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Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
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So I'm watching the Mets and Marlins playing at "Marlins Park" (sure to be renamed), and it got me thinking of a thread idea. Here in 2015, it's a fact of life that most sports stadiums have sold naming rights to a corporation. Indeed, it's harder to find a stadium NOT named, say, Barclays Center or Target Field rather than a Yankee or Dodger Stadium.
But this is to be expected with sports. This has been a "part of the game" for over a century. Afterall, even the icons of Fenway Park and Wrigley Field were corporately named/renamed.
My question is this then: are there any areas of cities named after corporations that come across as crass? Sports stadiums are the obvious pick, and I'm not excluding them by any means, but are there any other areas in general? Could be a beach, neighborhood, mall, park, etc. I'm thinking along the lines of "Central Park presented by Chase". Not real obviously (yet anyways), but you get the idea.
And if there aren't any (doubtful), do you see this as a thing in 10, 25 years?
In Philadelphia you have the AT&T SEPTA stop, which used to be the Pattison Avenue stop on the Broad Street Line. It actually drops you off near an area called "Xfinity Live!" (exclamation point included) which was originally to be called Philly Live. AT&T paid millions of dollars to rename the station, but again both of these are tied into sports.
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
3,530 posts, read 4,179,323 times
Reputation: 2925
Quote:
Originally Posted by aquest1
In Philadelphia you have the AT&T SEPTA stop, which used to be the Pattison Avenue stop on the Broad Street Line. It actually drops you off near an area called "Xfinity Live!" (exclamation point included) which was originally to be called Philly Live. AT&T paid millions of dollars to rename the station, but again both of these are tied into sports.
Bingo, that's what I'm talking about! How could I have overlooked that lol. While they're part of the sports complex, they're not stadiums. Xfinity Live! is so so in my eyes, but AT&T station is completely crass to me. What can of worms does that open? City Hall Station partnered with Comcast? Lol
Apple owns the naming rights to the North/Clybourn CTA station in Chicago. There's also a horribly named entertainment district (drinking mall) in near suburban Rosemont called MB Financial Park. I think most people just refer to it as the drinking mall.
Nokia Plaza in Los Angeles? And Millennium Park in Chicago, not in and of itself corporate named, includes AT&T Plaza, McCormick Tribune Plaza, the Chase Promenade and my personal favorite, the BP Pedestrian Bridge.
Times Square (NY Times)
Herald Square (NY Herald)
Post Office Square (Boston)
But those are different... They were actually named for companies that were located in those squares.
These others are just cash transactions.
In Philadelphia, I loved going to the 'Vet' which was actually named in HONOR of Veterans. The 'Linc' (Lincoln Financial Field) should have been named John Facenda stadium, and City Park (Citizens Bank Park) should be renamed Ashburn Park. Unfortunately cash is king and local heros - or companies are apparently not worthy anymore of being honored.
Location: Watching half my country turn into Gilead
3,530 posts, read 4,179,323 times
Reputation: 2925
Quote:
Originally Posted by btownboss4
Times Square (NY Times)
Herald Square (NY Herald)
Post Office Square (Boston)
Yea, those count, but I think because of their age and legacy, they don't come off crass. Time heals all wounds, I guess.
Quote:
Originally Posted by boulevardofdef
Nokia Plaza in Los Angeles? And Millennium Park in Chicago, not in and of itself corporate named, includes AT&T Plaza, McCormick Tribune Plaza, the Chase Promenade and my personal favorite, the BP Pedestrian Bridge.
Yes, exactly! And I think Los Angeles has a Microsoft Theater, as well these days. Reminds me of Best Buy Theater in NYC--ugh! Terrible!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jowel
Who could forget the Charles Koch arena in Witchita, Kansas, named after one of the Koch brothers himself?
Lol, that's actually fairly historically common. Egocentric, of course, but for some reason, I don't find it that crass. Afterall, there was Comiskey Park,
Ebbets Field, Shibe Park/Connie Mack Stadium, etc. Though I do think stadiums, bridges, parks, etc. named after the dead are for more tasteful. So I'll backtrack a little here-- places named after living owners/sponsors falls somewhere in between an MLK Blvd and a Microsoft Theater in the level of crassness lol.
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