Here's a thought...
The New York-New Jersey contingent was just awarded Super Bowl XLVIII (That's 48 for those not fluent in Roman) for February 2014. Do I think it's great? You bet. As I wrote back in January, not only do I think it's great to have a super bowl in a "cold setting", I even think we should rotate the game between multiple warm-dome-cold sites so every NFL city can enjoy hosting a super bowl and offer some "old school" playing conditions. I have very mixed feelings about anyone thinking a New York super bowl is symbolic of our post-9/11 recovery. As Bill Daughtry said on ESPN-New York radio Sunday night, if the NFL is giving New York a super bowl to make up for 9/11, why did we have to wait until 2014, and WHY did the Jets and Giants need to build a new stadium as well? Interesting point, eh?
Quibbling aside, let's face it, super bowls and the NFL are primarily about business. If you don't believe me, go back and read the recent opinion written by US Supreme Court justice John Paul Stevens with regards to anti-trust status.
In case you haven't been paying attention, the Jets and Giants owners have ponied up $1.7 billion to build their new stadium, and so far it's called the New Meadowlands Stadium while John Mara and Woody Johnson seek a naming sponsor. The first one they tried, Allianz, didn't work out so well. DUH?! Like selling naming rights to an insurance company that underwrote the Third Reich was going to go over well in one of the most Jewish regions outside Israel...
So where do Mara and Johnson turn for a sponsor good for $20-30 million per year for the next 20-25 years?
Well, the Sopranos is off the air, Port Authority Stadium sounds too inefficient, MTA Stadium sounds too unethical, and PSL Stadium sounds too offensive for fans and season ticket holders.
Wait a minute... call me crazy, but here's an idea...
Given this stadium was built during a recession, and both Jets and Giants fans have been hit hard by the current economy, perhaps Mara and Johnson should think outside the box for a stadium name and sponsorship?
How about Mara and Johnson reaching out to a consortium of the many different sized business owners in New York and New Jersey, specifically among the many Jets and Giants fans who attend and watch their teams play? Each business owner pays a proportionate fixed share towards the naming rights and buys into this sponsorship for anywhere between 5 to 25 years.
You think this is outlandish? Any more outlandish than season ticket holders buying PSLs and patronizing this new stadium for a generation or more? I don't think so. In fact, having a smaller business-based sponsorship consortium would not only provide Jets and Giants fans a more lasting connection to their teams and this new stadium, it would give fans a stronger sense of ownership of the football entity they root for than simply "owning your seat".
Think about it... every time fans come to this new stadium to watch a Jets or Giants game, they can say "hey, I OWN a piece of this stadium! That's MY stadium! I'm connected to all 82,000 seats, not just mine." Gee... where or where do we have the concept of communal ownership of a sports franchise? Oh yeah, GREEN BAY. Even though owning stock in the Packers is more nominal than economic, it sure does connect the local fan base, doesn't it?
So, here's my idea... a community-wide sponsorship consortium, where Jets and Giants fans, side by side, big money and small, can own our new stadium together. If Mara and Johnson do it right, they'll never need to make a deal with a Fortune 500 corporation, which in today's economy may already be devalued to Fortune 250. You now how "stable" these big monoliths are these days, right?
What about a name? If you're working with a sponsorship consortium, Mara and Johnson are then free to name their new stadium in a more fitting manner. Let's face it, today's NFL wouldn't be what it is today without the influence of two gentlemen -- Wellington Mara and David "Sonny" Werblin. We all know how Wellington Mara put league ahead of personal gain when he agreed to TV revenue sharing in the early 1960s. We also know that if it weren't for Sonny Werblin, there would never be a New York Jets, no Joe Namath, and no Super Bowl III legend.
So, my top recommendation for the new stadium's name is Mara-Werblin Stadium.
For those who think more credit should be paid to Leon Hess for bringing the Jets to the Meadowlands in 1984, then feel free to call it Mara-Hess Stadium or Mara-Werblin-Hess Stadium.
If that doesn't tickle your fancy, and you'd prefer a stadium name that honors our region more than people, maybe we should keep it simple and call it Hudson River Stadium, given New York City and New Jersey share this river by means of three major bridges and two tunnels.
Like I said... just an idea, and a lot better than "Allianz Stadium", or some other stupid corporation name.
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