11/05/24
July 24, 2003
Toyota to procure : the naming rights for Houston's new arena for the Rockets. The first car company to get in the naming rights business.
posted by dales15 to basketball at 08:46 AM - 30 comments
There's also Ford Field.
posted by mbd1 at 09:39 AM on July 24, 2003
Sure, why not. It's a standard practice, and only moderately offensive. Plus, it seems to be a way of generating some revenue without raising ticket prices. It's better than what's going on with the Bears and their naming issue. What is it that they're going to call football in Chicago now? Cisco Systems presents a General Motors Presentation of Hewlett-Packard-ish BEARS FOOTBALL!! - close captioning by Teledyne Defence Networks. Something like that. Since I was informed of this site I find work much more bareable. I also find myself working much less. Good. I'll need that severance.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:46 AM on July 24, 2003
Hehe, Weedy - you aren't too far off. UVa officially plays their home football games at the Carl Smith Center, home of David A. Harrison III field at Scott Stadium. It may not be a corporate sellout, but it's still laughable.
posted by mbd1 at 09:50 AM on July 24, 2003
Your welcome.
posted by garfield at 09:53 AM on July 24, 2003
Which stadiums/arenas have been left unscathed by the corporate naming intiative? Are there any?
posted by garfield at 09:58 AM on July 24, 2003
Which stadiums/arenas have been left unscathed by the corporate naming intiative? Are there any? Seahawks Stadium
posted by catfish at 10:10 AM on July 24, 2003
The Ballpark in Arlington as well. I know there are others. Joe Lewis Arena pops into mind. It hardly matters though since going to games at these arenas seems like more of a commercial-laden experience than watching them on TV.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:17 AM on July 24, 2003
This is the list of unscathed I could come up with off the top of my head, I know I am probably missing a few MLB-Fenway, Yankee, Shea, Jacobs (although technically is a naming rights deal--owner paid fee to have name on it), Busch, Wrigley, Kaufman, Ballpark at Arlington, Dodger, Turner Field NFL-Paul Brown, Seahawks, Giants, Georgia Dome, Candlestick (3Com is no longer rights holder), Texas, Soldier, Lambeau NBA/NHL--MSG, Gund (although technically it is--same as Jacobs), Bradley, Joe Louis, Palace at Auburn Hills
posted by dales15 at 10:25 AM on July 24, 2003
League of Fans has info on naming right for the four major sports.
posted by mbd1 at 10:27 AM on July 24, 2003
Aren't Busch and Wrigley corporate names? I think they've just been around so long and aren't quite so glaring as Minute Maid Field or something that we've kind of grown used to them.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:09 AM on July 24, 2003
Busch and Wrigley fall into the "named for a rich guy who owned an eponymous company" category. So yes and no.
posted by mbd1 at 11:19 AM on July 24, 2003
Also - Skydome - though the stadium is its own corporate entity. And Olympic Stadium. Canadian content.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:20 AM on July 24, 2003
I think so. So is Turner, if its the Ted I'm thinking of. So what is the magic formula to evade the renaming goblins? I see the NY area stadiums, less Contintenal Airlines Arena, if that's its name this week, seem to have maintained their original names. Is it just having big bucks, or are there partnerships amongst ownshership that contribute?
posted by garfield at 11:22 AM on July 24, 2003
As of yet Oriole Park at Camden Yards in Baltimore is still unmolested by a silly corporate naming deal. PSINet lost the naming rights to Ravens Stadium when they went bankrupt. Actually, bankruptcy meant that TWA and Enron both lost naming rights, too... is that at all a concern for teams/stadium authorities when they consider who they're selling the rights to?
posted by TrickKnee at 11:24 AM on July 24, 2003
welcome TrickKnee. I'd wager most potential corporate sponsors are quite financially robust in order to be in a position to consider paying this kind of loot for their name to grace a stadium...well, robust according to their internal audits. Who knows nowadays...
posted by garfield at 11:36 AM on July 24, 2003
The Metrodome in Minneapolis is still named after Hubert H. Humphrey. But I'm sure the next stadium will be called either Target Fields or Best Buy Park..
posted by emoeby at 11:45 AM on July 24, 2003
The Ravens have picked up M & T Bank as the naming rights sponsor after PSINet went under. CMGI was the orignal naming rights owner of the Patriots new stadium but there stock had such a fall that they got out of the deal (and Gillette moved in) before the stadium opened. CNNMoney maintains Stadium Sponsors Index
posted by dales15 at 11:45 AM on July 24, 2003
The Ravens have picked up M & T Bank as the naming rights sponsor after PSINet went under. CMGI was the orignal naming rights owner of the Patriots new stadium but there stock had such a fall that they got out of the deal (and Gillette moved in) before the stadium opened. CNNMoney maintains Stadium Sponsors Index
posted by dales15 at 11:45 AM on July 24, 2003
The link didn't work for CNN Stadium Sponsors Index but it is accessible at http://money.cnn.com/markets/snapshots/Stadium_sponsors.html
posted by dales15 at 11:46 AM on July 24, 2003
Garfield, I didn't quite mean if a company could afford paying the money, but rather even if a company could put up the cash do stadium authorities consider the long term viability of the companies involved? Now that I think about it, I suppose they would now that we've learned the lessons from Enron & TWA and such.
posted by TrickKnee at 11:51 AM on July 24, 2003
Sheesh. "if a company could afford *to pay* the money." Must learn to proofread more carefully.
posted by TrickKnee at 11:56 AM on July 24, 2003
The Ballpark in Arlington is such a horrible name I'd welcome any corporate naming sponsor. Anything would be better -- I'm thinking Waste Management Field.
posted by rcade at 12:21 PM on July 24, 2003
long term viability = financially robust.
posted by garfield at 12:37 PM on July 24, 2003
Thank you - garfield. I look forward to seeing your ugly face soon and I hope the infection cleared up. Mine did.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 02:51 PM on July 24, 2003
Hey dales, "Toyota to procure" sounds like they were arranging hookers. Which is reasonably appropriate for a basketball arena, I suppose.
posted by billsaysthis at 04:28 PM on July 24, 2003
Add "Cleveland Browns Stadium" to the list. They instead sold naming right to the gates (Instead of "Gate A", you enter through "Cleveland Clinic Gate". Supposedly, injured players leave through there as well.)
posted by avogadro at 04:30 PM on July 24, 2003
Two finance related points. One, I used to work with one of the bankers who was integral to most of the naming rights deals (he did Miama's America Airlines deal, the new Invesco/Broncos deal, etc.). His next big deal is the new Jets statium which is supposed to be on the old railyards in NYC. The interesting thing is he expected the naming rights for that stadium (maybe with a tie-in to the proposed subway stop) to be the most expensive ever. His expectation is that the naming rights would fund a significant portion of the stadium construction and be worth 500.0M. So New York teams aren't exempt. It's just hard to find new space in NYC and they've been around so long people are tied to the old names. Two, a lot of the corporations that have paid for naming rights are doing very poorly. There is an interesting theory that the type of companies that need the advertising (airlines, consumer products,etc.) tend to be in commodity businesses with low margin's, which explains their poor business performance. Microsoft, for example, doesn't need a stadium named after it because you're forced to buy Windows. Delta, OTOH, has to compete with American, United, etc.
posted by Mike McD at 05:24 PM on July 24, 2003
I think Ford Field falls into the Busch, Wrigley, etc. category since the Ford family owns the Lions.
posted by gyc at 07:11 PM on July 24, 2003
Correction--I had meant to right first foreign car company to get in major sports naming rights business. GM has Vancouver arena and Nissan has small music venues as naming rights sponsorships.