When capitalism meets stupidity
Newcastle United. A thoroughly respectable if generally quite technically (at least recently) hopeless football team in the north of Englandshire.
Owned by Mike Ashley who also happens to own a sports clothing retail company called Sports Direct.
The club has been through troubled times of late both on and off the pitch – lack of cash and lack of wins makes for trouble with any premiership team. Of course they are no longer in the Premiership having plunged “below the fold” as we say in webworld and are now lurking somewhere down below in the Championship (one league below.. that which used to be called Division Dwo once long ago when things made sense).
In May 2009 there was an attempt to sell the club by inviting prospective buyers to email a generic nufc.co.uk email address.
Needless to say the fans were humiliated and the rest of the world (mostly Sunderland supporters) got a kick out of reading about all the silly responses that were emailed in. Honestly, you may as well have put it on Ebay. Of course, some joker did but it was swiftly removed so I can’t provide an amusing link.
So whats the latest in this carnival of fun?
Surely once Mr Ashley realised that he couldn’t find a buyer for the poor club, especially now that they’re relegated and have lost a stack of players (including, interestingly Michael Owen who during his time at Newcastle appeared to be made of the finest Royal Doulton but now playing for ManUtd has blossomed into the goal-producing warrior dwarf we always knew he could be) he and his club would just hunker down and drift along peacefully for a few years without raising their head above the Sun-back-cover-parapet for a while?
Why no. Because he’s looking for a sponsor for St James’ Park.
That hallowed ground steeped in history and mists and mellow fruitfulness. But alas, as with the buyers, the sponsors are few and far between.
So what is the new stadium name? (albeit temporary… we hope..)
SportsDirect@StJamesParkStadium
I suppose it could be worse… a brief scouring of the Interweb reveals that America (I love y’all but you’ve taken this too far) is leading the way (the field?) with sports stadium branding gone mad.
The Houston Astros (baseball) apparently used to play on the Enron Field (oh…) but this was then replaced by… Minute Maid Park
The Utah Jazz (basketball) have the EnergySolutions Arena
The San Diego Padres (gotta love any baseball team this bad) have Petco Park – extrapoints for alliteration.
It appears the new Mets stadium is called CitiField after Citigroup
The Arizona Cardinals went with University of Phoenix Stadium which at least is a little more worthy than…
Jobing.com Arena, home of the Phoenix Coyotes
**holds head in hands**
As a Toon fan, my dear, you can guess my thoughts on this.
Let’s just say that the gallows should be brought back to the Gallowgate stand for a certain NUFC owner who shouldn’t be owner, etc.
Serial Insomniac
November 5, 2009
ahh.. some of my best friends are Toon fans.
Me, I got the Emirates Stadium to contend with. Dear old Highbury will be missed but everyone’s gotta go where the money is when you have the Blue sods and the Red sods (and now the light blue sods) throwing money at any player who can run for 10 yards without having an asthma attack.
I still find it weird that in 2009 there’s a world in which you can buy people. But, as poor wittle Ronaldo said – it’s slave labour
Wounded Genius
November 5, 2009