The Oakland Coliseum could have a new sponsor soon. That is to say, there could be a new sponsor for when the Oakland A's are playing. Angela Woodall of the San Jose Mercury News filed this report (H/T Samuel Lam).
The A's home stadium bears the brand name O.co. But the team referred to it as the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in their game notes during the home opener Friday night against the Seattle Mariners. The name switch prompted questions about whether the Coliseum would be looking for yet another corporate sponsor just one year into a six-year deal with online retailer Overstock.com, which gave the stadium the O.co moniker.
SMG General Manager Ron Little said the O.co name would be staying put. SMG oversees operations at the Coliseum, which includes the stadium and the Oracle Arena. The A's refuse to accept the O.co name, Little said. It's a sticky issue that the lawyers for both sides -- the A's and Coliseum -- are still trying to iron out.
The stadium has had several sponsors over the years: Network Associates from 1988 to 1994, McAfee from 2004 to 2008, and Overstock starting in May 2011. In short, the A's aren't getting any money from Overstock deal, so why should they have to adhere to the branding? It's something that makes a lot of sense from their standpoint, but also seems like something that could have been overlooked.
The Coliseum has been host to two pro teams: The Athletics for Major League Baseball, and the Raiders for the National Football League. The A's have been playing in this stadium since 1968, when they moved there from Kansas City. The Raiders started playing there in 1966, then moved out in 1981 when they decided to trek down to Los Angeles and play in their Coliseum, only to move right back to Oakland in 1995. Several other football teams and soccer teams have used the facility, the latest of which was the San Jose Earthquakes before they built their own dedicated facility.
To discuss the Athletics and this new stadium development, head on over to Athletics Nation. To talk with Raiders fans about sponsorship for the new stadium, check out Silver and Black Pride.