In New York, the stadiums have names that mean something: Yankee Stadium, Madison Square Garden, Giants Stadium. Elsewhere in the country, it seems that if you have enough disposable money and are a corporate entity, you can get a sports venue named for your company.
A few years ago, Ravens Stadium (now M&T Bank Stadium) in Baltimore, started its existence as PSInet Stadium. But when the dot com bubble burst, the company folded and the name of the stadium was changed to the next highest bidder, the aforementioned bank. And let us not forget the name change in Texas from Enron Field to Minute Maid Park.
Tonight, at the Rangers-Capitals game, at the Verizon Center (né MCI Center), everytime the Capitals went on the power play, we were informed it was time for the PEPCO Energy Surcharged Power Play. Chipolte and other companies have their logos emblazoned on the ice surface and of course, the endless billboards and the commercialism explosion is endless.
I have to say, I don't care for it. Advertising has its place of course, but product placement and endless shameful marketing really just makes me want to not use that company's services. Also, coming from New York, where the stadiums have real names and aren't likely to bow to the corporate cows anytime soon, it would be nice to see less.
3 comments:
Wasn't the Verizon Center actually "born" as the Capital (or just 'Caps') Center? That's what I remember it being called when we used to take road trips there in the 80s.
The Capital Center (whose name was also briefly changed to the USAir Arena, but back to the Capital Center when the airline tanked) was in Landover, MD near where FedEx Field now sits.
The Bullets (now the Wizards), the Caps, and the Georgetown Hoyas, all decamped to the Verizon Center (which started its life as the MCI Center), when it opened in 1997.
The Capital Center was imploded in 2002 to make way for a new town square style / pedestrian friendly mall.
Ah, did not know that (re: implosion of the Cap Center). That was maybe the darkest arena for hockey that I've ever experienced! Nice to know that the site where I first witnessed NHL hockey in person is no more!
Post a Comment