Tuesday, January 2, 2018

How do disabled watch Chicago baseball? Should they switch ballclubs?

It will be interesting to see what becomes of a lawsuit filed recently that says the Chicago Cubs are now in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act – the federal law that governs how accessible buildings must be to people with physical disabilities.
Were wheelchairs at ballpark even contemplated in so-called good ol' days?

In this case, a 20-year-old Cubs fan whose father is a prominent attorney is suing the ball club because he doesn’t like the way renovations of Wrigley Field in recent years have altered the seating made available to people who must use wheelchairs to get around.

THIS PARTICULAR FAN used to like to sit in the space out beyond the right-field fence between the bleachers and the foul pole – on the Sheffield Avenue side of the building, to be exact.

The Cubs used to use that space to allow wheelchair-bound fans to park themselves during ball games and watch from their own seats. The fan says in his lawsuit that he enjoyed being able to sit out in the sunshine (of a day game, presumably) while watching a ballgame.

But with the renovations of recent years, that space has now been filled in with an outdoor bar that’s supposed to add to the ambiance of the ball park – while making it easier for bleacher fanatics to get themselves an over-priced drink (everything associated with ball parks these days is overpriced, so that’s not a slander aimed only at the Cubs).
Wrigley portion focus of lawsuit. Photos by Gregory Tejeda

His lawsuit also points out that the Cubs used to have a space in the grandstand behind home plate where wheelchair-bound fans could park themselves. It actually put them in front of many other fans, which meant the disabled got a particularly-prime location within the Wrigley Field seating.

NOW, THE LAWSUIT contends, wheelchair-bound people must park themselves in a spot several rows further up – and when the bulk of Cubbie fandom chooses to stand and cheer, it becomes impossible for the wheelchair-bound to see anything!

What an outrage!!!!!
How do disabled maneuver the crowds?

Although I couldn’t help but notice many people using the Internet and the Chicago Tribune to comment (anonymously, of course) about the lawsuit in negative ways; trying to claim that this particular wheelchair-bound fan (he’s coped with muscular dystrophy for half his life) is merely upset he can’t get a prime spot in the ballpark.

Doesn’t he realize life ain’t fair? Which is a rather cold-hearted approach to take toward life.

MY OWN REACTION is to wonder just how far this particular lawsuit will go in the courts. Since it seems based on the premise that the Cubs ought to have to undo many of the changes made in the structure in recent years – whose purpose was to add private clubs in the ball park and also some prime seating that could go for top dollar.

Are the Cubs really trying to bolster their financial bottom line by reducing the number of disabled who can enter the ball park?
The Sout' Side's wheelchair view of the playing field
I’d almost suggest those fans dump the Cubs and start attending Chicago White Sox games, where the existing stadium puts disabled people in the lower deck concourse (the space where all the concessions stands are located). People can park their wheelchairs right up against the existing seats.

When I’ve noticed them at ballgames, it’s almost like they’re part of the existing crowd – only they brought their own chairs. Which means I’d hope those fans would get some sort of financial break on ticket prices – although I’m not naïve enough to think that’s so.

BUT THEN AGAIN, I’ve heard Cubs fans dump on the White Sox because the ball club puts those with wheelchairs behind the grandstand seats, rather than amidst them.

Although personally, I’d think that the heavy presence of elevators at Guaranteed Rate Field (unlike the century-old Wrigley Field) would make it much easier to maneuver around.

But as I wrote easier, we’ll see how seriously the courts take this lawsuit. Because I’m sure the Cubs will argue they’re playing ballgames in a century-old building that, if you truly maintained its historic character, was never intended to accommodate wheelchairs.

Frivolous lawsuit? Or discrimination against the disabled? We’ll wait and see.

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