The Cubs are cheating, says Derek Zumsteg of Baseball Prospectus. They’re cheating Major League Baseball and the fans.
Baseball has in place a revenue sharing agreement. What is supposed to happen is that richer teams share revenue with small market teams. Revenue sharing is supposed to ensure some level of competitive balance.
The Cubs already have a broadcast contract that helps them under report revenue, now they’re scalping tickets. What the Cubs have done is set up a separate entity to sell tickets at broker prices, well above face value. For example, a $45 ticket might go for $1,500 from the broker.
This is plain and simple cheating. Fortunately, there’s a lawsuit aimed at putting a stop to this practice.