Yes, that Red Bull. And they're renaming the team.
http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20060309&content_id=53518&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp
I had to check that it wasn't April 1.
Wow. I can live with ads on MLS kits because it has been a club convention almost everywhere else in the world for so many years now. I'm used to it. But there's something icky about a club's name and heraldry having a brand name. I'm sure there may be isolated examples of this internationally, but it still feels ... wrong.
[quote nyc94]Yes, that Red Bull. And they're renaming the team.
http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20060309&content_id=53518&vkey=news_mls&fext=.jsp
I had to check that it wasn't April 1.[/quote]
It's a very disappointing gimmick to raise money for the league. Rightfully so, the billionaires that bankroll the MLS are ready to pass off their investment after 10 years but it is a sad sign that they couldn't find an American that is passionate enough about soccer to purchase the team without having a secondary business motive.
I love the MLS and it has done wonders for American soccer but this deal is embarrassing.
[quote Hillel Hoffmann]But there's something icky about a club's name and heraldry having a brand name. I'm sure there may be isolated examples of this internationally[/quote]
One comes to mind...
(http://elf.elynah.com/file.php?5,file=44)
I suppose Japanese baseball has survived teams being named for their corporate owners: Yomiuri (media conglomerate) Giants, Seibu (department stores) Lions, Yakult (beverages) Swallows, etc. The Swallows have a bird as their logo but I don't know if that is supposed to be a play on words or just a quirk of the Japanese to English translation.
[quote jtwcornell91]One comes to mind: [coat of arms][/quote]
Awesome. I totally forgot about B04L.
I was telling a friend about this Red Bull mess, and he said:
"Hey, what about Chivas?"
Dumbass baseball fan.