John Hancock Center is No More

[Big John]

This sucks. Whats next, renaming Fenway Park after some sh*t company or something like that?

Or worse, Wrigley Field.

It was named for the co-owner of the Cubs who also ran the chewing-gum company bearing his namesake.

[formulanone]

This sucks. Whats next, renaming Fenway Park after some sh*t company or something like that?

Or worse, Wrigley Field.

The prototypical example of a Named Stadium. I will say it does sound a lot classier than National Rental Car Center.

Curiously, which other sponsored stadium has stuck around for at least two decades (a sad state of "permanence")?

[abefroman329]

This sucks. Whats next, renaming Fenway Park after some sh*t company or something like that?

Or worse, Wrigley Field.

It was named for the co-owner of the Cubs who also ran the chewing-gum company bearing his namesake.

Whoosh.

[GreenLanternCorps]

They could just say that the building is now named after John Hancock, signer of the Declaration of Independence, instead of John Hancock Insurance...

[NWI_Irish96]

This sucks. Whats next, renaming Fenway Park after some sh*t company or something like that?

Or worse, Wrigley Field.

The prototypical example of a Named Stadium. I will say it does sound a lot classier than National Rental Car Center.

Curiously, which other sponsored stadium has stuck around for at least two decades (a sad state of "permanence")?

Original Busch Stadium lasted well over 20 years and the new one likely will as well.
If you count that Chase bought Bank One, Chase Field in Arizona hits 20 this year
Coors Field is at 23
Tropicana Field is at 22
Raymond James Stadium hits 20 this year
Target Center is at 28
United Center is 24

[kkt]

If a stadium was built with mostly public funds, I think it should be named after the place it was built, or the primary tenant.  Not some unrelated company.

[Duke87]

TIL the John Hancock Center in Chicago is named after an insurance company and not an 18th-century gentleman who likes to sign his name in really large script.

I find it odd that said Insurance company could demand the name be removed from the building. Their logos, sure, but would it not have been trivial to keep the name and just declare it to be named after the same person the insurance company is named after? It's not like they can claim a trademark on the name of a historical figure.

[US71]

TIL the John Hancock Center in Chicago is named after an insurance company and not an 18th-century gentleman who likes to sign his name in really large script.

I find it odd that said Insurance company could demand the name be removed from the building. Their logos, sure, but would it not have been trivial to keep the name and just declare it to be named after the same person the insurance company is named after? It's not like they can claim a trademark on the name of a historical figure.

Don't forget Willis Tower

[roadman]

This sucks. Whats next, renaming Fenway Park after some sh*t company or something like that?

Don't give John Henry any ideas.

[jeffandnicole]

If a stadium was built with mostly public funds, I think it should be named after the place it was built, or the primary tenant.  Not some unrelated company.

Although depending on the contract agreement, the stadium naming can help recoup some of those public funds spent.

[abefroman329]

This sucks. Whats next, renaming Fenway Park after some sh*t company or something like that?

Or worse, Wrigley Field.

The prototypical example of a Named Stadium. I will say it does sound a lot classier than National Rental Car Center.

Curiously, which other sponsored stadium has stuck around for at least two decades (a sad state of "permanence")?

If Philips Arena in Atlanta hasn't been around for 20 years, it's very close.  Ditto FedExField (yes, that's the proper rendering, no space between "Ex" and "Field).

Tropicana Field...probably?

[abefroman329]

They could just say that the building is now named after John Hancock, signer of the Declaration of Independence, instead of John Hancock Insurance...

Frankly, I always assumed it was, and that the Hancock Center in Boston was named for the insurance company.

[ilpt4u]

This sucks. Whats next, renaming Fenway Park after some sh*t company or something like that?

Or worse, Wrigley Field.

The prototypical example of a Named Stadium. I will say it does sound a lot classier than National Rental Car Center.

Curiously, which other sponsored stadium has stuck around for at least two decades (a sad state of "permanence")?

Original Busch Stadium lasted well over 20 years and the new one likely will as well.
If you count that Chase bought Bank One, Chase Field in Arizona hits 20 this year
Coors Field is at 23
Tropicana Field is at 22
Raymond James Stadium hits 20 this year
Target Center is at 28
United Center is 24

PacBell/SBC/AT&T Park in San Fran has to be up there. It has been sponsored by Pacific Bell, which was bought by SBC, which then bought AT&T and changed it's named to AT&T, hence now AT&T Park. I guess it hasn't been 20 years yet, as the stadium opened in 2000