Ninety-plus years ago, the concept of “naming rights” for stadiums didn’t exist, not the way we understand it today, anyway, where a company pays a team millions simply to plaster its name on a ballpark, stadium or arena.
There has been considerable discussion on this site and elsewhere about whether Wrigley Field was named after the team’s owner, William Wrigley Jr., or after his eponymous gum company.
I’ve got the definitive answer for you, but first, a little bit about the history of “naming rights.”
Another ballpark that was built around the same time as Wrigley Field — first known as Weeghman Park — was Fenway Park in Boston.