion with comparable roster construction around star free-agent signings and a developed farm system. Useful benchmark for measuring championship-cycle revenue inflection.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chicago-cubs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about The Chicago Cubs