Stadiums and Sponsors

[slapshot]

With all the talk in the news about TD BankNorth buying naming rights to the FleetCenter, it got me thinking...what is the first major sports arena/stadium in the U.S. or Canada to be named after a corporation?

Baseball has had a few versions of Wrigley Field, but I think in both of those cases the stadium was named after the owner of the team, who also owned a company of the same name.

St. Louis has always played in Busch Stadium, but I think it was named after the family, not necessarily the brand.

Is Kemper Arena in Kansas City the first one named after a company or brand? I think it was built in the early 70's (at least by 1974) and I'm pretty sure it's always had that name.

According to ballparks.com, Purina bought the St. Louis Blues in the late 70's/early 80's and changed the name of the St. Louis Arena to the Checkerdome, referencing the checkerboard Purina logo.

Here's more ballparks.com info about the old Foxboro Stadium, built in 1970:

As an example, he (William H. "Billy" Sullivan) established one of the nation's first naming-rights agreements in 1970 when he persuaded Schaefer Brewing Co. to put its name on the facility. The price: a whopping $150,000.

Anyone else have any ideas?

[Dilbert]

http://www.namingrightsonline.com/history.htm

Maybe this might help.

[NJTank]

Hmm thats an intersting site Dilbert

[winters in buffalo]

Informative site. I thought that Rich was the first to buy naming rights, thanks for confirming it. I had no idea that upstate NY has always been a leader in naming trends.

The NAP(1995) was the worst name for a stadium ever. People refused to use it. In fact, most still call it Pilot Field.

[yankeeman161]

well, since bank of america owns fleet, the wisest thing to do would have to named it bank of amerca center.

and let me tell each of you that there will never, eevvvvveeerrrrr, be a corporate sponsor on the name of the house that ruth built as long as we yankee fans bleed navy blue,

however, i think we may see the dunkin donuts stadium at fenway occupy yawkey way soon enough

[slapshot]

well, since bank of america owns fleet, the wisest thing to do would have to named it bank of amerca center.

and let me tell each of you that there will never, eevvvvveeerrrrr, be a corporate sponsor on the name of the house that ruth built as long as we yankee fans bleed navy blue,

however, i think we may see the dunkin donuts stadium at fenway occupy yawkey way soon enough

Bank of America already has a few staiums and arenas, they didn't need the advertising a name on the building would generate.

There may not be a corporate sponsor on the exterior of Yankee Stadium, but the inside is certainly singing the praises of adidas all over the place.

And Dunkin Donuts already has the Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence.

[STL FANATIC]

The story is that Anheuser Busch wanted to name the stadium Budweiser stadium or something like that, but the league wouldn't let them name it after a commercial product, especially not alcohol, so they side stepped that by naming it after Busch, the family name, but also one of their brands of beer.

So I don't know if that counts or not.

[NJTank]

I heard the story is they named the stadium Busch Stadium then came out with the Busch brand of beers to side step that not allowing a sponsorship.