Corporate names alter face of pro sports arenas By Vince D’Adamo Staff Writer In an effort to boost the bottom line, professional sports teams have been changing the names of stadiums and arenas to reflect corporate sponsorship. And fans are not happy. Sitting in the stands at the newly renamed 3COM Park in San Francisco, Ken Bettinelli, a Napa, Calif., native, said the name Candlestick Park was special to the fans. “It’s a disgrace to the fans, the city, and the team,” Bettinelli said. “It will always be Candlestick and I will keep calling it that.” Corporate named stadiums are be coming more and more prevalent. In the NBA, the Chicago Bulls home arena is called the United Center, after United Airlines. The Utah Jazz play their home games at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, a major headquarters of Delta Airlines. Also the in the NBA, Vancouver, British Columbia’s Vancouver Grizzlies play their home contests at General Motors Arena. In Boston, the Boston Garden was tom down and replaced by the Fleet Center last year. At the turn of the century, the San Francisco Giants baseball team will have a new privately financed ballpark called Pacific Bell Park. The Giants will receive $50 million for the new water front ballpark. However, without corporate spon sorship, the new Giants stadium would be a dream. San Franciscans have re jected proposals for a new stadium five times in ten years. Some name changes, like the one in San Francisco, have tried to keep some of the old name. The renamed Candle stick Park is 3COM Park at Candlestick Point, named for Santa Clara, Calif. based 3COM, one of the world’s larg est computer-part manufacturers. 3COM Park was originally named Candlestick Park because of it’s loca tion on Candlestick Point. The name was given to the stadium before the Giants played their first baseball game after moving from New York in 1958. Renaming home stadiums has also taken place in other places. In East Rutherford, New Jersey, the NBA’s Nets and NHL’s Devils home arena, Brendan Byrne Arena, was named Continental Arena last April just prior to the NCAA Final Four. Byrne, a former New Jersey governor and namesake of the arena, is still living. In Landover, Maryland, the NBA’s Washington Bullets and NHL’s Wash ington Capitals played their home games at the Capital Center. However, in 1995, it became US Air Arena. A primary reason for the name change was because USAir offered free airfare for the Bullets and Capitals if the name change took place. The NFL’s Indianapolis Colts used to play in the Hoosier Dome. It is now the RCA Dome. And the Colorado Rockies play on Coors Field in Denver. While no stadium names have been changed, college sports are relying more and more on advertising rev enues to fund programs. Nebraska recently added the HuskerVision screens and evdry re play is sponsored by a different adver tiser — a source of revenue never before available to NU. With professional and college sports costs on the rise, the trend of corporate involvement in stadiums is unlikely to stop. Without the added revenues, stadium renovations would not get funding. But fans like Bettinelli, who still come out to the parks, don’t like the change. “Kicking down cash for a stadium name is one thing,” Bettinelli said, “but once you name a stadium don’t change it.” HOT NEW TEE SHIRTS $9 Value-FREE With Color, Perm, Straightner or Highlight. Starts June 1. Golden CuttersC5W<^ 477-7666 "You Will Make Heads Turn'CS?'^^^ 201 Capitol Beach (Westgate) Walk-ins Always Welcome • Tke Roy&l Grove Presents • : Tke Nitty Gritty Dirt B**d : • mitk opening *et Smok«Uu$< Dkn Itnd Friends • • Friday, June 14 • • $12 fcdv&nce $15