Qualcomm Stadium naming rights are up for grabs, as the city of San Diego and Fox Sports College Properties is giving potential bidders until Sept. 1 to place a bid for the remaining 18 months of the facility’s life.
The former home of the San Diego Chargers, Qualcomm Stadium is bereft of a naming rights deal after a contract with Qualcomm ended. The current rights deal will only last until Dec. 31, 2018, when San Diego State University’s lease expired. This short naming-rights deal isn’t expected to generate a whole lot of revenue — maybe a half-million dollars — and given the short exposure time, it probably won’t resonate past locals.
So why would someone pony up a half million for very limited naming rights? Local exposure is always valuable; banks and car dealers are always looking for that edge. The winner will have first option on extending the naming rights deal should San Diego State continue playing there. And it won’t hurt to get in good with SDSU given the chance the college will be part of a new-stadium initiative. From the San Diego Union-Tribune:
David Carter, executive director of the Marshall Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California, said it would “very difficult” to find a sponsor given the short time frame the agreement will last and the difficulty of rebranding a well-known sports facility locally and nationally.
On the other hand, the sponsor might be able to build relationships with the university that could lead to winning long-term naming rights for a new Aztec stadium.
This is a change from last June, when the city was happy to let the naming rights expire while leaving the Qualcomm Stadium name on the facility.
Image courtesy San Diego Chargers.
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