College football stadiums have undergone a ton of transformations over the years but one area where they’ve lagged behind their professional counterparts by a wide margin has been in the naming rights space. After all, there’s a lot of history and tradition attached to the names of stadiums, whether it’s the Big House in Ann Arbor or Bryant-Denny in Tuscaloosa.
Though a handful of CFB venues have been sullied by sponsorship jargon in front of their common names in recent years, you can add Texas A&M to the list of schools who won’t consider slapping a well-known (or even less well-known) brand on venerable Kyle Field anytime soon.
“There are some things I learned quickly that are sacred,” athletic director Ross Bjork told the Houston Chronicle. “Kyle Field is one of them.”
In confirming plans for the stadium to remain as is on the name front, Bjork did note that he is still trying to consider some other sponsorship opportunities in and around the football team’s home in order to bring in additional revenue to one of the richest athletic departments in the country. At the heart of the matter, unsurprisingly given how tradition-rich the Aggies are, is doing something tasteful that also provides value to those ponying up big bucks.
“Even though we have great resources here, every penny matters,” he added. “Every dollar matters. Every 100 dollars matter.”
It’s interesting Bjork would say that given that the most recent financial figures pulled by USA Today show that Texas A&M is the second biggest athletic department in the country last year after taking in over $212 million (against just $165.7 million in expenses too).
That’s a hefty chunk of change of course, but perhaps sights are set a bit higher in order to topple in-state rival Texas ($219 million) and become No. 1. When it comes to beating the Longhorns, every dollar might indeed matter.
While we won’t see a big corporate sponsor on Kyle Field’s marquee, it does seem like there are other avenues the Aggies can pursue in order to get top dollar in College Station.