Steve Webb
LOS ANGELES — According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, the LA Dodgers have entered into an agreement with the marketing firm Sportfive to package the field naming rights for Dodger Stadium along with the sponsorship patch that all MLB teams will be wearing starting next year.
The priority is to sell the uniform advertising patch, which will appear for the first time in baseball history during the 2023 season. Hypothetically, the field naming rights deal could be negotiated separately as it has nothing to do with the CBA, which negotiated the jersey patch agreement with MLB. But the Dodgers are hoping to do a twofer on the deal.
“If we could do one partner that would be great,” Corey Norkin, senior vice president of global partnerships for the Dodgers, said in an interview last week at Dodger Stadium. “Ideally it would be one brand. But the max value is the jersey patch getting started for next season, and the rest will fall into place. If the field presenting is part of that, fantastic, let’s go for it.”
Now don’t panic Dodger fans, it will still be called Dodger Stadium. You have no need to fear watching your beloved team at Facebook Stadium or anything as garish as that. What we’re talking about is the field representation, in which the sponsor’s name will take its place on all references and signage related to Dodger Stadium.
Sportfive, which has done numerous similar deals across the sports spectrum, said it’s everyone’s goal to protect the iconic Dodger Stadium name. Which is a good thing. It’s bad enough that the teams are going to have that dumb patch on their sleeves, but at least I can kind of ignore it. Changing the name of one of the most iconic ballparks in the National League would be tantamount to sacrilege.
But, all those involved feel like this deal will bring beaucoup dollars into the the coffers of the team, whether the name of the actual stadium changes or not. “When it comes down to the objectives that need to be achieved, like brand awareness and media coverage, there’s little to no difference,” Bob Brennfleck, Sportfive’s senior vice president, said in an interview recently.
Not crazy about the whole sponsorship thing in the first place, but I guess that’s the way of it these days. I just hope that we don’t see the iconic Dodger jersey being turned into a billboard the way soccer jerseys are these days. It’s bad enough that that dumb Nike swoosh is on the jersey right now. So fans, if you want an untainted Dodger jersey, get on it quick, or you might end up with something you’re not that proud of wearing when you visit Amazon.com field next year.
