2004 Another Solid Year For
Naming Rights
The
2004 calendar year turned out to be another productive
one for the naming rights industry. There were 20 deals
completed during the past year making 2004 the
fourth-best year ever for naming rights sales finishing
behind only 1999 (34) and 2000 & 2002 (24 each).
The year got off to a blazing start both in the
first and
second quarters of the
year but slowed as the year... (more)
NBA Naming Rights Overview
The National Basketball Association
has 76.6% of its teams (23/30)
playing in facilities named for corporate sponsors or
individuals who are paying for that right. This ratio
places the NBA second (behind the NHL) among the five
major professional sports leagues in terms of teams
playing in corporately-named facilities. The NBA is also
unique in that there are only 22 agreements in place.
The remaining situation is that the Los Angeles Lakers
and Los Angeles Clippers share the Staples Center.... (more)
New Greensboro Stadium Gets
NR Sponsor
 A
reported 10-year, $3 million agreement will name the new home of
the South Atlantic League's Greensboro Grasshoppers as First
Horizon Park. The
deal was the 20th and final one inked for a professional sports facility
during the 2004 calendar year... (more)
Worcester's Centrum Centre
Gets New Name
A
10-year, $5.2 million agreement will change the name of
Worcester's Centrum Centre, home of the AHL Worcester Ice Cats,
to the DCU Center. The
deal was the 19th inked for a professional sports facility
during the 2004 calendar year so far... (more)
NHL Naming Rights Overview
The National Hockey League has always
been at the forefront of securing
naming rights partners for its facilities. The league is
currently tops among all U.S.-based major sports leagues
with 26 out of the league's 30 teams (87%) playing in
named facilities. The number is likely to grow as
published reports indicate that the Phoenix Coyotes are
currently in the midst of seeking a sponsor for their
new arena... (more)
Pair of Interior NR
Agreements Completed
The
NFL's Seattle Seahawks and AHL's Cleveland Barons each announced
new interior naming agreements for parts of their home
facilities in early October. These deals continued a growing
trend in this area to name additional portions of respective
facilities in order to generate incremental revenues... (more)
NR Growth Slows in Third
Quarter
As noted on this site
earlier this year, the
first half of 2004 saw a strong start for the sale of
naming rights for professional sports facilities
throughout North America. This trend slowed dramatically
in the third quarter of the calendar year with only
three deals completed. However, it is important to
remember that 2004 has been a top-five year for naming
rights agreements signed... (more)
Candlestick Gets New Name
The
San Francisco 49ers became the 18th National Football League team to play
in a named facility after inking a reported 4-year, $6 million
contract with Monster Cable. The
deal was the 17th inked for a professional sports facility
during the 2004 calendar year so far... (more)
P&C Name Comes Off Of
Syracuse Stadium
The
class-AAA International League's Syracuse SkyChiefs became the
31st team to see a corporate name taken off of their stadium
before the originally contracted conclusion date. P&C's parent
company filed for bankruptcy and asked the bankruptcy court to
allow it to exit the 25-year deal the company had signed with
Onondaga County... (more)
Busch Name Remains On New
Cardinals Stadium
The
St. Louis Cardinals continued a long-standing tradition that
dates back to the 1950s by inking an agreement with St.
Louis-based Anheuser-Busch to place the company's name on the
team's new stadium scheduled to open in 2006. The
deal was the 16th inked for a professional sports facility
during the 2004 calendar year to date... (more)
Iowa Cubs Secure New Naming
Sponsor
The
class-AAA Pacific Coast League's Iowa Cubs signage a new naming
rights sponsor for the former Sec Taylor Stadium with Principal
Financial Group. The
deal was the 15th inked for a professional sports facility
during the 2004 calendar year to date... (more)
Sprint Signs NR Agreement
For New KC Arena
The
efforts to build a new arena in Kansas City were given a solid
boost in July when local telecommunications company Sprint
committed to buying the naming rights for the proposed facility.
The 25-year deal is structured so that the company pays a
different fee based upon whether there is an NBA or an NHL
tenant playing in the facility... (more)
Strong 2004 Start For NR
Continues
As noted on this site
earlier this year, the
first quarter of 2004 saw a strong start for the sale of
naming rights for professional sports facilities
throughout North America. This trend continued in the
second quarter of the calendar year as we have now seen
14 naming rights agreements announced through the
halfway point of 2004. However, it is important... (more)
Seahawks Ink NR Agreement
The
Seattle Seahawks became the 17th National Football League team to play
in a named facility after inking a reported 15-year, $75 million
contract with Qwest Communications. The
deal was the 14th inked for a professional sports facility
during the 2004 calendar year so far... (more)
NR Bell Tolls For Rangers
The
Texas Rangers became the 16th Major League Baseball team to play
in a named facility when they inked an agreement with Ameriquest
Mortgage for the newly-named Ameriquest Field in Arlington. The
deal was the 11th inked for a professional sports facility
during the 2004 calendar year so far... (more)
When Naming
Rights Go Bad...
It is no secret that there have been
several high-profile naming rights agreements that have
failed over the past several years. Some members of the media
accurately point out that the sports marketing
landscape is littered with naming rights failures as
names like Enron Field, Adelphia Coliseum and the Trans
World Dome become distant memories. However, it is also
clear that the alleged "failure" of stadium & arena
naming rights from the perspective of teams and
facilities may be overblown... (more)
A Diamond By Any
Other Name...
There are
now 58 naming rights deals currently in place in professional
baseball. For the purposes of this analysis, this
industry segment includes Minor League Baseball and the
various independent professional baseball leagues. (Major
League Baseball is not included in this analysis.) Of the 58 facilities, five
(Clearwater, Dunedin, Jupiter, St. Lucie & Tucson)
are... (more)
What Slump?
It has been commonplace for many
observers to argue that
the sale of naming rights for professional sports
facilities has reached its peak. The
failure of several high-profile agreements such as Enron
and PSINet has certainly fueled the negative theories
regarding the future of naming rights. However, the first quarter of 2004 has seen another
solid start... (more)
Welcome to Naming Rights
Online
A sincere and hearty welcome. Thanks to each
of you for visiting Naming Rights Online. This site was
developed by Bill Miller of
The Leib Group, LLC in
April 2004 for the purpose of serving as an information resource
on the basics of the naming rights industry in professional sports
and entertainment venues around North America.
This site is
designed to look at naming rights from the perspective of teams,
facilities and, occasionally, sponsors. For those opposed to stadium and arena naming
rights, we certainly respect your opinion and suggest that you use your favorite search engine and
check out the numerous resources created by those who share that opinion
with you available elsewhere on the web.
This site is still under construction and it
is only updated or added to as the schedule permits. We strongly suggest you
visit here before you begin
looking around. Thanks again for stopping by.
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