Gophers working to sell naming rights for Williams Arena

The Barn could have a new name.

Williams Arena / Picture via: University of Minnesota Athletics

The University of Minnesota announced on Thursday that it plans to work with Independent Sports & Entertainment (ISE) to explore potential naming rights for Williams Arena.

Throughout Minnesota's coaching search to hire Niko Medved amid long NCAA Tournament droughts for both the men's and women's basketball teams, the Barn has been a hot topic of discussion. Should the Gophers build a new arena, modernize the venue or stick with it as is? That's all to be determined, but the U of M is now seeking a sponsor to land the naming rights to the 98-year-old arena.

"This is a tremendous opportunity for a company to align themselves with the University of Minnesota and with Gopher Athletics," Gophers AD Mark Coyle said in a release. "We look forward to working with ISE to find a naming rights partner that will help us continue to provide world-class experiences for our student-athletes."

In the ever-changing landscape of college athletics, Minnesota's decision to pursue opportunities to have a naming sponsor for Williams Arena would provide the school and basketball programs with another revenue source.

It's unclear why Minnesota hasn't publicly sought a naming rights sponsor for Williams Arena in the past, but it's similar to what the U did with the hockey arena when it renamed Mariucci Arena "3M Arena at Mariucci" in 2017.

3M's deal with the Gophers for naming rights to Mariucci was a 14-year, $11.2 million deal.

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