A Little-Known Wrigley Field Tradition Vanishing With Time
By John Dodge
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Over Wrigley Field's 100-year history, Chicago Cubs fans have seen many traditions come and go.
Only day games.
That stupid goat.
However, there is one little-noticed tradition that is slipping away, too.
It's the number of Orthodox Jews who work as vendors at the games.
A fascinating feature article by Uriel Heilman of the Times Of Israel notes that years ago there were two dozen or more young Orthodox Jews who would work summers, selling hot dogs, beer, soda and peanuts.
Nobody seems to know how it started, but it was the perfect summer job. The park is a short distance from Orthodox neighborhoods, and vendors could decide when they wanted to work--which was perfect for Sabbath observers, Heilman reported.
Times have changed, due to many factors, including the addition of more night games and the fact that vending isn't seen as the money-maker it was in the past.
Now there are just a few Orthodox vendors working at Wrigley.
"This was a dream come true," David Porush, 40, a lawyer who vended for a couple of years starting at age 16, told Heilman. "I'm a huge Cubs fan. I love baseball. I love Wrigley Field. If you were a very big fan like me, I'd make $30 or $40 and then sit down to watch the game. But if you were a very aggressive vendor, you could make a lot of money."