Still No Sponsor To Replace Sports Authority On Mile High Stadium Image courtesy of Heath Alseike
Another deadline has come and gone, and yet no one has bid on the naming rights for the field where the Denver Broncos play. They previously belonged to the now-bankrupt retailer Sports Authority, and the company put the opportunity up for sale as part of its intellectual property auction. Auctioneer Hilco Streambank has extended the deadline twice now, but no bidder has made their interest public yet.
Hilco Streambank representatives told the Denver Post that there are bidders interested, but declined to name them or say what the bid might be. The former Sports Authority, which as closed its Denver-area headquarters and is rushing to close its stores earlier than planned, owes $3.1 million on its sponsorship payment plan on August 1st.
If a new sponsor doesn’t sign on within 30 days after that, the team and the Metropolitan Football Stadium District will be free to sell the naming rights to anyone, as long as it’s a company approved by the NFL. (They’ve already turned down bids from a cannabis dispensary and from a vape pen company, even though recreational use is legal for adults in Colorado.)
While “O.penVAPE at Mile High” would be a fantastic stadium name, there will most likely be a new sponsor named in a different industry by the end of this week. If not, the team and the stadium authority will have the chance to get a new contract for what are now the defending Super Bowl champions.
Liquidator’s deadline for Mile High stadium naming rights passes without a lead bidder [Denver Post]
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