From this story.
The Houston Astros renamed their stadium Minute Maid Park. Now I know that corporate naming is all the rage nowadays, but am I the only one who thinks that “Minute Maid Park” lacks something? It just sounds a bit too comical for a major league ballpark. Somehow, Minute Maid doesn’t inspire a sports/macho/coolness image. Granted Enron and PacBell didn’t do that either, but Enron and PacBell didn’t remind me of Little League either.
Zev Steinhardt
My reaction upon receiving my Astros-fan boyfriend’s email about the announcement:
heeheeheeheehahaBWAHAHAHAHAHAheeheesnortsnortheeheeahhh…wipes tears away…heeheehaaa…
He thinks the 'Stros should have foregone the corporate sponsorship and simply named it “Union Field” (since it was a train station 'n all) and I agree. Why did they change it from “Field” to “Park” anyway?
I mean, come on! MINUTE MAID?
[Neil Young]
A ma-a-aid, a park needs a maid…
[/Neil]
And it’s a name that’s easy to mess with. Meter maid, milkmaid, French maid, Moon Maid - I predict Houston sportswriters will have a ball.
Oh come on. Minute Maid Park may be a little precious, but they could have gotten a LOT worse for a corporate sponsor.
Pop Tarts Park
Good N Plenty Park
Motel 6 Park
Family Channel Park
Penthouse Forum Field
Preparation H Stadium
Olson Twins Stadium
[Neil Young]
A ma-a-aid, a park needs a maid…
[/Neil]
And it’s a name that’s easy to mess with. Meter maid, milkmaid, French maid, Moon Maid - I predict Houston sportswriters will have a ball.
How about calling them all “Soul-less Corporation” Arena? Or, better yet, “There’s a Sucker Born Every Minute Who’ll Keep Paying Excessively High Prices to Support Whiny Over-Paid Athletes Who Don’t Give a Rat’s Ass About the Fans” Stadium?
Could be worse. Here in Rhode Island, the Providence Civic Center has just been renamed the Dunkin Donuts Center. Which works okay, until you realize that donuts don’t have a center …
Duuuuude. That is soooo HEAVY!
The coolest one lately: Here in San Jose we used to have the Compaq Pavillion (where the San Jose Sharks play). Since the HP buyout/merger it’s now the HP Pavillion, which is oddly enough the name of their best-selling computer line.
I don’t really see what’s so funny about Minute Maid park. However, my sister-in-law cannot say “Wrigley Field” without pronouncing it “wrig-gol-ly” and making a wriggly motion with her body, lol.
I’ve always wondered if there is any evidence that these naming deals actually result in increased business for the company that yields up millions of dollars for the naming rights.
After all, it worked such wonders for Enron.
Massengill Stadium - For that not-so-fresh season.
So when are we going to have the Ty-D Bowl?
I much prefer the name that Enron Fie… er… Astros Fie… umm… Minute Maid Park had while in the planning and construction phases: The Ballpark at Union Station. It just sounds better, in my honest opinion.
Osiris sees title
Osiris thinks it has something to do with hookers
Osiris reads OP
Osiris is very amused
What’s the Rangers’ field called? The Ballpark in Arlington? I think “Union Field” sounds pretty good. But it doesn’t get them $170 million.
The silly part about the whole thing is that Minute Maid’s parent company is Coca-Cola. I’m willing to bet that most fans wouldn’t have a problem with “Coca-Cola Stadium.” At least it doesn’t sound so “little-league-ish.”
Zev Steinhardt
Coke Stadium? Like we could keep Darryl away.
Minute Laid Stadium… where the Cubbies come to quickly find themselves screwed.
Way back when the bidding on the naming rights started again, I saw that Mattress Mac was interested. “Oh no!” I thought, “No name could be worse than ‘Gallery Furniture Field!’”
I humbly stand corrected.
As I said before: Arghhhhhhh…
I’m just glad I’m not in Houston right now. I can pretend it’s not really happening.
-Loopus
At least some corporations have stayted out so far. Imagine:
Kotex Park “Our players have wings”
The Viagra Dome “Our players are always up for the game”
Propecia Park “Our balls are hairy”
LurkMeister, I love your “Ty-D-Bowl”.
One real one, Candlestick Park, always sounded to me as if Liberace should be playing there. And Soldier Field evokes the image of a battlefield strewn with bloody corpses. Could corporate names be worse?
If I become a billionaire, I’m going to buy a professional arena and name it “My penis is bigger than yours stadium.”
Gee, that makes Minneapolis’s Target Center seem almost…inspired.
If the Target Center were in Chicago, would it be nicknamed “the Bullseye”?
I can just hear the vendors at Minute Maid Park now…“OJ, get your fresh-squeezed OJ! No-pulp, regular, and ‘chunky homestyle’! OJ!”
In the future, it’s going to be the Little League Parks that have the “grown-up” names…you know, like the name of the city they’re in, or of some locally-famous personage, while the big-leaguers play in “Pokemon Stadium”.