A month after being declared unconstitutional by the state
of GA, a renegotiated $5.5M sponsorship deal between McDonald's
and the Georgia Tech Athletic Association "got the legal seal of
approval" from the GA Attorney General's office. The money from
McDonald's will complete the renovation of Alexander Memorial
Coliseum, which will host Olympic boxing next year. The deal
must be voted on Wednesday by the state Board of Regents. The
original deal "violated the state constitution because it gave
McDonald's a permanent right to associate its name and reputation
with Georgia Tech." The new deal is a 10-year pact allowing
McDonald's to name the grounds surrounding the arena "Alexander
Memorial Coliseum at McDonald's Center." The deal can be renewed
for two additional 10-year periods if the Board of Regents
approves. The deal also allows McDonald's to put a logo on the
basketball court only at events sponsored by Tech's Athletic
Assoc. The "McDonald's Center" name or logo also can appear on
event tickets. McDonald's also gets two on-campus restaurants as
well as advertising on the coliseum's scoreboards and on the back
of players' chairs (Henry Unger, ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 4/11).
