The Cubs join other Chicago sports teams in urging residents to stay home

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot and all eight (yes, eight!) of the city’s pro sports teams becan an initiative Monday to urge all residents to stay home as a way to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus:

Lightfoot held a news conference Monday morning at Soldier Field to launch an ad campaign called “We Are Not Playing” in conjunction with the Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, Fire, Red Stars, Sky and White Sox.

The campaign will start with digital ads and public billboards and will include social media messages and videos from players encouraging people to comply with the state’s stay-at-home order. It comes on top of Lightfoot’s humorous “Stay Home, Save Lives” public service announcements last week.

“I am grateful to each of our hometown teams for stepping up and doing their part by joining in this call for every neighborhood and community,” Lightfoot said in a release. “They’re not playing, and neither are we. The more we stay home and act responsibly, the more lives we’ll save, and the sooner we’ll be able to get our city back on track and enjoying the games we love.”

Here is what the Cubs sent out on Twitter as their part in the initiative:

And, the same thing on the team’s Instagram account:

And, Facebook (link here if you are reading via Apple News):

Cubs Chairman Tom Ricketts issued a statement:

“Sports has always served as a great example of achieving a common goal and overcoming the odds. As we battle the biggest public health crisis facing our generation, the Chicago Cubs are happy to join the Chicago sports community in encouraging Chicago residents to work together as a team to fight this pandemic,” said Tom Ricketts, Chicago Cubs executive chairman. “If we can all do our part to follow public health guidelines to stay at home we can slow or stop the spread of this disease. Stay inside so that we can come together and watch baseball soon.”

Kudos to Mayor Lightfoot and Chicago pro sports teams for sending out this message during these unprecedented times. If you’re in Chicago — or anywhere on this planet, really — please heed their words and stay safe.