Oh, and BTW, what was wrong with the name The Astrodome?
I nervously await the renaming of the Tennessee Titans former Adelphia Stadium…
The Astrodome is still there. They (Astros) just don’t play their games in it anymore.
Really? Why not, and what is the Astrodome used for now?
I’m with you, bro. If some company came rolling in and offered me to change my screen-name for a honkin’ load of money I’d do it and laugh all the way to the bank. (Hell, I’d probably do it for my REAL name as long as it was a product I liked.)
I don’t see what’s wrong with “Minute Maid Field.” Is “minute maid” some wacky sex term I don’t know about or something?
Hey, that has a nice ring to it…
It was too old, and too small. So they built and played in (ahem) “Enron Field”, a newer, larger firled with a retractable roof but a too-close bck wall (or so they tell me, haven’t been yet). After the Enron hit the fan, the 'stros are screaming bloody murder to get the name changed (screw, says I, you made your multimillion dollar bed, now lie in it) and their secondary sponsor Minute Maid gats the new bid.
The Astrodome (sorry, Reliant Astrodome, pff,) is used for the Houston Rodeo (biggest in U.S., I think), the occasional large WWF match, and really big music acts, but not much else. It won’t even be needed when the Texans get up and running. They’re building a huge ultra-modern stadium right next door to it that dwarfs it.
The problem is, since they’re building it in the dome’s old parking lot, parking is going to be a big, big problem. Nobody wants to talk about it, but sooner or later the dear old dome will probably have to come down.
What if Wrigley Field’s naming rgihts were bought out by a company named Galois?
Speaking of name changes…
I’ve never understood the problem with corporate naming rights. As was mentioned upthread, it’s a chance for a team/city to make a huge profit, and not at any taxpayer’s expense. I say go for it.
The Red Sox are looking for new ways to make a profit off of Fenway Park. I still haven’t figured out why they haven’t offered to rename the Green Monster to the Green Monster.com, and post a big Monster.com ad on it. It certainly wouldn’t be the first time the Wall was covered in ads, and it hardly affects play or the quaintness of the park.
Not quite, check this link: Orange Bowl Stadium
“The Red Sox are looking for new ways to make a profit off of Fenway Park.”
Might I be allowed to be the first to strike Massingail from the list of prospective suitors? Especially considering the frequent references to the green monster.
Therein lies the rub. I don’t know the specifics of all the naming rights deals, but my understanding is that that money often goes to the team, who play in a stadium that was built by the city (i.e., taxpayers). I don’t think the teams should be able to profit from the naming rights to something the people built. Those fees should be used to retire any bond debt the city might have incurred in building the stadium.
BeerFan: D’oh! I sit corrected.
pldennison, No problem.
As you pointed out the Orange Bowl is an event, an event that sold out to corporate sponsorship: The FedEx Orange Bowl.
I can’t believe someone mentioned Wrigley field unironically.
Lemme give you a tip…Wrigley Field was the FIRST Corporate Naming Rights Stadium! Sure, it’s also the name of the owner (at the time) of the team but it’s also the name of his firm.
Last time I was in Pennsylvania, a sports arena in Hershey was about to be named Giant Center, after one of the major sponsors, a regional grocery store chain. Many comments were being made that the name sounded like it was referring to the size of the arena rather than the sponsor.
But the organization that was putting up the most money, as it turns out, wasn’t Giant, but the Commonwealth. I suppose you just can’t name it Pennsylvania Taxpayer Arena, and yet…
I hear that Summer’s Eve wants to get into the endorsement action, so we should be hearing about
“That Not So Fresh Feeling” park any day now!
Yeah, that’s where I want to get my vinegar fries.
I(and a number of other Houstonians and ex-Houstonians are happy beyond words that it’s not the Galleryfurniture.com Field. Mattress Mac is like the city’s crazy aunt who we love, but don’t (shouldn’t) show in public.
Around Kansas City, we have a name change for an outdoor theater.
Before: Sandstone Amphitheater
Visions of beautiful rocks bathed in the glow of the summer sun.
After: Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Visions of beeping cell phones.
You have a problem with the World Wildlife Fund having fund-raising matches?
No animals, especially endangered ones, were harmed in the making of this post.