The Buccaneers yesterday announced that Raymond James Financial will "keep its name" on the team's home stadium through '27, "thanks to a 12-year extension to their naming-rights agreement," according to Greg Auman of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. The Bucs and the USF football team have "played in Raymond James Stadium since it opened" in '98, and it was home to Super Bowls in '01 and '09. It also will "host college football's national championship game in January." No financial terms were disclosed, but the Bucs "cited the benefits of stability in what will be a 30-year relationship by the end of this extension." Raymond James Stadium is undergoing roughly $100M in renovations, "including new video boards that will be in place for the upcoming football season" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 6/1). In Tampa, Ashley Gurbal Kritzer noted the agreement "includes joint community work between the Bucs and Raymond James, through the Kicking for Kids and Sack Hunger programs." In Kicking for Kids, Raymond James "donates $1,000 for every successful field goal made by Bucs placekickers each season," and has "raised more than $300,000 for local children's hospitals." The annual Sack Hunger collection events "have collected more than 140 tons of non-perishable food items for local food banks" since '00 (BIZJOURNALS.com, 5/31).
