While we’re all in the middle of a tussle regarding the Tribune Company exploring the idea of renaming Wrigley Field, I would be remiss if I didn’t pass along the news that one of the prominent stadium names in sports history is returning: Candlestick Park. The Niners announced that Monster Cable’s sponsorship deal for the naming rights to the stadium expired on Friday, leaving it to return to its original name of Candlestick Park. Here’s the kicker — Monster Cable only paid $6 million over four years for the naming agreement. You know what that means? Much like my idea to purchase one of Michael Vick’s pit bulls as the official LBS mascot, how about Larry Brown Sports.com Stadium? That’s got one heck of a ring to it, wouldn’t you say?
Before long, we’re going to hold a fundraiser so we can put these genius ploys in action. For now, it’s nice to see a field go back to its original roots. It’s awfully tough to keep up with all the stadium name changes. Funny thing is the team actually splits the stadium naming ad revenue with the city, so their sale price was nothing more than a million dollars per year. That ain’t a whole lot to desecrate a landmark. Honestly, if you’re not pulling some serious money from naming revenue, you shouldn’t be bought out. If you’re getting more than say, $5 million a year, sure, I think almost any stadium can be bought out — that type of cash helps buy players. But come on, for only a million bucks a year? I’m much happier to see the Niners back playing where they should be — The Good Old Schtick.
