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The Return of Naming Wrongs

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As longtime readers may recall, back in 2009 I partnered with the apparel brand No Mas and the Brooklyn musician the Rev. Vince Anderson to create a T-shirt that said, “I’m Calling It Shea,” which was our response to the Mets selling off their new ballpark’s naming rights. The shirt was so successful that we launched a line of similar shirts (shown above) under the banner Naming Wrongs.

The Naming Wrongs project eventually stalled, as No Mas prexy Chris Isenberg moved on to other things (he now runs Doubleday & Cartwright, the design firm that created the Milwaukee Bucks’ current look). But people still remember Naming Wrongs. Every time a stadium or arena gets a new corporate-advertised name, I get emails from people who ask, “Are you going to do a new shirt?”

And now I can finally say yes. I’m happy to report that I’ve made arrangements to reactivate Naming Wrongs. And not a moment too soon — with corporate influence and advertising continuing to worm their way into every nook and cranny of the sports world, Naming Wrongs feels like a small but meaningful act of resistance.

Our own Scott M.X. Turner is handling the typography on the new product, and the shirts will be sold via Teespring. Since Teespring prints on demand, this means we’ll never be out of stock, which was sometimes a problem with the No Mas product.

So what will we be offering? For starters, we’re bringing back the five original Naming Wrongs shirts. But we’ve tweaked the typography and added some additional color options. Here’s what we’ll have (for all of these, you can click to enlarge):

Not bad, right? We’re also planning on a bunch of new designs. You can probably guess what some of them will be (we have a pretty long list), but I’d also like to hear your suggestions: What other designs should we do? Send your ideas here. We’ll do our best to act upon people’s requests.

You probably have some questions, so let’s shift into Q&A mode:

When will the new versions of the five original designs be available again?

Probably in a week or so. We’re just getting a few things set up before we launch.

What about the new designs?

I hope we’ll have at least a couple of them ready to go along with those five . And then we’ll continue adding additional ones as time allows.

Will these be limited-edition shirts, or will they be available indefinitely?

I plan to keep them in print for the foreseeable future.

Will the shirts have anything on the back?

No.

Will long-sleeved versions be available?

In most cases, yes. Sweatshirts and hoodies, too.

Will the 15% discount for card-carrying Uni Watch members apply to these shirts?

Yes. The Naming Wrong product will have its own Teespring shop, but the shirts will also be cross-listed in the Uni Watch shop, where the discount will apply.

Why do some of the shirts begin with “I’m Calling It…” and others have “I Still Call It…”?

We use “I’m Calling It” for new buildings with corporate names, and “I Still Call It” is for old buildings with new corporate names.

I just thought of a shirt you should do and I don’t feeling like scrolling back up to that email link you gave earlier. Can you give it to us again?

Sure. If you have a good idea for a Naming Wrongs shirt we should do, please send it here.

The San Francisco Giants play in AT&T Park, but I still think of it as Pac Bell Park. Will you do a “I Still Call It Pac Bell” shirt?

No. We won’t do any designs that honor previous corporate-advertised facility names. We’ll only do shirts that honor non-corporate names.

Will you do shirts for corporate-renamed college football bowl games?

Possibly. But one thing at a time — we want to get the stadium/arena shirts up and running first.

Who’s this Vince Anderson guy you mentioned?

The Rev. Vince Anderson is a Brooklyn-based musician. He was the one who came up with the phrase, “I’m calling it Shea,” so none of this would have happened without him. He’s given his blessing to the project’s revival.

———

I think that’s it. I’ll let you know when the shirts are ready for ordering.

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Keeping up with the Joneses: Way back in 2007, I wrote about how Bear Bryant, who coached Kentucky in the early 1950s, had twins Larry and Harry Jones wear Nos. 1A and 1B. Now Twitter user @ItsTheBigFish has found a video (shown above) that provides us with several seconds’ worth of footage of Harry.

Okay, so he’s just walking onto the field with the rest of the team, but still — pretty cool to see!

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Collector’s Corner
ӬBy Brinke Guthrie

Starting things off this week with a vintage Apex parka for the Cowboys. I had this one! One of many Apex-Cowboys items I had — a contact at Apex kept me well outfitted with massive freebies. Those were the days. Loved the design, but the weird thing about this one was it attracted lint like you couldn’t imagine. Wear it for awhile and you’d need a lint roller to pull off all the hair and miscellaneous detritus. But like I said, I couldn’t beat the price.

Now for the rest of this week’s picks:

•  Here’s the box for a 1970s NFL gumball helmets goalpost kit. Can’t decide if that’s Herschel or Walter Payton on the box lid.

•  How about this 1960s Vikings bucket cap made by Sta-Well. Nice old-style NFL shield on there.

•  The Warriors are cleaning up once again in the playoffs, so we’ve got this 1970s Warriors/Rick Barry poster from Spalding. Always saw “Advisory Staff” on ads for the major sports back then. What did an adviser do other than get paid and pose for photos? [I believe that was the earlier version of what’s now known as a “brand ambassador.” ”” PL]

•  Vintage NFL team name fonts galore on this 1970s Sears NFL lampshade.

•  Is it me, or does the Colt on this 1960 Baltimore Colts sticker look like he’s had one too many energy drinks?

•  Here’s a 1977 NFL Action Team-Mate Playbook. It goes along with guys like this Fran Tarkenton figure.

•  They didn’t quite get the helmet right on this 1960s Jets button right, did they?

•  They used the Saints’ short-lived black helmet on this 1960s Chase & Sanborn coffee mug.

•  This auction for this 1968 Westclox Team-Mate Baltimore Orioles pocket watch ends tonight, so move fast. Looks to be in perfect shape!

•  Freshen-Up gum presents your 1978 NFL Rookies of the Year Media Guide.

•  Gonna say Tommy Casanova of the Bengals at the top of this 1978 NFL Pocket Schedule from the United Way. Boy, it was brutal at Miami University (Oxford, OH) in the fall of 1978, what will all the Browns fans also going to school there. The games between the two teams were taken rather seriously in the basement TV room of Reid Hall.

•  •  •  •  •

KRC update: The latest installment of Key Ring Chronicles is a really good one. It’s sort of about a key fob promoting a Las Vegas casino, but it’s also about a really interesting family business that manufactured novelty key ring item. Check it out here.

•  •  •  •  •

The Ticker
By Paul

Baseball News: Mississippi and Auburn both wore throwbacks the other day. Note the captain’s “C” for Mississippi 2B Tate Blackman (from Clint Richardson). … Inconsistent pants striping for the Reno Aces (from @AZJoshM). … New minor league promotion: Race around the bases while carrying a giant toothbrush. … Uniform designer/historian and longtime Uni Watch ally/pal Todd Radom has been doing a series of podcasts with ESPN’s Buster Olney. … Pirates INF Gregory Polanco has a new pair of custom-painted cleats that pay tribute to Royals P Yordano Ventura (from Megan Brown). … The Durham Bulls will be wearing Durham skyline jerseys on June 8. As you can see there, the promotion includes something called “Runaway” and shows a logo of a kid with a bindle, so I initially thought, “Oh, this must be in conjunction with a charity that helps runaway children.” But no — Runaway is actually a Durham-based clothing brand that uses runaway-kid imagery in its branding. Can you fucking imagine? … Check out this shot of NBA great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and actors Charlie Sheen and Billy Barty wearing unusual Dodgers uniforms (from Pat Costello). … Also from Pat: Who’s that in the Globetrotters uni? None other than Baseball Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins. Here’s a watermarked color image from the same photo shoot (from @ProFootballJournal). … Check out the inconsistent underbrim colors in this 1986 Astros shot (from Johnny Garfield and @ProFootballJournal).

Pro and College Football News: During a 1969 Broncos game, a fan snuck into the manually operated scoreboard and changed some of the lettering (from @BroncosQBclub). … Boise State will unveil new uniforms this afternoon (thanks, Phil).

Hockey News: I usually think it’s best to support one’s own team without trashing the opposing team. But I’ll make an exception for this: A bunch of live penguins mucking up a Senators-like logo (from Bryan Justman). … The latest corporate theater absurdity: Former Tennessee Titans RB Eddie George and current Titans QB Marcus Mariota showed up at last night’s Ducks/Preds game in Nashville and were given Predators jerseys — and Mariota’s had Nike logo creep. That’s a Nike logo on a Reebok jersey. Douchebags (from Lee Wilds).

Soccer News: Reprinted from yesterday’s comments: New kits for Zambia. … New home kit for Ajax. … New third kit for Manchester United. Additional info here. … New home kit for CSKA Moscow. … New home kit for Club America.

Grab Bag: Novak Djokovic has signed a new deal with Lacoste (thanks, Brinke). … Oh man, I love a good infinite regression (big thanks to Jay Sandora). … New uniforms for Anaheim’s motorcycle cops (from Richard Paloma). … Oh man, look at these completely amazing photos of bowling alleys in Germany. Spectacular stuff (big thanks to my pal David Brown). … Here’s a look at USA Rugby’s new Adidas-made uniforms (from Tim Dunn).

 
  
 
Comments (198)

    Love the German bowling alley pics. What’s the deal with those two-holed kegeln balls? Looks like you shove your whole fist in there!

    Well, if that’s a 70’s era gumball helmets goalpost kit, it can’t be Walker, who didn’t play in the NFL until ’86.

    Plus, the high-and-tight across the midsection was how Walter would hit a hole.

    You should do a “I’m calling it the Joe” shirt for the new Red Wings arena, Little Caesars Arena. I would definitely buy it!

    or “I”m Calling It Gordie Howe Arena”? Which is what a number of people proposed.

    Yeah, but he’s getting a bridge named after him, that will dominate the skyline. Illtch Arena, makes more sense, IMO.

    Auburn is wearing more of a fauxback than a true throwback. That’s Under Armour’s version of a generic athletic script font. Same one they use for lots of schools. It may vaguely approximate a script font Auburn used in the past but this is standard form for Under Armour trying to play to nostalgia rather than doing research and making something more precise.

    It seems like the Mile High shirt should be “I’m calling it”, not “I still call it”, since the building hasn’t been called Mile High since the old one was demolished.

    Yeah, sometimes “I Still…” just feels better. Also, the new building was originally called Invescoe Field at Mile High, so the “Mile High” term was part of the new building as well as the old one.

    I wonder if prospective advertisers are spooked by the hard times that hit Invesco and Sports Authority subsequent to their deals at Mile High.

    DenverGregg – CNN Biz used to do a stock market index of companies that had bought naming rights. Going back to the early 2000s the number of insolvencies was astounding.

    I always suspected there was a correlation between the vanity of companies wanting to spend stupid money to put their names on pro stadiums, and general mismanagement of their businesses.

    I already had “I Still Call It Rich Stadium” on our list.

    Is “The Ralph” more common among Bills fans? (It doesn’t have to be an either/or situation — we could easily do *both* shirts.)

    However, wouldn’t using Rich Stadium contradict your policy to not honor previous corporate-advertised facility names?

    Wow — until now (I just looked it up in response to your comment), I didn’t realize that “Rich” was an advertised name! From Wikipedia:

    Rich Products, a Buffalo-based food products company, signed a 25-year, $1.5 million deal ($60,000 per year), by which the venue would be called “Rich Stadium”; one of the earliest examples of the sale of naming rights in North American sports.

    I somehow thought it was named after a local figure or a local county or something. Thanks so much for setting me straight — a good thing to have learned!

    So yes, we’ll do “The Ralph,” not “Rich.”

    I’ve also heard (though never confirmed) the “Ralph Wilson” in Ralph Wilson Stadium was named after Wilson’s insurance company which shared his name thereby a vanity name and a tax write off.

    Either one would be a hit for Bills fans-Mike D. has a point about Rich Stadium being a corporate name (Rich Products Corp.), even though it easier on the ears than some.

    On the same note, “Jacobs Field” was technically a corporate name as well. It was a rather unique situation, though, in that the owner of the team (Richard Jacobs) bought the naming rights for his company, but his company was simply named after him (the Jacobs Group).

    Similar to Wrigley Field. Is it named for the owner (like Joe Robbie) or named for the company that is also named after the owner?
    Seems like those are tolerable. To me the acceptability of naming rights really depends on the name of the sponsor company e.g. Raymond James Stadium vs Metlife Stadium. Or even with some corporate sponsors, you could slightly modify to make it sound good, like Citizen’s Park vs Citizen’s Bank Park. Thoughts on this?

    No apostrophes in Citizens Bank Park. Were there to be one, I’d throw it after the “s”, as it the citizens’ park. It would have been nice to go from Veterans Stadium to Citizens Park.

    For the SF Giants ballpark, how about “I’m Calling It China Basin”? I’m not from the Bay Area, so others should chime in on this, but I recall it being referred to as the China Basin ballpark before the phone company paid the Giants a pile of cash, and “China Basing Ballpark Corporation, Inc.” is the name of the Giants subsidiary that owns it.

    I don’t know how my replay, typo and all, ended up in this thread. I must have clicked on the reply button while composing it. Sorry about that.

    I was afraid that “China Basin ballpark” was more a description than the tentative-interim name. link Oh, well. Can’t call is “The Stick.” Perhaps a t-shirt with “China Basin Ballpark” on it can start a trend.

    I always liked this – ” Most people still called the old stadium Sportsman’s Park and continue to call it that to this day, even though it was really Busch Stadium the last 12 years of its existence. ”

    Busch Stadium is an interesting case, as “Busch Stadium” has become synonymous with the Cardinals in most minds, I would think. Named after the family, and not the beer? Technically true once, but done rather snarkily on Auggie’s part.

    Busch II was originally “Busch Memorial Stadium,” so technically not an advertisement? Per Wikipedia, “Anheuser-Busch bought the stadium in 1981 for $53 million and renamed it simply Busch Stadium.”

    Busch III is Busch Stadium under a 20 year naming rights deal with AB.

    Originally, Auggie wanted to name it “Budweiser Stadium”, but Ford Frick didn’t want the association with alcohol, so it was “Busch Memorial Stadium”. Then, a little while later, there’s “Busch Bavarian Beer”. Technically named after a beer? No. But eh…

    What about “Giants stadium”…I still just say “I’m going to “Giants stadium” or “The Meadowlands” for an event

    How about “I’m still calling it New Meadowlands Stadium?” It didn’t have a sponsor for the first year (maybe two?) that it was open.

    “I’m still calling it Giants Stadium” seems to be a no-brainer to be included.

    As a Jets fan I get pissed when people call it Giants Stadium. This is a 50/50 deal. It doesn’t sound clever or funny, it makes you sound like an asshole.

    That said, I usually reply with calling it JetLife Stadium :)

    Citi Field should have been Metlife. The Mets somehow couldn’t even pull that off!

    Please correct: I did not provide the link to the new Zambia soccer uniforms yesterday. Dootie Bubble did.

    Before our last trip to Disney World, my fiancée and I joked about doing our own Naming Wrongs shirts and wearing “I Still Call It MGM” on the day we went to Hollywood Studios.

    Why did we never go through with it?

    I’ve wanted to make a “I Still Call it the Pan Am Building” for what they now call “The MetLife Building.” Tourists get confused when I give directions using “Pan Am Building” as a landmark.

    Hmm. I think Zazzle lets you add text to t-shirts though I would want Chris and Paul’s permission before appropriating “I Still Call It . . . .”

    If somebody isn’t already selling an “I’m still calling it the Sears Tower” shirt in Chicago, they should be.

    The Nike logo on that Preds jersey is especially asinine when you can see Reebok marks on the sleeve and jock tag! (Though the jock tag is asinine in and of itself – such a thing doesn’t belong on a hockey jersey, PERIOD!)

    That Nike logo is probably on the shirt beneath the jersey and it’s reflective. The moisture-wicking jersey allowed the flash-activated reflective surface to be visibile.

    I’ve ruined plenty of photos with this stuff.

    That actually makes sense. Guess we’d need another pic that’s not straight on reflecting the flash to compare.

    100% agree on both of your points. I use a stitch-ripper to remove the jock tags from my jerseys. It’s pointless and looks like crap

    My google skills aren’t that great, but I seem to remember that Jacob’s field wasn’t named solely after Dick Jacobs. The naming rights of what was called “Indians Stadium” were paid for by the investment firm owned by the Jacobs brothers called The Jacobs Group. So, really, it was always a corporate name, just disguised.

    I live in Durham, Runaway is a great local brand. They designed Bulls jerseys last year in the Durham flag colors. They usually use the rabbit in the logo as a stand alone, not the kid with stick and bindle. They coined the term “Durm, say it like you’re from here” and their “Durm” shirts are everywhere in the area.

    This year’s jersey and hat don’t do it for me, but I love that the Bulls are supporting a local company.

    Thanks for the info. I was wondering if “can you fucking imagine?” was supposed to be praising or deriding the company and/or the Bulls.

    it doesn’t sound like Paul is really a fan of it.

    I personally like they went with a local designer though.

    I imagine that Paul’s comment was because he finds it unbelievable that a clothing company would make light of the issue of kids running away from home.

    If you click on the link for their story they claim “Runaway is an apparel and lifestyle brand empowering you to run from convention”.

    link

    Paul appears to be anti-convention so I assume he would dig this.

    Paul appears to be anti-convention so I assume he would dig this.

    There are few things as conventional as claiming to be anti-conventional.

    I still call it the Thunderdome – a fitting name for when it housed teams named “Lightning” and “Storm”.

    Enjoyed today’s KRC; fun story. When I was a kid the local hardware stores and other businesses gave away similar items.

    Odd Jets button:

    They sort of got the ’94 throwback helmet working there, sort of. LOL!

    Super short facemask too!

    Change “Comiskey” to “The Cell” and you’re onto something.

    Yes, US Cellular was a crap name for Comiskey II, but EVERYONE just called it “The Cell.”

    It was endearingly funny and totally South Side. It fit well because Comiskey II was *never* going to be loved like the orignal Comiskey. As well, the changes poured into the stadium because of the US Cellular deal made the stadium so much better and a really good place to watch a game.

    I’m still calling it The Cell.

    I hear ya. But as already explained in today’s text, I’m not going to do a shirt that honors a previous corporate name.

    How about an existing corporate name? Seattle locals refer to Century Link field as “The Clink”

    How about an existing corporate name? Seattle locals refer to Century Link field as “The Clink”

    They may call it that, but I’m not going to do a shirt that honors a corporate name.

    Century Link doesn’t like “The Clink”. It’s more the locals not wanting to say “Century Link Field”.

    Maybe that leads to an “I remember” series of shirts?

    I Remember the Kingdome
    I Remember Crosley Field
    I Remember Three Rivers

    Unless the company is paying me to use their name as they want it to be used, they can screw off. I remember the day the Eagles sold their new stadium’s naming rights to Lincoln Financial. And the suits expressly said that they want everyone to call it “Lincoln Financial Field”. To which Eagles Nation replied, middle fingers up, “‘The Linc’ it is, fella.”

    Could be worse. The Summit, where the Rockets used to play? Now Joel Osteen’s Lakewood Church.

    As a kid growing up on the south side, I knew them as Sox Park and Cubs Park.

    They played other games at The Ampitheater, the (Chicago) Stadium,

    Those “unusual” Dodger uniforms are from the Hollywood Stars Night event that the Dodgers used to hold (don’t know if they still do) once a year during the summer. I have been to a number of them and I have never seen the stars wear a traditional Dodger uniform.

    You’re right. The stars continue to wear non-traditional Dodgers jerseys with stars all over them.
    link

    “Im calling it the Palace” for the Pistons, who will also be in LCA next season.

    I’d suggest a Silverdome one for Lions, but that place was awful and not particularly liked.

    No, no, no, no, no, no, NO. Trying to call the LCA “the Palace” absolutely does not work. It’s not the Pistons’ building, it’s the Red Wings’. The Pistons are just going to be tenants. Besides, I’m pretty pissed at Gores and company anyway, for rushing the move downtown and horning in on the Wings’ inaugural season in THEIR barn, and not even giving the Palace a proper send-off. And the Palace was still the gold standard by which all modern arenas are judged.

    Trying to use the Silverdome name wouldn’t make much sense anyway, because the name is intrinsically tied to the design of that building, and Ford Field doesn’t really fit the “dome” aesthetic.

    It fits within the theme of naming wrongs, which, like Shea/Citi can harken back to the better previous stadium when they dont play there anymore.

    As for the dome thing, im quite certain this project isn’t about whether the new arena resembles the shape or feel of the old one, but about embracing previous non-corporate stadium names more synonymous with certain teams. Also, having been to FF several times, it does have a dome feeling, just less concrete hell than the Silverdome.

    FWIW, im more than happy the pistons are moving downtown.

    Those other instances involve one team, moving from one home, to another that was purpose-built for them. That’s not the case for the Pistons; LCA was built for the Wings first and foremost, and will be operated by Olympia Entertainment. PS&E will have no stake in it, and the Pistons will merely be tenants.

    I have no problem with the principle of the Pistons returning downtown. I just feel that Tom Gores rushed this move, and I really believe the Red Wings should’ve had the opportunity to enjoy their first year in their building by themselves.

    These are starting to get really far from the idea, though, and frankly, they don’t make much sense. If it’s a completely different building and there was never any intention for it to be an iteration of the previous building, then it’s a stretch. If the name and building are linked in such a way that it wouldn’t make sense to separate them, then it’s a stretch.

    Calling the new arena the Palace isn’t only ridiculous because the Palace still exists, but also because the Palace itself is named for its location, which is not downtown Detroit.

    Calling Ford Field the Silverdome is not only ridiculous because it makes no aesthetic sense, but also because it’s simply not the same building and there was never any thought or intention for the new building to be “the new Silverdome.”

    “I’m calling it Shea” works because the new stadium very well could have been called Shea Stadium or Shea II or something and it would have made sense. It was a relatively well known, yet cookie-cutter venue, and it would have been a seamless transition because there wasn’t really anything intrinsically linked between the name and the building. Any stadium on the Pittsburgh waterfront could be called Three Rivers Stadium; any Stadium in Denver could pull off Mile High Stadium; etc. No new arena in Detroit will be the Palace. That belongs to Auburn Hills.

    “I’m calling it Shea” works because the new stadium very well could have been called Shea Stadium or Shea II or something and it would have made sense.

    Exactly. Also, the new building was built in the parking lot of the old one. Also-also, there was a bit more of an origin story: Back in the winter of 2008-09, it was announced that the Mets had sold off the naming rights to their new ballpark to Citi. This was onerous in two ways: 1) No NYC stadium or arena had ever had a corporate-advertised name, and 2) Citi had just been bailed out with taxpayer funds in the wake of the financial crisis, so what the fuck were they doing spending hundreds of millions of dollars to put their name on a stadium? There were lots of people saying, “They should call it Taxpayer Field,” or “They should call it Debits Field,” or “They should call it Bailout Ballpark,” etc. At some point we just said, “Fuck all of that — I’m calling it Shea.”

    To me, something like “I’m Calling It The Ted” doesn’t work. The new building is far away from the old one, Ted Turner doesn’t even own the team anymore, etc. Same goes for a lot of the other ideas proposed here today.

    Now, someone said we should do “I Miss [whatever]” — *that* could work for a building like the Ted, or the Silverdome, or whatever. That’s more of a pure nostalgia exercise, which isn’t really Naming Wrongs’ mission, but we’ll see. Maybe we’ll do a side project with that type of thing.

    A related question that’s been bugging me:
    How are the “naming rights” working with LCA? Since the Illitch family owns Little Caesars and they own Olympia Entertainment, and therefore the arena, this isn’t a naming-rights situation, correct? It’s thoroughly an advertisement.

    This bugs me because of the calls to name the new building “Gordie Howe Arena”. There isn’t an argument to be made that the team needs the money from naming rights because there is no money coming from it.

    Of course, this question exists within the world of corporate naming rights, which is a scourge on the wold of sports, anyway.

    Still, this, in particular, bugs me.

    It would be funny if you did a “I Still Call it Weeghman Park” for Wrigley Field even though that name hasn’t been used in almost 100 years.

    I still call them San Diego.
    I’m not sure if you can say Chargers because they probably own the rights, but done in Chargers colors and everyone should get the idea.

    LA Chargers? I doubt LA will support two NFL teams. If I were betting I’d say in less than five or six years one Los Angelos NFL team will relocate. San Diego may still get an NFL team back.

    People would buy it. But I find it hard to believe someone isn’t already doing it. “I still call them the Seattle Supersonics”, or “I still call them the Hartford Whalers” is a pretty easy touch.

    USC is selling the naming rights to United Airlines. So in USC colors, cardinal and gold (yellow)…
    I STILL CALL IT
    LOS ANGELES
    MEMORIAL
    COLISEUM

    The sad thing is, the lease (specifically, the 2008 amendment) practically encourages the selling of the naming rights to the Coliseum.

    link
    From the 2008 amendment, Article 5, section C:
    In addition to Base Rent, Lessor acknowledges that the Lessee will endeavor to identify and contract with a single Naming Rights Sponsor, on customary commercial terms, for purposes of “branding” the Coliseum and increasing Coliseum revenues for the public’s benefit, and Lessee agrees to pay to Lessor an aiount equal to 3.125 % of all revenues received by the Lessee per year, if any, from the Naming Rights Sponsor (Naiing Rights Equivalent).

    Seeing the word “sponsor” repeated in that document just makes me sick.

    (The instance of “Naiing Rights Equivalent” was the result of copying and pasting the text, and Adobe Reader for whatever reason misinterpreting an M for an I, and me failing to catch that before hitting the Submit button.)

    I kind of wish we could get one for MN, but I don’t think any make sense. . .

    > US Bank Stadium, TCF Bank Stadium, and Target field replaced the Metrodome – doesn’t really make sense to call any of them a dome and they’re too far removed from Metropolitan Stadium to call them that

    > The MN Wild never played in the Met Center, so it doesn’t make sense to call the Xcel Energy Center The Met

    > The Timberwolves have always played in Target Center

    >The rest of the Gopher facilities are thankfully still non-corporate names (for now. . .)

    If we’re going to go this route, how about “I’m calling it Empty Promises” for Target field?

    I’m still call it SkyDome… because pretty much everyone does anyways.

    SkyDome got its name from a province-wide naming contest. There was absolutely no good reason whatsoever to drop it.

    How about “I’m calling it Exhibition Stadium”. Works for both Rogers Centre and BMO Field.

    It was actually called Exhibition Stadium at the Centennial Classic because apparently Scotiabank who sponsored the event didn’t want to say it was hosted at BMO Field. So on all the promotional stuff it said Exhibition Stadium

    Some people call PNC Park Three Rivers because they don’t like the corporate name. I never bought into that since PNC isn’t a multi-purpose stadium.

    But I’d wear the shirt anyway. I nostalgically miss Three Rivers.

    I still call it the Hoosier Dome or Market Square Arena for the heartland audience

    Proofreading:
    “On man, I love a good infinite regression”
    – “Oh man”

    Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
    – I Still Call It The Orange Bowl

    Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland.
    – I know most Cavs fans call it “The Q”, but I Still Call It Gund Arena

    Also: I Wish They Would Bring Back The Richfield Colosseum

    Orange Bowl doesn’t make sense, though, because the Miami Orange Bowl coexisted with Joe Robbie Stadium for two decades, and was still the home of the Hurricanes through the 2007 season. The bowl game itself only moved to the bigger stadium in the 1996 season.

    Marlins Stadium makes sense for the Orange Bowl, but its not a corporate name.

    It seems to me there has to be some measure of continuity involved. Aside from being the same site, there really isn’t any continuity between the Orange Bowl and Marlins Park, because the Florida Marlins never played at the Orange Bowl.

    YES!!! An “I’m Still Calling it the Gund” to go along with “I’m Still Calling it the Jake”… I have never caught on with “the Q” and early attempts at calling Progressive Field “the Prog” never made it off the ground.

    The “Mile High” version needs to have an option for a “hand-rolled cigarette” situated just below the lettering, since it’s now legal for us locals. :-)

    It’s funny how names of stadiums stick, even the corporate ones.

    Here in Phoenix Chase Field was originally called Bank One Ballpark. Locals abbreviated it “The Bob”. Many people still call it that, even though it has been called Chase Field for 12 of the team’s 20 years.
    The D-Backs Mascot is a “BOB”cat named D-Baxter. When he was introduced they made a point of saying that it was a tribute to the nickname of the stadium.

    Love the Naming Wrongs project! I’ll definitely be picking up a “Mile High” shirt and wearing it proudly there!

    Technically speaking, the Panther’s home was known as “Carolinas Stadium” before selling the naming rights to Ericsson. I don’t think a game was ever played under this name.

    Hopefully Turner Field is on the list! Since it was named for Ted Turner rather than a Turner Broadcasting advertisement, it shouldn’t violate the policy.

    Of course a lot of people called it The Ted, but I never warmed up to that name, personally.

    I’m currently referring to the new Braves stadium as Cobb County Municipal Stadium, since the taxpayers of Cobb County have paid so much for this mess.

    Sadly over time you will have less shirts when more and more older stadiums and arenas are replaced by new facilities that have sponsorship names from the beginning. And a problem with sponsor names is that they are constantly changing because of mergers and going out-of-business. The Suns arena started as “America West”, then “US Airways Center”, and then when this airline bought American and changed their name to American they figured calling it that was ridiculous since American Airlines already had two other arenas named after them. Now it’s “Talking Stick Resort Arena” named after the Indian reservation resort and casino. It’s a joke.

    This likely won’t appeal to many for a t-shirt, but George Mason University’s basketball arena was called the Patriot Center forever until it was changed to EagleBank Arena a few years ago. I was actually thinking of asking if it was cool to do a shirt based on the Naming Wrongs concept for this myself, but never got around to it.

    Shame about the Chargers leaving. It would have been cool having an “I still call it Jack Murphy” shirt.

    I wouldn’t mind an Illini “I still call it Assembly Hall” toward the re-dubbed State Farm Arena.

    Does a “I miss” idea work?
    As a Washington Football fan, we have all hated FedEx Field from day one (even before it got the corporate name). It was originally Jack Kent Cooke stadium, and everyone called it “The Jack.” Well, or just a mistake.

    What we all really miss is RFK, which sits in downtown DC playing host the soccer team.

    We’d love a “I miss RFK” shirt in burgundy and gold.

    All of my ‘Skins memories from childhood through college are at RFK. I moved away from DC/VA in 1989. In my mind they still play at RFK; with the Longines clock and the Peoples Drug ads (and the National Bohemian beer).

    Never been to Fedex Field.

    But here’s the thing: *Do* you call it the Aud? Does anyone?

    Or do you just *miss* the Aud?

    Not trying to shoot down your idea. Just thinking about how it might fit into this project.

    I think a lot of people still refer to it as “The Aud” due to 4 name changes from 4 different banks in it’s 20ish year history and the fact it’s a block away from the Aud’s location. That said I could be tainted by the fact that my Dad’s called it that since the new building was built.

    Instead of “I still call it the Aud,” perhaps go with “They should call it the Aud.”

    For what it’s worth, my dad still just calls it The Aud to this day. I don’t think he’s alone. And since it’s gone through so many iterations (Crossroads Arena when it was under construction, Marine Midland Arena, the long-tenured HSBC Arena, First Niagara Center, and now Key Bank Center) that I think people sort of struggle with a common name for the place now.

    I have rules for corporate names on sports venues. Corporate names are not evil if they meet the following criteria:

    The name is for a brand new building.

    The company is named for a person.

    The company is a long standing part of the community.

    The company produces products that can be enjoyed at the actual game.

    So, in my book, something like Miller Park is a-ok.

    Miller Park, Coors Field, Wrigley Field all feel much less gross than CMGI Field, Sleep Train Arena, etc.

    Naming everything after Target in Minnesota is a second category for sure.

    It’s still not great to have publicly funded facilities named after corporations.

    On the one hand, I’d like to see “I’m Calling It the Ted.” On the other hand, a corporate name seems more quintessentially Atlanta than not.

    I’m calling it Fulton County Stadium. No-brainer. The Braves matured and solidified in that edifice, and won Atlanta’s lone championship there. Unless you wish to refer to it as The Launching Pad.

    I hope you can have one prepared that says “I’m Still Calling It Marlins Park” in the event they get naming rights to that park.

    Why did Constantinople get the works?
    That’s nobody’s business but the Turks.

    I have a feeling “New Amsterdam” never achieved the purchase of “New York”, but Constantinople (the city) had a higher profile than Istanbul. Understandably, its inhabitants wanted to distance themselves from the man who converted the region to Christianity via the sword.

    Picking a nit, I know, but the reason Fergie Jenkins is seen in a Globetrotter uniform is because he was an actual member of the Harlem Globetrotters. It is akin to saying “look at Bo Jackson in that White Sox uniform.”

    Does your corporate naming ban extend to Wrigley? It’s had that name for 100 years and don’t know how many associate it with the chewing gum anymore.

    I’ve always seen Wrigley as more of a vanity name. Mr. Wrigley owned the team.

    In any case, that doesn’t fit into this project, because the ballpark is still called WRigley.

    I usually watch The Tim McCarver Show, a good interview show that runs in New York at the strange hour of 5:30am on Saturdays on WCBS-TV ch. 2. McCarver’s guest last week was Carlton Fisk; and it was a lively chat between two catchers — and two guys who had briefly been teammates when the Red Sox acquired McCarver to take over for Fisk while Fisk was recovering from injuries in 1974 and 1975.

    Anyway, when Fisk was talking about his numbers being retired, he made a point of calling the White Sox’ park “New Comiskey”; he actually paused and said “I’m calling it ‘New Comiskey'”.

    Been a very long while since I’ve posted, but this effort brought me back.

    “I Still Call It the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena” for the PNC Arena. You can shorten it to “I Still Call It The ESA” if you want.

    Is leaving the comment here just fine, or should I email as well?

    I’m waiting for 2019..wait…2020…for the new Chargers/Rams Staduim

    How about “I called it the Palladium” for Ottawa. I was only called the Palladium for a month before Corel bought the naming rights.

    A high school pal’s non-sports-savvy sister used to eavesdrop on our conversations and then chime in with opinions that made us stare at one another in disbelief:

    – “But how can a rich stadium have bills?”

    – “Just because the Oilers fired Coach Phillips is no reason
    for you to call him a bum!”

    (sigh)

    Sometimes going back to the old name can actually happen (when pro sports teams are not involved).

    The Edmonton Oilers used to play at Northlands Coliseum, which then changed names more than once due to corporate naming. When the Oilers last played there, it was using the name Rexall Place.

    The Oilers moved out and into their new downtown area this year, Rogers Place.

    What is cool is that Rexall Place reverted back to the Northlands Coliseum name after the Oilers left. Events are now booked at Northlands Coliseum again.

    link

    link

    On one hand, I certainly agree that there was something nice about the way stadiums and arenas used to have either cool sounding names (The Omni, The Spectrum, The Forum, Silverdome) or were honoring veterans or famous people.

    On the other hand, some fans seem to take this way to personally. I mean, who is harmed by slapping a corporate name on a stadium?

    I will say this: there is something unsettling about having public buildings using corporate names if any of the naming rights fees goes to a team owner instead of the towards the cost of building and maintaining the arena.

    But if the public keeps the money that comes from the naming rights, basically you have a situation where the public agrees that allowing a corporate name is worth the money they didn’t have to spend in taxes. So as long as this is done through the proper public channels, it seems like a win-win.

    I mean, who is harmed by slapping a corporate name on a stadium?

    If you think there’s no public harm caused the relentless encroachment of corporate culture into every nook and cranny of civic life, that’s your prerogative.

    Some of us disagree.

    I was just wondering what the harm is. I guess you could say that if you go to a Mets game with your friends, have a great time, the team wins, etc. does it really matter that it was played at CitiField instead of Shea Stadium?

    Yes, it does, for reasons I’ve already spelled out literally dozens of times over the years.

    If you don’t care about the encroachment of advertising and corporate culture into every nook and cranny of our lives, or about our cultural transformation from a market economy to a market society, that’s up to you. But some of do care — a lot.

    But apparently not enough to stop giving the teams your money. I mean, ultimately the fans are the ones who decide these things.

    To some extent, Paul, you seem to be in denial about the fact that pro sports are a business, and the purpose of a business is to make money.

    To some extent, Paul, you seem to be in denial about the fact that pro sports are a business, and the purpose of a business is to make money.

    Here, Dan — read this:
    link

    There is at least one return to an old name for a ballpark – likely on a smaller scale than most would care about.

    Port Arthur Stadium
    to
    Subway Field at Port Arthur Stadium
    to
    Tbaytel Park

    now a return to
    Port Arthur Stadium

    Unfortunately, due to construction delays, the Thunder Bay Border Cats have to play a bunch of home games on the road with the true home date moving from June 3rd to June 17th and a bunch of home games at Port Arthur Stadium lost.

    Actually, when talking to people here I just say “the ballpark,” “the stadium” or “the arena” most of the time. If you need to clarify you just add the team’s name to it.

    For any place that is taxpayer funded, you could proudly wear an “I’m Calling It My Stadium” shirt.

    Actually, when talking to people here
    Here where I live, not here on Uni Watch.

    Paul,

    It seems to me that by selling t-shirts that capitalize on the unfortunate trend of corporate naming rights on stadiums, you are exploiting the situation to make a buck, are you not?

    Now, it seems a bit hypocritical for you to pass judgment on how other people choose to earn a dollar while then going out and making a dollar on the same situation. In fact, your shirts actually serve to remind people that their old stadiums have been renamed.

    Dan would rather take troll-ish potshots at me than actually address the issue of corporate encroachment. My primary response is the same as it always is in these situations: Forget about the messenger — try dealing with the message. If anyone wants to think I’m being a “hypocrite” here, then fine, I’m a hypocrite. Now that we’ve established that, can we please get back to discussing the issue of corporate encroachment?

    But for the sake of argument, let’s assess Dan’s critique on its own terms — this notion that I am “exploiting the situation” by “remind[ing] people that their old stadiums have been renamed”:

    - Let’s say an investigative journalist uncovers a scandal and reports on it. According to Dan, that is “exploiting the situation.”

    - Let’s say someone writes a book about the history of slavery in the United States. According to Dan, that is “exploiting the situation.”

    - Let’s say a talk radio commentator offers daily negative commentary on politicians he dislikes. According to Dan, he is “exploiting the situation.”

    - Let’s say a musician writes a song about some sort of injustice. According to Dan, that musician is “exploiting the situation.”

    - Just to bring it back to sports, let’s say someone writes an article about concussions in the NFL, or steroids in MLB, or recruiting violations in college football. According to Dan, all of these people are “exploiting the situation.”

    - Let’s say Dan wants to be such a troll about all of this that he starts his own website, called PaulLukasIsAHyporcite.com, and he accepts advertising or paid subscriptions on that site. According to Dan, he himself would be “exploiting the situation.”

    Dan, just because someone offers commentary on an unfortunate topic, and just because that commentary is offered for sale, that does not meet any rational standard of “exploitation,” nor does it make the person in question a “hypocrite.”

    You can go back in your hole now.

    I’m late to the party here, but can Packer fans get one that says ” It will always be Lambeau Field!”

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