The next payment on Sports Authority's naming-rights deal for the Broncos' stadium is "due in August and it's not clear" if the company "will be able to make the payment" following its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing yesterday, according to of John Breech of CBSSPORTS.com. Sports Authority "took over naming rights" in '11 after Invesco "decided that it wasn't a good fit anymore with the Broncos" (CBSSPORTS.com, 3/2). Sports Authority CEO Michael Foss said that the Broncos "have been 'amazing partners.'" He added Sports Authority "wants to continue to have a strong relationship with the team." Foss said specifically of the naming rights: "We'll put mindshare to that as part of this process sometime in the future" (DENVER POST, 3/3). The 10-year, $60M naming-rights deal that began with the '12 season ranks tied for 12th among all NFL stadium deals. The following chart shows how the Broncos-Sports Authority deal ranks in terms of comparable NFL agreements (THE DAILY).
| VENUE |
TEAM
|
TOTAL DEAL
|
YEARS
|
EXPIRES
|
| CenturyLink Field |
Seahawks
|
$60-100M*
|
15-20*
|
'19-24*
|
| M&T Bank Stadium |
Ravens
|
$60M
|
10
|
'27
|
Sports Authority Field
at Mile High |
Broncos
|
$60M
|
10
|
'21
|
| Heinz Field |
Steelers
|
$57M
|
20
|
'21
|
| Ford Field |
Lions
|
$56.65M
|
25
|
'26
|
| |
|
|
|
|
CHART NOTE: * = Based on incentives.
