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Forming a Polka Line.....
| Joined: | Wed Jan 24th, 2007 |
| Location: | Richardson, Texas USA |
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1. Condoms To Go
2. Dollar General
3. The Amazing Superstore
4. Million Dollar Saloon
5. AAA BailBond Service
Of course, there is always Zephyr's Marriage Counseling Service and Wedding Chapel.
11:35 AM CST on Thursday, February 5, 2009
By BRETT SHIPP / WFAA-TV
IRVING — Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is just a few months away from debuting what is being called the most spectacular sports stadium in the world.
While its size and opulence may be unmatched, questions remain about what the new stadium in Arlington is going to be called.
Why? Because some experts say a big naming rights deal may never be done, leaving Jones scrambling for a name — and the extra revenue it would bring.
The scale and grandeur of the new stadium is unsurpassed. It's the subject of nationwide awe and conjecture.
Deals have already been struck to host a Super Bowl, the NCAA Final Four tournament and NBA All-Star Game.
But conspicuously absent is a name.
It's been referred to as "the new home of the Dallas Cowboys"; "the Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington"; even "Jerry World."
But Jerry Jones would rather that name include a sponsor, one that could help him pay a portion of his $600 million debt.
The most lucrative stadium naming rights deal in the country right now is that of Citigroup Inc., which is paying $400 million to put its name on the Mets' new baseball stadium in New York.
This time last year, it was rumored that AT&T might be willing to pay even more.
But times have changed and so have expectations. When the economy fizzled, so did the speculation.
New York University sports management professor Robert Boland says the pool of potential suitors appears to have dried up.
"It's very conceivable he (Jones) won't get a naming rights deal at this point," Boland said. "There may not be anything on the table that's big enough to be worthwhile to him."
Mike Cramer, former president of both the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers, says Jones has to be concerned. "Big name sponsors that were involved with the Super Bowl or with the Olympics have pulled back and said, 'We are not going to spend it,'" said Cramer.
Cramer was instrumental in brokering a naming rights deal at the new American Airlines Center in Dallas. That announcement came two years before the arena even opened.
"One of the things you want to sell to a naming rights partner is a lot of the hype and the hoopla as you progress to open that stadium," Cramer said. "No one is getting that with Jones' new stadium, and that's real important."
Time is money, and for Jones, that means millions in revenue lost forever.
"It is the most expensive stadium that one team has taken on in all of human history," Boland said. "I think right now that Jerry Jones is going to be left with a portion of a billion-dollar mortgage."
Jerry Jones declined to comment on the naming rights issue and says the lack of a deal has no impact on his ability to pay the note on the new stadium.
Millions in revenue can also be made up with multiple sponsorships inside the stadium which are already taking shape.
But will it be enough to make up the loss if a naming rights deal is never done? It may be a gamble that Jerry Jones is going to have to take.
"Every great gambler can sometimes make a bet so big that they can't cover," Boland said. "Building this stadium is a very, very big bet."
E-mail bshipp@wfaa.com
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