The recent announcement of Mercedez-Benz buying the naming rights to the Superdome eliminates the $13.8 million annual payment made by the State of Louisiana according to the article below. Not sure how I feel about this (nor was I asked), although the funds were definitely needed. The Superdome is such a classic icon that it seems having a corporate name attached to it would somehow lessen its authenticity, even though its existency depended upon a government sponsor since it was built. Mercedes-Benz is obviously a classic to me, but it also seems a bit ironic to me that the home of a fan base that takes such pride in its blue collar image is now named after a luxury car maker. The Zatarain's Superdome falls off my lips a little more naturally, but as good as their packaged Jambalaya is I doubt they have the purchasing power of Mercedes-Benz to buy the whole building.
NEW ORLEANS -- The home of the New Orleans Saints and site of six Super Bowls will be renamed the Mercedes-Benz Superdome under a deal with the German automaker announced Tuesday.
The deal will allow Mercedes-Benz USA to have its name associated with championships in college and pro football and men’s college basketball over the next 16 months -- plus an NFL team that has gone from a doormat to Super Bowl winner. The stadium also hosted a Republican presidential convention and a visit from the pope, and once served as refuge for thousands of miserable victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The team holds authority to sell naming rights to the 73,000-seat, state-owned stadium through their lease, which runs through 2025.
Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/10/04/3484655/mercedes-benz-buys-superdome-naming.html#ixzz1ZxJ1r8OrNEW ORLEANS -- The home of the New Orleans Saints and site of six Super Bowls will be renamed the Mercedes-Benz Superdome under a deal with the German automaker announced Tuesday.
The deal will allow Mercedes-Benz USA to have its name associated with championships in college and pro football and men’s college basketball over the next 16 months -- plus an NFL team that has gone from a doormat to Super Bowl winner. The stadium also hosted a Republican presidential convention and a visit from the pope, and once served as refuge for thousands of miserable victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The team holds authority to sell naming rights to the 73,000-seat, state-owned stadium through their lease, which runs through 2025.
It's one of this things that I think a lot of people have mixed feelings about, but the general consensus (from what Bobby Hebert said on the radio, of course) is that it's a welcome change, just so long as the advertising is tasteful, e.g. no giant logo on the roof. But I can't help but think that this is just another reason for new orleanians to unreasonably think they b ballin.
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