Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which owns the WNBA Silver Stars, yesterday said that it is "dropping 'Silver' from the team's name -- before introducing H-E-B as the WNBA franchise's first major sponsor," according to Neal Morton of the SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS. The new partnership with H-E-B "grants the locally based grocer a prominent display on the front of the Stars jerseys" for the '14 season. WNBA President Laurel Richie said that the new name "reflects a 'natural evolution,' noting that fans already refer to the team as the Stars." Univ. of Oregon Warsaw Sports Business Center Program Manager Whitney Wagoner "wondered if the new name also could help invigorate the fan base, especially after the Stars struggled through multiple season-ending injuries last year." Wagoner: "Generally speaking, teams will rebrand as a means to jumpstart energy and enthusiasm. If you're riding a really strong wave, you won't rebrand, and you'll let the inertia take you as far as it can." Wagoner also viewed the rebrand as "a separate issue from H-E-B's marquee sponsorship, which the grocer secured as part of an extension of its long-standing agreement with Spurs Sports & Entertainment." The deal included H-E-B's position as the Spurs' "main sponsor for the next four years and a presence" with SS&E's other franchises -- the AHL Rampage and NBA D-League Toros (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 1/15). The Stars' new primary logo "utilizes the familiar silver, black and white color palette and features the San Antonio Stars wordmark above a shooting star." The secondary logo "contains a stylized 'S' above the shooting star" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/14).
