EnergySolutions Arena — Former Envirocare provides new name for Delta Center

"EnergySolutions' bottom line is tied to bringing in other states' nuclear waste and dumping it in our back yard. This isn't the type of business we should be promoting in Utah."

The Utah Jazz have played under the Delta name since 1991, when the arena was completed. When Delta Air Lines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in September 2005, the airline could have reneged on continuing to pay for its naming rights. Following a bankruptcy filing, money owed to creditors can go unpaid.

But Larry Miller, owner of the Utah Jazz, told the Deseret Morning News that throughout Delta's bankruptcy the airline has kept its financial commitments with the Jazz and did not currently owe the franchise any money.

"I think that the top levels within Delta would have liked to have continued the agreement," Miller said. "They had a pretty good deal as arena-naming rights go. It wasn't about the money. I really think that they were just focused on other things, which is natural when the company is fighting for its life in bankruptcy."

Delta's original 10-year agreement carried a five-year option. The Delta contract expired on Sept. 30.

Anthony L. Black, a spokesman with Delta, said the airline will continue to support the team. Delta has signed a five-year sponsorship agreement that involves a corporate suite and other marketing promotions.

Michael Cooper, associate professor of finance at the University of Utah, has published several studies on corporate name changes. Cooper said name changes that evoke a glamorous image "attract a lot more attention than they should."

During the late 1990s, companies that added "dot-com" to their name, even firms that were not Internet companies, saw their stock prices double, according to Cooper.

"If the name change tends to be something that's popular, it tends to be accepted quicker," said Cooper, who added that most Utahns probably have no idea what kind of business EnergySolutions operates. "People are upset because tradition has been broken with the old name and there's this new name. It's obviously hard to change tradition."

Stadium naming rights

Average annual name branding rights paid by companies:

• FedEx Forum (Memphis Grizzlies) — $4.5 million, Federal Express

• Pepsi Center (Denver Nuggets) — $3.4 million, PepsiCo.

• Conseco Fieldhouse (Indiana Pacers) — $2 million, Conseco

• TD Waterhouse Centre (Orlando Magic) — $1.6 million, TD Waterhouse Group

• Wachovia Center (Philadelphia 76ers) — $1.4 million, Wachovia Bank

• KeyArena (Seattle Supersonics) — $1 million, Key Corp.

• Arco Arena (Sacramento Kings) — $750,000, Atlantic Richfield

Source: ESPN

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Contributing: Stephen Speckman

E-mail: danderton@desnews.com