...they will shut down Ford Field (home of the Detroit Lions and this year's Super Bowl).

 

I think this is probably the dumbest post I've made here.

 

I didn't know if it was serious or a joke. I assumed it was a joke I smilled at it.

 

I have been hearing on different media stations that ford is closing down several of its plants..??..

 

Did you see the Daily Show last night? They joked about the $40 M for Ford Field (don't know if it was just naming rights or a bigger piece of the stadium, but if it's just naming rights, that's REALLY steep) and said that there was clearly no better way that that money could have been spent.

 

Ford's naming rights extend through 2042 -- an average of $1 million/year. That's a bargain compared to some others like

Phillips Arena (Atlanta Hawks) $9.3 million/year

FedEx Filed (Washington Redskins) $7.6 million/year

Bank of America Stadium (Carolina Panthers) $7 million/year (I have to wonder: Did they have to outbid fellow Charlotte-based banking giant Wachovia?)

and many more, according to http://espn.go.com/sportsbusiness/s/stadiumnames.html

 

A very outspoken sportscaster in the Dallas/Fort Worth Area, Randy Galloway had a lot to say about stadium naming rights. The Texas Rangers play at Ameriquest Field. Unfortunately, Ameriquest has had a bad day in court and it's in the new. It's nothing like the Astro's having to change their stadium name from Enron Field to MinuteMaid Park, but embassasing.

Randy Galloway's take is if a stadium sells their naming rights to a company - the odds are very good it will bring embarrassment to the community.

I like Randy Galloway's intro on his show:

• Vindictive
• Opinionated
• Self-serving
• Often vicious

I'll try to follow his example here.

 

He's got a point. Enron was only the most blatant example. Others include Adelphia (Tennessee Titans), PSINet (Baltimore Ravens), Network Associates (Oakland Raiders), Delta Airlines (Utah Jazz), United Airlines (Chicago Blackhawks/Bulls) and Pro Player (Fla. Marlins/Miami Dolphins). The last is now "Dolphins Stadium" since PP went bankrupt!

I remember listening to the equally opinionated Skip Bayless on the DFW sports station back in '93-'94. Glad to see Randy is continuing the tradition!

Probably not. Wachovia probably figured the Philly arena was enough.

BTW, that ESPN list needs some updating. For one thing, the Orlando Miracle no longer exist -- that WNBA team left town at least 3 years ago. And a new corporate sponsor just replaced Corel in Ottawa.

 

To say Randy Galloway is opinionate is an understatement.

His show's intro is Johny Cash's The Man Come Around: