Cardinals Leave Sun Devil Stadium for ...

[whitedawg22]

This is a kind of damned if you do, damned if you don't situation.

The purists want a traditional stadium name, that doesn't generate any money for the team. Fans want their teams to be successful, and $154.5 million certainly would help any payroll.

Is watching a game at "University of Phoenix Stadium" really less enjoyable than watching a game at "Cardinals Stadium"? I'm all for purism in sports as far as things that actually make a difference, but focusing on the name of a freaking stadium (a new one, with no tradition, at that) seems to be argument for the sake of argument.

To me, getting a sponsor name for a stadium seems like an easy way to pick up sponsorship money without affecting any aspects of the game (as, say, putting ads on uniforms would). The only way it would make a visceral difference is if a tradition-rich stadium (e.g. Lambeau, Fenway, Wrigley) was renamed. Moreover, stadium sponsorship isn't even a new phenomenon - Rich Stadium (Bills) was named after Rich Products, a food company, as far back as 1972 (now it's the Ralph, of course).

Teams need sponsorship dollars to compete in today's professional sports scene. And personally, I think naming a stadium is one of the most inoffensive ways to get those dollars.

Maybe they could take a page out of the Broncos' playbook and call it "University of Phoenix Field at Cardinals Stadium"... of Arizona.

[appleclock]

The Valley of the Sun sports team identity crisis continues...

The Arizona Cardinals name their Glendale stadium after a university that named itself for the city of "Phoenix," that neither entity are physically located in, while they're laughing across the street in Glendale Arena where the "Phoenix" Coyotes play.

I can't wait until Glendale Arena sells its naming rights!

[The_Admiral]

Boy, I'm so glad Phoenix has four sports teams.

[powersurge]

It's a good move on their part to take the money in exchange for the naming rights. The goal should be to resurrect some semblance of a winning team. If there was a strong tradition to protect, I might be against the stadium name. However, the team could really use the money and the name could be much, much worse.

It seems to be a lot of fuss over nothing.

The Cardinals are one of the oldest teams in the NFL.

So I imagine that there has to be SOME tradition for them to avoid calling the field what they did.

As for the Pat Tillman name thing...Hey Pat Tillman was a really great and brave guy. I respect his service and giving his life for the USA, but if we are going to start naming stadiums after war hereos who died in battle, than there are many more guys that deserve a name on a stadium before Tillman does. Tons of people died in many of the wars, so maybe call the stadium a more general name refering to the armed forces or memorial for soldiers or something. Thats why I'm so glad the Bears left the name 'Soldier Field' on the new stadium instead of taking the money. Classy job on their part.

[yh]

Its online certifed Fly By Night as an offical Matchbook university with cracker Jack dimplomas.

Please support your contentions.

Do you know anything about UoP?

While I can't speak for UoP directly, I do teach MBA classes at a similarly situated university (DeVry) and I can assure you that these aren't diploma mills. There are strictly policed curricula and grading policies. Nobody gets a free pass - certainly no more than in "traditional" universities. These schools serve a very valuable purpose - providing college and grad school level education to adult learners who may not be able to attend "traditional" on-grounds university courses. In my experience, the students have been bright and eager to learn, however that's not to say that they're all "A" students. I've certainly handed out my fair share of C's and even some D's. I've also had to suggest to a couple of students that they drop my courses rather than risk failing.

UoP is not strictly an online university but that is certainly a component that makes education even more accessible to people. Education is what you make of it - content delivery is only part of the equation - it's what you do with that content that matters. In that respect it often doesn't matter whether you get that content via a book, a website or a lecture.

Frank, I'd urge you not to make statements which betray your lack of knowledge about a subject and simply paint you in Cravenesque terms. You're above that.

[raz]

The Arizona Cardinals name their Glendale stadium after a university that named itself for the city of "Phoenix," that neither entity are physically located in ...

Actually, UOP has corporate offices and a campus in Phoenix. My mother-in-law works there.

It's still a stupid name though!

[quantum]

It's a good move on their part to take the money in exchange for the naming rights.  The goal should be to resurrect some semblance of a winning team.  If there was a strong tradition to protect, I might be against the stadium name.  However, the team could really use the money and the name could be much, much worse.

It seems to be a lot of fuss over nothing.

The Cardinals are one of the oldest teams in the NFL.

So I imagine that there has to be SOME tradition for them to avoid calling the field what they did.

They are, in fact, the oldest team. All teams have some modicum of tradition. And if losing is a tradition to be celebrated, then by all means don't mess with the Cards. To say that the name The University of Phoenix Stadium is a horrid name is quite the stretch. The only argument against it has been that UofP is pictured, as Yale eluded to, a "diploma mill".

As for naming it after Pat Tillman, I'm glad they chose not to. Thousands have given their lives with even more distinguished service than Pat. I don't see celebrating the man just on the merit of surrendering a huge pro sports contract to serve his country. His sacrifice was noble, but not over and above the others he served with.

[doctorpeligro]

As for the Pat Tillman name thing...Hey Pat Tillman was a really great and brave guy. I respect his service and giving his life for the USA, but if we are going to start naming stadiums after war hereos who died in battle, than there are many more guys that deserve a name on a stadium before Tillman does. Tons of people died in many of the wars, so maybe call the stadium a more general name refering to the armed forces or memorial for soldiers or something. Thats why I'm so glad the Bears left the name 'Soldier Field' on the new stadium instead of taking the money. Classy job on their part.

The Bears were never given the option of selling the name.

[winters in buffalo]

If you buy the naming rights to a stadium, do you have to use your name?

Could UofP opt to call it something like... I dunno... Paris Hilton?

Imagine... 75,000 people packed into Paris Hilton on a hot Sunday afternoon.

[Tribein05]

Anyone who thinks my great state of AZ is going to see our cardinals get any better by the money recieved as part of the sponsorship deal is out of thier mind. All the money they're getting from this is going towards the tab the bidwells needed to foot the stadium. NEVER TRUST A BIDWELL!

[powersurge]

As for the Pat Tillman name thing...Hey Pat Tillman was a really great and brave guy. I respect his service and giving his life for the USA, but if we are going to start naming stadiums after war hereos who died in battle, than there are many more guys that deserve a name on a stadium before Tillman does. Tons of people died in many of the wars, so maybe call the stadium a more general name refering to the armed forces or memorial for soldiers or something. Thats why I'm so glad the Bears left the name 'Soldier Field' on the new stadium instead of taking the money. Classy job on their part.

The Bears were never given the option of selling the name.

There actually were substantial rumors that they might look into doing that, but it was quickly shot down so thats why I mentioned it. Being a life long Bears fan I'm really really glad they not only didn't put a god damned roof on the place (as was also rumoured) but they also kept the original name.

[KJTALBOT]

Aside from the potential confusion (which will be cleared up over time), the name could be much worse.

I think of ValuCity Area in Columbus. It sounds cut-rate.

You could have Hooters Arena or Fantastic Sam's Field.

Nothing against those businesses, but they don't lend themselves to a stadium name.

[powersurge]

If you buy the naming rights to a stadium, do you have to use your name?

Could UofP opt to call it something like... I dunno... Paris Hilton?

Imagine... 75,000 people packed into Paris Hilton on a hot Sunday afternoon.

funny.

[leedsunited]

Aside from the potential confusion (which will be cleared up over time), the name could be much worse.

I think of ValuCity Area in Columbus. It sounds cut-rate.

You could have Hooters Arena or Fantastic Sam's Field.

Nothing against those businesses, but they don't lend themselves to a stadium name.

Or that stupid St. Pete Times Arena that the Lightning play in. Horrid name.

Or remember that old National Car Rental Center for the Florida Panthers? Sounded like a big parking lot.

[The_Admiral]

Aside from the potential confusion (which will be cleared up over time), the name could be much worse.

I think of ValuCity Area in Columbus. It sounds cut-rate.

You could have Hooters Arena or Fantastic Sam's Field.

Nothing against those businesses, but they don't lend themselves to a stadium name.

Or that stupid St. Pete Times Arena that the Lightning play in. Horrid name.

Or remember that old National Car Rental Center for the Florida Panthers? Sounded like a big parking lot.

It seems to have all the ambience and excitement of a giant parking lot. Come on, it's the Florida Panthers.

[Pharos04]

If you buy the naming rights to a stadium, do you have to use your name?

Could UofP opt to call it something like... I dunno... Paris Hilton?

Imagine... 75,000 people packed into Paris Hilton on a hot Sunday afternoon.

Almost as bad as the thought of 75,000 people packed into a Pink Taco on a steamy Sunday. Hey at least it's ventilated

[skeletor]

This is a trend that must stop in sports....I mean it sounds absolutely hideous. This makes me wonder how far owners will go to commercial-ize their stadiums. I'm cant wait for Delaware Punch Stadium!

[fufkin]

Was Pat Tillman Memorial Stadium not good enough for the Bidwell's? 

I guess doing the right thing (for once) just doesn't make 'cents'.

It would make more sense to rename Sun Devil Stadium "Pat Tillman Memorial Stadium."

Or Pat Tillman Field at Sun Devil Stadium.

[Survival79]

Stadium fails to live up to billing

Dan Bickley

The Arizona Republic

Dec. 17, 2006 12:00 AM

It's been a rough year for the new stadium.

The grass won't grow. The retractable roof has been benched. And people who saw the Rolling Stones still aren't sure what they sound like in concert.

Alas, the acoustics from an eight-track player in a 1972 Gremlin surpass the sound quality inside this building, a post-industrial colossus full of girders, beams and exposed concrete.

Look, I love the exterior of University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale. It's unique, shining and stunning. It's wonderfully communal, with one of the best tailgate areas in the history of beer swilling. But the interior is a joke. And not at all what we thought we were getting with our hard-earned tourism dollars.

At its core, football is about character, and part of that means dealing with the elements. This applies to the players and the fans, and to seal out elements for collective comfort is to test karma and anger the football gods.

The Bears and the Packers play in open-air stadiums, in cities that get bitterly cold. They have won Super Bowls. The Lions and the Vikings have shut the roof and won nothing.

In the NFL, the weather must be in play. From the Ice Bowl to the Fog Bowl, many games become classics simply because of the playing conditions. And barring a strange heat wave or freakish rainstorm, the roof in Glendale should be open for all day games starting in November.

After all, the aging Keith Richards didn't mind the roof being open, and his circulation is hardly what it used to be. Now that's character.

Pathetically, the Cardinals are choosing the path of least resistance, which is what bad franchises do when small pockets of people complain, even though the Cardinals went to great lengths to explain sun patterns and high-glare areas to new customers.

Problem is, bad franchises don't have replacement customers waiting on season ticket lists. And after all those years of empty bleachers, the Cardinals don't want to anger anyone they have on the hook, especially the customers who were sold on a comfortable fan experience.

Doesn't matter. These roof controversies should've ended with Curt Schilling. Instead, another retractable roof is another game-to-game proposition, and another very expensive joke. All we know for certain is that the roof will be open before the Fiesta Bowl, when an Air Force parachute unit drops onto the field as part of the pregame ceremonies. And then it'll close again before kickoff.

Meanwhile, there's the matter of this cow pasture they call a playing field. All over the Valley, playing fields are green and lush. According to witnesses, you wouldn't believe how good the field looks at Sun Devil Stadium. But in Glendale, the expensive field-in-a-tray is growing more sporadically than a Chia Pet.

Granted, the field looks worse than it feels under cleat. And, hopefully, it'll look better today than it did last week, when the stress of three football games in 30 hours left but a few splotches of grass between the 20-yard lines.

But if the field doesn't look significantly better today, then we've got big problems. The clock is ticking, and aesthetics are very important this time of year, especially with two Bowl Championship Series bowl games coming down the pike.

While the Arizona Sports and Tourism Authority is seeking long-term remedies and improvements, some thorny issues remain. What if the grass never grows in that tray? Must we send the high school games back to Tempe? Must we pass another referendum to buy field turf?

For now, the sports authority seems confident that the tray technology is sound. They claim a strange phenomenon has sabotaged the football season. It seems when the field-in-a-tray comes rolling into an air-conditioned stadium for two days in September and October, the grass begins to think it is winter when it is not. And then it goes to sleep or something.

The sports authority is working feverishly trying to solve the problem (before the BCS wonks get wind of it), and either way, grass hasn't gotten this much attention since Woodstock. It seems almost certain that new sod will be required for the Fiesta Bowl, as well as the traditional field overlay (more new sod woven into existing grass) for the BCS title game. Which means the owner of some lucky turf company will have some extra spending money for the holidays.

If it helps any, the Cardinals will be done with the field come Sunday night. They close out their season with two road games. And from the botched Tillman tribute to Denny's "Monday Night Meltdown," from the naming rights controversy to the Roof and Grass fiasco, the honeymoon at home didn't last long at all.

[TruColor]

Stadium fails to live up to billing

Dan Bickley

The Arizona Republic

Dec. 17, 2006 12:00 AM

It's been a rough year for the new stadium...

There's not enough hours in the day to address what a complete utter fool the author of this story is.

The guy has a serious agenda with the Bidwills, and will look for any excuse he can to bash ANYTHING associated with the team.

The stadiums' grass has already been rated as the #1 field in the NFL. The field has been overworked lately - they played a number of games in a short time-span...even had the AZ state championships there. The field's looking a bit worn, but it should be fine by the time the Fiesta Bowl and the BCS Championship game gets played.

Sound? Yeah, the acoustics are weird in there. Some people say it sounds great, others can't understand a thing that the PA announcer says. Me - I couldn't understand much of what was said at the game I went to (Aug. 12 vs. Pittsburgh)...but, these are things that can be fixed.

Bickley (or DICKley as most Cardinals fans refer to him as) is just looking for more things to whine about.