What's in a name?

Given the state of the auto industry, it’s probably not surprising that General Motors gave up its sponsorship of Vancouver’s GM Place, which is now the Rogers Arena. This begs the question, if GM Place was known as The Garage, what will the Rogers Arena become? The Cell? The Net?

Naming rights for stadiums and arenas is a large revenue stream, which is why most in North America now have corporate names attached. In fact, all but three National Hockey League arenas have naming rights. The three hold outs include: Joe Louis Arena (Detroit), Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (Long Island, New York), and Madison Square Gardens (New York). Of the four major professional sports leagues in North America (hockey, basketball, NFL football, and baseball), football is the one where more of the stadiums are not corporately named. There, 13 of 31 stadiums don’t have naming rights, compared to five basketball arenas and seven baseball stadiums.

Some stadiums and clubs are so steeped in history that it would be sacrilege to sell naming rights. Take the New York Yankees for instance, who even after building a new billion dollar stadium, still call it Yankee Stadium, and vow to never sell the name, despite purported offers.

If you want to know, the money is in the bank. That’s because more banks and financial companies have their names on arenas than any other industry, including: Scotiabank Place (Ottawa), RBC Center (Raleigh, NC), Bank Atlantic Center (Miami), and Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia). Some, though, have tried to maintain a sense of history. When the venerable Boston Gardens was closed, the city’s new arena became the uninspiring Fleet Center (named after a bank), but the world doesn’t stand still, and the arena is now known as the TD Gardens. Yes, still named after a bank.

Some names though just shouldn’t be put on an arena or stadium. Like in Phoenix, where you can watch a hockey game at the jobing.com Arena. Or in Cleveland, home to the Quicken Loans Center. Another that I was never fond of was the National Car Rental Center in Miami. It’s now named after Bank Atlantic. And in Minneapolis, you’ll find the ever succinct Mall of America Field at Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome

All of these corporate names got me thinking, where would be the best place for fan appreciation night? In Denver or St. Louis, you’d score a six-pack of beer, compliments of Coors and Anheuser-Busch. If you were watching football at Heinz Field, in Philadelphia, you’d leave with a bottle of ketchup. In Phoenix, you could get a job thanks to the folks at jobing.com (which would be good for some people). If you’re after a flight somewhere, then you’ll want to catch a game in Toronto, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, or Phoenix. If reading is your thing, you might get a year’s subscription to the St. Pete’s Times newspaper, in Tampa. Need new tires? Then head to the Bridgestone Arena, in Nashville. But the best place to score at fan appreciation night would be at the Honda Center, in Anaheim, where you’d get a new car. Beats some razors and shaving cream at Gillette Field, near Boston.