Pacific Index

Issue date: 4/11/08 Section: Opinion

Dear athletic department,



Kudos to you for naming our new baseball and softball fields in honor of deserving individuals.

There is a disturbing, growing trend in the hyper competitive business world today where sports venues have names such as Safeco Field or the Pepsi Center. The naming rights have of course gone to the company that offers the most money for advertising purposes. Then after the name of the arena, stadium or dome has been figured out, they name a pretzel stand or whatever after the greatest athlete the team has ever seen.

Not only do these teams have their priorities out of order, no matter how much I like Pepsi (I'm actually a Coke person myself), it's hard to be proud to call that arena your home.

Alternatively, rest assured that Cheese Heads would defend Lambeau Field to the death as if it were a castle.

My main concern here is that when stadiums change their names as often as their company eats up yet another competitor, sports enthusiasts are losing something in the process: tradition. Wrigley Field has been called just that since 1926, in honor of the man who bought the team.

Compare that to the San Francisco Giants ballpark, which has changed names three times since its opening eight years ago. The telecommunications company that purchased the naming rights went through enough mergers in a short period of time to confuse even the most loyal fans.

It's safe to assume that Nike didn't knock on Phil Creighton's door offering $10 million to call our new track and field stadium 'Nike Field'. However, it should still be a breath of fresh air for any traditional sports fan to know there is still some integrity in an age of steroids and agents.

Pacific has had some truly great individuals contribute to athletics and enjoy tremendous careers here. It is only right that they have their names on large signs that can't be missed by anyone who so much as passes through our new park.

And if you don't know who Ken and Nancy Bond, Chuck Bafaro or Judy Sherman is, go to goboxers.com and educate yourself.



Sincerely,

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