European style sponsorship is on its way to the States

Though sponsorship is nothing new in American sports, it has not yet reached the large, dare I say endemic proportions it has in Europe. In Europe everything is sponsored. There are no more real Stadium names. Arsenal's stadium (in continuous use since 1913) is going to be demolished next year because Arsenal are completing a new stadium 500 meters down the road. So Highbury, a great name with lots of tradition will yield to the new Emirate's Stadium. At least Emirates airlines had to pay 100 million pounds (roughly 180 million dollars) for the naming rights. On top of that, the new stadium will hold 70,000 fans while Highbury holds a maximum 20,000. So basically they are coming out with lots of money, but the tradition is gone.

Now one of the greatest college rivalries of all time, the Red River Shootout, which has been played for almost a hundred years, will change its name. It will now be called the SBC Red River Rivalry.

The article notes that the name change comes as a result of the sponsorship deal between SBC Communications and both schools, and an official notes it was also for reasons of political correctness. Interestingly, the article does not note how much the sponsorship deal is worth, nor who will receive that money when it is eventually paid. Does the deal go to the states' school systems or directly to the schools themselves? Furthermore, who will receive this money and decide how it's used?

More to come...