In today's Tribune, Dan McGrath wrote a long, detailed and thoughtful piece on the recession and what effects it has had and will have on local sports teams.
From the article, here's a graphic showing recent attendance figures and what effects the recession might have on the Cubs, including a sharp decrease in sponsorships from banks, one of the Cubs' main sponsors in recent years:
The steep increases in some Cub ticket prices may price some people out of the ballpark in 2009.