News Cut: May 13, 2011 Archive

Who will buy naming rights to a new Vikings stadium?

Posted at 8:30 AM on May 13, 2011 by Jon Gordon (8 Comments)
Filed under: Sports

The Minnesota Vikings' agreement with Ramsey County for a new $1.057 billion stadium includes a $407 million contribution from the team and private financing. A chunk of that, should the stadium be built, would come from corporate naming rights. Same thing goes for a deal to keep the Vikings in Minneapolis.

So...which Minnesota company might pony up? Let's look at the most likely pool of candidates, Minnesota's Fortune 500, with a few thoughts interspersed.

1. UnitedHealth Group
Lots of injuries in football. Marketing opportunities abound.

2. Target
Might as way go all the way. Target Field, Target Center, Target Stadium. The Target Triumvirate.

3. Best Buy
Name: Best Buy Bowl?

4. Supervalu
Eden Prairie-based Supervalu is consolidating its store-brand products under one nationwide brand. The brand name will be "Essential Everyday." So, it could call the stadium "Essential Everyday Field." Nah.

5. 3M
Probably doesn't need the name recognition. But "Post-It Palace" would be nice, wouldn't it?

6. CHS
A "diversified energy, grains and foods company," it could use some name recognition that a stadium might bring. I've never heard of CHS, have you?

7. U.S. Bancorp
We could have another Twin Cities stadium we could call "The Bank." Cool.

8. Medtronic
See United Health Group.

9. General Mills
Name: The GM Cereal Bowl.

10. Land O'Lakes
Land O'Lakes is based in Arden Hills, where a Ramsey County stadium would be built. So why not? Stadium nickname: The Milk. "I'm headed to the Milk to see the Vikings!"

11. Xcel Energy
Xcel Center. Xcel Stadium. Keep up with Target?

12. Ameriprise Financial
Financial planning. Might be problematic to take financial advice from a company that just blew millions to name a stupid stadium.

13. C.H. Robinson Worldwide
A "third party logistics provider," whatever that means. Nothing clever to say here. It's getting late in this post. Fill in your own.

14. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Maybe my favorite. I'd love to hear TV announcers trip over it. Would this be the only stadium with a religious denomination in the name? Methinks so.

15. Hormel Foods
Nickname: The Chili. Spam jokes too obvious.

16. Mosaic
The world's largest supplier of phosphate and potash. So many possibilities.

17. Ecolab
Hmmmm.

18. St. Jude Medical
See United Health Group and Medtronic.

19. Nash-Finch
Look, folks. I'm getting tired. What would YOU say about "Nash Finch Field?"

20. Alliant Techsystems
We will defend our house! De-fense! De-fense!

(8 Comments)

The bleak reality for Minnesota sports fans

Posted at 2:31 PM on May 13, 2011 by Michael Olson (3 Comments)
Filed under: Sports

Idea Peepshow has documented what many of us have been feeling for sometime. Let's just hope that steep downward drop comes to an end soon.

Here it is. A chart proving that we're enduring the worst-ever period for Minnesota sports.

Worse than the powder-blue seasons of Twins mediocrity in the 1970s. Worse than the short-but-painful Vikings reign of Les Steckel. Worse than the open wound of the Tim Brewster era at the University of Minnesota.

(3 Comments)