When did all these corporate sponsorships happen?

[Mets82]

You look at a stadium or arena and it usually has a corporate name to it. You have the college bowl games and all of them have corporate sponsors. You watch any pregame, postgame show and there is a sponsor attached to it. My question is when did all this start? When did ballparks, arenas etc. start having corporate sponsors attached to it? Citi Field. Met Life Stadium etc.? Subway Postgame show etc. I dont remember the NFL Today ever having a sponsor attached to it, when Brent, Irv and Phyllis were there. It was always the NFL Today.

Do you think this helps or hurt the game? Does all this sponsor stuff take away from the purity of the game?

 

[Neutron]

Unfortunately in Texas it has reached high school football too.

 

[CK SatGuy]

I think it started like around 2000, maybe even earlier. But yeah, corporate sponsorships are everywhere now. Doesn't help or hurt the game, but it does show where the money is going.

 

[Jimbo]

I think it started like around 2000, maybe even earlier. But yeah, corporate sponsorships are everywhere now. Doesn't help or hurt the game, but it does show where the money is going.

I think it was much earlier .... possibly before 1990.

 

[Ramy]

It was started way back in the early 1900's when Weeghman Park was renamed to Wrigley Field.

 

[Mets82]

It just seems like ALL pre game shows, post game shows have a sponsor with it. Look at all the arenas. Most of them have sponsors too. I think this might have changed near the end of the 90s?No?

 

[Mr Tony]

even better is here in MN. 3 press boxes are named after someone and they're sponsored by something

So its the Ray Christensen pressbox at TCF Bank stadium sponsored by Kwik Trip
(Ray did the gopher football games on radio for decades)

and I thought Pat Sweeney had a mouthful to say going into break when he says "Your watching Fighting Sioux mens hockey on the Fighting Sioux Sports Network, Fox College Sports and Midco Sports Net"

 

[Peter Parker]

It was long before 1990. The old WHA named there championship trophy after a sponsor. the poatriots former stadium which opened in the late 60s was called Schaefer Stadium aftera beer. and let's not forget Wrigley Field which was named after the family that owned the field, the team and a company.

 

[AntAltMike]

I remember back in the 1970s when one tennis sponsor - Pepsi, maybe - sent out a notice to reporters saying that their name had to be incorporated into every printed reference to the tournament and hinted that if it wasn't, there would be repercussions.

I think the Greater Hartford Open was he first torunament to incorporate multiple sponsor/host names: The Michael Douglas/Merv Griffin, Prudential Insurance Greater Hartford Open.

And I don't know what it means to be "presented by", except that someone pays and someone gets some money for that mention.

 

[BassBlaster]

It was started way back in the early 1900's when Weeghman Park was renamed to Wrigley Field.

I'm just glad it wasn't renamed to Bubble Yum Park.

 

[cave1376]

I blame the team owners for getting and paying a high price for their players, coaching staff and their home field. The team owners need a way to pay their players and coaching staffs ridiculous salaries and a way to recoup the cost of building a home arena that costs $1 billion plus. The owners think this will bring in championships. Just look at the Cowboys, Lakers and Yankees. They pay top dollar for their players and staff. How much does Romo, Phil Jackson or Arod get paid? And how much did Cowboy stadium, Staples Center or new Yankee stadium cost? All that money spent on coaching staff, players and a place to play and it does not come with a championship.

 

[Mr Tony]

even college arenas are being named by corporate sponsors

The new DECC (Duluth Entertainment Convention Center) was renamed Amsoil Arena before completion (Amsoil primarily formulates and packages synthetic lubricants and filters). Company HQ is across the river in Superior, Wisconsin
We also have "The Bank" in Minneapolis (TCF Bank Stadium) for the Goofer football team

 

[William Wilcox]

too much commercial stuff out there...

 

[cave1376]

What's next?

Budweiser Super Bowl. Nike NBA Championship. American Snuff World Series.