The Red Dogs, the nickname and mascot for the new AFL
team in New Jersey, have "angered civic organizations
dedicated to alerting the public to the dangers of alcohol
abuse" but there is also the "situation of having a team
associated with one brewing company playing its home games
at a facility where another brewer enjoys exclusive beer-
selling rights," according to Guy Sterling of the Newark
STAR-LEDGER. The name was selected in a franchise naming
contest, and team officials liked the name, "both for its
connection with football ... as well as its commercial
potential." "Red Dog" is a beer distributed by the Miller
Brewing Co. Team CEO Jim Leahy: "When we picked the name,
we thought if we could go to Miller and get a sponsorship
out of it, we'd have the best of all worlds." Miller signed
on as a sponsor, but the NJ Sports & Exposition Authority,
overseer of the Meadowlands, is "not keen" on the team's
choice. The Red Dogs will play at Continental Airlines
Arena, where Budweiser holds pouring rights and Anheuser-
Busch is a major sponsor of the NJSEA. Authority President
& CEO Robert Mulcahy III says the dispute between the
brewing companies has yet to be resolved, but should be this
week (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 1/12).
