Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder officially announced a 27-
year, $205M naming-rights deal with FedEx yesterday changing
the name of Redskins Stadium to FedEx Field, according to
Thomas Heath of the WASHINGTON POST. FedEx Founder & Chair
Fred Smith: "We looked at a lot of other stadiums, but
Washington looked good to us for several reasons. The
Redskins are one of the legendary franchises in sports. And
Washington is not only a good market, but every embassy here
we do business with. It made sense from a global
perspective." Heath reports that FedEx's presence at the
stadium includes a 12-foot-high, 3,000-foot windscreen
around the circumference of the top of the stadium. The deal
also includes TV and radio spots as well as stadium end zone
signage and rotational signs. FedEx will also get 80
tickets for each home game for its employees and customers
(WASHINGTON POST, 11/22). Also in DC, Eric Fisher reports
that the $207M name deal is "the most lucrative of its kind
ever." FedEx will not become a team sponsor, as UPS is the
official delivery service of the NFL. After planning not to
use the FedEx Field name, Fox Sports, which handled
yesterday's broadcast, did use it. A Fox official called the
switch a "game-time decision" (WASHINGTON TIMES, 11/22).
