PROBLEM
You are a member of the Board of Directors of Chicago National League Baseball, Inc., a Delware corporation which owns and operates Wrigley Field, a baseball stadium, and the Chicago Cubs professional baseball team. Wrigley Field at this time is the only major league stadium without lights, which means that all games must be played during the day, a fact that means many working people cannot attend games on weekdays. The team’s majority shareholder, Philip Wrigley (who had personally selected you and each member of the Board) is an extremely wealthy man (he owned, among other things Catalina Island in its entirety) had always opposed lights because he personally believed that “baseball is a daytime sport” and he believed that having more traffic in the neighborhood in the evenings would change the low-key nature of the neighborhood. He has always stated that he was not in baseball “simply to make money” but that he was a “trustee for the fans.”
Jonah is a minority shareholder of the corporation; Wrigley had some him shares many years earlier, and Jonah very much wanted the Cubs “to make money.” Jonah made a demand on the Board to have modern lighting installed at Wrigley Field. He produced evidence that many area residents, including business owners, would like the increased business and spending that would occur during night games; that Cub attendance at road games (which were nearly all at night) was higher than the day attendance at Wrigley; that the cross-town Chicago White Sox played night games and drew more fans (and made more money) than the Cubs; and that it was difficult to get pitchers to want to pitch for the Cubs given the fact that batters have a significant advantage in daylight. Expert accountants had prepared estimates showing that the Cubs would make more money if lights were installed, and that Wrigley Field would become more valuable if business grew around it to take advantage of night baseball.
In a short speech to the Board, Mr. Wrigley replied that White Sox attendance was higher because the Sox had been much more successful in recent years, including winning a World Series (which the Cubs had not in 70 years); that road attendance was higher because most stadiums were larger than Wrigley; that while pitchers disliked daylight games, batters loved them, which meant that things evened out; and Wrigley preferred the low-key residential of the neighborhood and did not want to see the stadium surrounded by restaurants, nightclubs, bars, and other “sleazy” businesses.
You are to vote on whether or not install lights at Wrigley Field. If you do not, Jonah and other disgruntled minority shareholders will sue. If you do, of course, Mr. Wrigley will likely not reappoint you to the Board. You want to do the right thing.
Analyze the issue and explain how you would vote.
