Look: Dansby Swanson Leaves Flowers In Wife’s Wrigley Field Locker

Mallory Swanson and the Chicago Red Stars played their first game in Wrigley Field on Saturday night in NWSL action.

Jun 8, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson (9) runs for the ball in the second half against Bay FC at Wrigley Field. | Melissa Tamez-USA TODAY Sports

On Saturday night the Chicago Red Stars made history.

The NWSL team played the first women’s soccer game at Wrigley Field, as they faced Bay Area FC.

The Red Stars didn’t win the game, falling 2-1. But they set a NWSL attendance record, as the game drew 35,038 to the Friendly Confines while the Chicago Cubs were out of town facing the Cincinnati Reds.

That meant that Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson, the husband of Red Stars forward Mallory Swanson, wasn’t able to be there in person. He was busy.

But that didn’t mean he didn’t leave something behind for her.

The Red Stars took residence in the Cubs’ home locker room for the game. Mallory had her own locker. It wasn’t clear if her locker was Dansby’s locker, but he did leave her a gift — flowers, as pointed out in a social media post.

Dansby Swanson put flowers in Mallory Swanson’s locker in honor of the Red Stars playing at Wrigley 🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/RHOlaPWXRL

— Cubs Zone (@CubsZone) June 8, 2024

When the Red Stars announced the game earlier this year, their hope was to break the NWSL attendance record. At the time, Mallory was playing in the SheBelieves Cup in San Diego and Dansby was just starting his second season with the Cubs.

“It's really cool for the Red Stars and just the growth of women's soccer and women's sports in general,” Swanson said. “Giving fans the easier accessibility at a place like Wrigley, I think it's just a really cool opportunity for the Chicago Red Stars.”

Mallory played in a USWNT friendly a couple of weeks ago as she and the rest of the U.S. team prepare for the Olympics in Paris in July. She missed the World Cup last year after she suffered a patella tendon injury in the lead-up to the World Cup.

She’s one of the world’s best players and the highest-paid player in NWSL. Earlier this year, Mallory signed a four-year deal worth $400,000 per year, with a fifth-year option that could help her make $2 million. Dansby signed a seven-year, $177 million deal with the Cubs before the 2023 season.

They’ve also made Chicago their full-time home, as they bought former Cubs president of baseball operations Theo Epstein’s mansion in Lakeview last year.