What would you pay to have your name on the new Giants/Jets Stadium under construction in East Rutherford?  How about $25,000,000 per year?  That’s the amount that experts predicted in an AP article that appeared in MSNBC.com today!  Could that be a bargain?  I mean the stadium is in America’s most expensive ad market and will be home to not 1 but 2 NFL teams.  And on top of it all the teams are doing things a little different.  There will be just 5 sponsor names in the entire stadium.  The naming sponsor and 1 sponsor in each of the 4 corners inside of the stadium. In this age of marketing clutter could less actually mean more for the teams and more for the sponsors?  I find this approach most interesting and wonder if it is a sign of things to come.

January 14th, 2007Soccer star David Beckham is coming to the US in a $250 million five-year deal. The move will have a significant impact on the L.A. Galaxy (his new team), Major League Soccer and the sport in general. Beckham is a star in the world of soccer. He transcends the sport with paparazzi following his every move on and off the field with wife Victoria “Posh” Beckham.
At the amateur level soccer is popular in the US in Canada. Back in my home province of Alberta, Canada, soccer is the most popular sport in terms of number of players. In fact, more than twice as many kids play soccer than hockey – a fact that surprises many. This popularity hasn’t translated into the same kind of excitement for professional soccer.
Beckham’s arrival will usher in a new era for soccer in the US and I predict its popularity will skyrocket along with sponsorships, player levels and equipment and apparel sales. The move is good for Beckham who can maximize his endorsements as his career winds down, is great for his new team and great for soccer in North America. The $250 million in salary and endorsements he will receive over five years will prove a bargain when compared with what this will do for soccer in North America.