March 11th, 2008
Several Firms in Naming-Rights Talks
By Andrea Ahles
Star-Telegram (Texas)
The Dallas Cowboys are shopping around the naming rights for its new stadium to “a few people,” a team executive said Monday.
With the $1.1 billion stadium less than 18 months from opening, Chief Operating Officer Stephen Jones said the team is looking at a 20- to 30-year deal for a company to place its name on the Arlington facility.
He said he does not expect the economic downturn to affect negotiations with potential naming-rights buyers.
“It’s a work in progress,” Jones said. “We’re visiting it with a few people.”
Sports-marketing analysts have estimated that the Cowboys could get $10 million to $18 million a year for 30-year naming rights. The Cowboys’ deal with Arlington, which caps the city’s contribution at $325 million, gives the city 5 percent of any naming rights contract, up to $500,000 a year.
Last year, analysts speculated that the Cowboys had narrowed their search to a single company. Jones said Monday the team has not limited its naming-rights discussion to just one firm.