Feeling Listless? This Just Might Take Care of That

Midweek musings: Feeling a little listless? The winter that many of us have had to endure can have that effect. Which is why the department of list research around here has come up with a couple of lists to liven things up. OK, maybe not liven things up, but at least to justify the department’s existence.

A photo of Rocky Wirtz or swimsuit model Emily Ratajkowski? Decisions, decisions.

First off, there is Chicago Magazine’s third annual list of “100 Most Powerful Chicagoans.” Mayor Rahm Emanuel tops the chart. Included are six sports types;

No. 6: Rocky Wirtz, Blackhawks chairman and United Center co-owner
No. 11: Jerry Reinsdorf, Bulls and White Sox chairman
No. 23: Jay Cutler, Bears quarterback
No. 25: Jim Delany, Big Ten Conference commissioner
No. 48: Tom Ricketts, Cubs chairman and co-owner
No. 100: Theo Epstein, Cubs president of baseball operations

If you happen to be confused by those rankings, welcome to the club. Your humble correspondent would say Reinsdorf is underrated and Wirtz might be slightly overrated. Maybe the folks who came up with the list are hockey fans.

What Cutler is doing on the list is beyond by my comprehension (as are a bunch of other things that are too numerous to list here). If being able to elicit emotions is one of the requisites for “most powerful,” then Cutler’s ranking might be justified. Beyond that, he merely is the focal figure on the city’s most all-encompassing pro team. Powerful? Well, his arm is, but I don’t think that’s what this list is all about.

Delany is a Chicagoan? Well, his office is in the Chicago area. But the Big Ten isn’t exactly a Chicago entity (although Northwestern sure likes its “Chicago’s Big Ten team” slogan). That said (or, in this case, written), Delany deserves higher ranking than Cutler.

Ricketts is powerful? Tell that to the Wrigleyville rooftop owners who have been dealing with him. And his dealings with the city regarding Wrigley Field improvements (that he would like to have others pay for) have not gone particularly well. His power? Well, he could move the team to Rosemont or somewhere else. But any power he might have seems more theoretical than actual.

Epstein is powerful? Well, maybe he has a powerful imagination if he thinks the Cubs will be contending for anything other than escaping last place in the National League Central any time soon.

Oh, well. Such lists are fodder for creating conversation and buzz.

Maybe there should be a list of lists that we shouldn’t take too seriously.

Speaking of lists, Forbes magazine has one that is more fact-based:

Player/total endorsement income (shoe sponsor)

LeBron James: $42 million (Nike)
Kobe Bryant: $34 million (Nike)
Derrick Rose: $21 million (Adidas)
Kevin Durant: $14 million (Nike)
Dwyane Wade: $12 million (Li Ning)
Carmelo Anthony: $9 million (Jordan/Nike)
Amar’e Stoudemire: $6.5 million (Nike)
Dwight Howard: $6 million (Adidas)
Blake Griffin: $6 million (Jordan/Nike)
Chris Paul: $4 million (Jordan/Nike)
Source: Forbes

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