Should Citigroup be throwing 400 million dollars at naming rights of stadiums...

[Postman]

after receiving 45 Billion dollars of taxpayer money?...

http://www.crainsnewyork.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090130/FREE/901309978

snip:

Senior Vice President Eric Eve said, “This is a smart business decision...From a marketing platform, these games will be seen by a global audience,” according to the Star-Ledger newspaper.

Mets Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon said of Citigroup, “If they do a good job of marketing, and we can help them bring eyeballs to help sell their brand, they’re going to come out of this and pay back the public,” the newspaper reported.

......yeah, because no one knows who Citigroup is or what they have to sell....gimme a frickin' break.

[aquart]

1. Let Exxon name the stadium. Let it name ALL the stadiums.

They're the only ones who can afford it. Then we can all go to the exxon to see a game.

[Bluzmann57]

2. No

But to be fair, I believe the naming rights agreement was made before the TARP funds were handed out. And I have heard that Citigroup may pull out anyway. Imo, it should be called Taxpayers Field (or stadium).

[Jack Rabbit]

4. Or, if you want to rub it in to the late President Reagan . . .

The People's Park.

[Minimus]

3. I miss the good ole days when stadiums and arenas were just named

after the team or the area - I think it is a waste of money for companies to sponsor stadiums and I hate it.

[Postman]

8. I nominate "Heimlich Field" as the name for the new Mets Stadium..

considering their back to back chokes.....

[Minimus]

9. teehee!

[jakefrep]

5. Is this money vital to the completion of the stadium?

Would it really be any better to stick the local governments with this cost if Citigroup is compelled to pull out?

[Andy823]

6. No way!

This is a waste of money, and should not be allowed, just like Wells Fargo sending employees to Vegas this month, it should all be stopped! The country is in an economic crisis, and the average american family is cutting corners everyday in order to make ends meet. Any bank that wastes money like this should "NOT" receive anymore money from the taxpayers! A laws should be passed that stops this kind of waste, and it should be retroactive so they can go back and "make" all those who got the "no strings attached" money from Bush, pay back any money they used for these kind of asinine wastes of taxpayer dollars!

[Ron Green]

7. "Branding" is what's wrong with the world in the first place.

As capitalism has run amok, it's put less energy into creating real goods and services for people and more into marketing tricks, of which "branding" is one of the most egregious in its attempts to substitute private profitability for public mental spaces.

[davepc]

10. Yet no one complains about the Yankees similar sized deal with Bank of America

because the Yankees didn't hang a BoA sign on the facade.

This arrangement has been in place since 2006.

[libodem]

11. Hell no

I think the stimulus under Bush has been a Fascist corporate welfare scam.
smoke and mirrors.

[NYCGirl]

12. Looks like Citibank is trying to back out of the deal made in 2006 — and the Mets

won't let them get out of the contract:

http://www.newsday.com/iphone/ny-spciti0204,0,5391975.story

[davepc]

13. The Mets shouldn't be left holding the bag because Citi was run into the ground

and then had to beg the goverment for money.