Why Can't Spurs Name New Venue Tim Duncan Arena?
SAN ANTONIO - The San Antonio Spurs are calling their new home the Frost Bank Center.
After many years as the arena sponsor, AT&T's contract has come to an end and it's had Spurs Sports and Entertainment a bit nervous. However, their partnership with Frost brings on new beginnings.
But what if the Spurs hadn't gone in that direction?
Tim Duncan Arena would be a great name ... but that wouldn't have brought in hundreds of millions of dollars. You got to have a giant corporation or you're not keeping up with the Benjamins, er, the Joneses.
There was much consternation inside the organization after the original deal with AT&T ran out last year and they had to persuade the company to extend the deal several months. Call it a favor to the Spurs that bought them more time to search.
Worried they would have to go without an arena sponsor after AT&T bailed, Frost swooped in today with a fat check that is reportedly good through 2032.
In the business world where everything costs money nowadays, naming rights deals for arenas and stadiums are a part of the machine.
There are some exceptions, mostly in baseball with Yankee Stadium, Wrigley Field and Fenway Park, but those are only reserved for century-old venues. It would be nice to revert back to the old days, but that is simply part of the past.
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