Blazers rename Rose Garden as part of corporate sponsorship
Blazers rename arena to "Moda Center at the Rose Quarter" because they hate their fans.
By
Matt Moore
•
2 min read
I get why it's done, but that doesn't make it feel any less wrong. The Portland Trail Blazers joined the ranks of so many organizations to slap a corporate name on their arena in pursuit of more money as the team announced the building built in 1995 will now be called...
The Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. From Blazers.com:
Two of Oregon’s most dynamic and innovative companies are banding together in a 10-year agreement that will energize Portland’s hub for sports and entertainment, creating an urban showcase for healthy, active living. The Portland Trail Blazers and Moda Health have unveiled a community partnership that changes the name of the Rose Garden to the Moda Center at the Rose Quarter, effective immediately.
The agreement was jointly announced during a press conference today in the center’s South Atrium. At the request of Trail Blazers owner Paul Allen, the new logo for the Moda Center, when unveiled at a later date, will incorporate a rose as a salute to the city of Portland.
“These are the types of large-scale partnerships that are going to take our organization to the next level,” said Trail Blazers President & CEO Chris McGowan. “This agreement enables us to reinvest in the company and the team at levels that impact every aspect of the fan experience, including the facilities, amenities, events and even the product on the court.”
via Portland's Rose Garden Renamed Moda Center In Partnership Between Trail Blazers And Moda Health.
Woof.
First off, let's take a moment and appreciate the irony of the Portland Trail Blazers, the most injury-bugged team in the history of professional sports, signing on a naming rights sponsor in the medical industry. You cannot make this stuff up.
"I think [Moda Center] is the perfect name for an arena." -- Blazers president Chris McGowan
— Ben Golliver (@blazersedge) August 13, 2013
"... he said as he stuffed $100 bills in to the folds of his jacket" is how that quote should end.
It's really terrible because the Rose Garden was such a perfect name with the logo and the identity of the team and everything. It just doesn't feel right. Again, capitaliism, profitability, etc., I get it. It's a way to make more money and maybe that will help keep the arena in good condition so that Paul Allen doesn't demand the city build him a new one like so many sports owners do.
But it just feels... wrong, doesn't it?
Moda Center. Sounds like a prescription drug. Or a car dealership.
Again, I say, woof.
