| Direckshun |
02-12-2007 08:28 AM |
Gretz, Re: Arrowhead naming rights
From Gretz's Mailbag Musings:
Aaron: “I read the other day that the Chiefs are trying to sell naming rights to Arrowhead. Is Lamar turning over in his grave?”
No. Aaron, you have to understand that Lamar Hunt was a traditionalist, but he was also a businessman. He would not be surprised or upset by the idea. This didn’t just come up. It’s been talked about around Arrowhead for years and Lamar was part of those discussions. I think if he were alive, he would make sure that if a sponsorship deal gets done and there is a name change, it would be done tastefully and without taking away the flavor of what it means when you say “Arrowhead.”
This is part of the world of professional sports. The Chiefs are a business and they compete against 31 other businesses. They must use all avenues to create revenue, just to keep up with the Jones. Naming rights is one way to do that. It should produce significant revenue for the team, meaning many millions of dollars each year. Last year, 18 of the 32 teams played in stadiums with naming rights deals.
Just remember this: what makes Arrowhead special is not the concrete and steel of the building, but the people sitting in the seats. As long as those seats are filled and the fans in them are excited about their team, it doesn’t matter what the stadium is called. |
