The "Big A" is back!!!

Johnv · Mar 31, 2004

Tis story is a few weeks old, but is interesting...

The Big A' is back
Edison International pulls out of its naming-rights deal with the Angels.

By MARK SAXON
The Orange County Register

Edison International pulled the plug on the Big Ed on Monday and, as a result, the Big A is shining again.

The power conglomerate announced Monday that it will opt out of its $50 million, 20-year contract with the Anaheim Angels for the naming rights to the stadium.

The Angels responded by renaming their ballpark Angel Stadium of Anaheim and are using the traditional nickname "The Big A" in their publicity releases.

Ironically, the Angels' recent successes on the field might have been the cause for the split.

In an internal memo distributed to Edison employees Monday, company CEO John Bryson wrote: "The cost, particularly following the wonderful World Series win, had simply become greater than was sensible for our business to carry."

The Angels received a little less than $2 million to begin the 20-year deal, but escalator clauses dealing with attendance and the success of the team have pushed the yearly average to about $2.5 million. Last season, after the team's thrilling 2002 World Series title, the Angels drew more than 3 million fans for the first time.

Angels management admitted it was caught off-guard.

"I wouldn't say we were expecting this," recently hired Angels President Dennis Kuhl said.

"The deal had a clause, and if they feel this is what they have to do and it makes financial sense for them, we don't want to get in a battle."

Among the potential effects: All 45,050 seats will have to be repainted since they currently say "Edison Field."

"We're working with Edison on that," Kuhl said.

The team also is negotiating with Edison about whether it will continue to have any level of corporate sponsorship; if not, the company would lose access to its prime luxury suite, TV and radio broadcast advertising, and in-stadium signs.

Stadium naming deals were in vogue in the late '90s, when new stadiums opened and corporate money for sponsorship was available. But the turn in the economy has made potential sponsors leery of spending money on intangible benefits and, as a result, several teams recently have opened stadiums without naming-rights sponsors.

The Angels will begin to search for a new corporate sponsor to assume the naming rights. But Kuhl said: "I don't see it happening right away."

Angel fans near and far temporarily suspended discussion about whom the Angels should sign to play first base this season to talk about the news.

Harold Fellows, who grew up in Lake Forest but now lives in the Marshall Islands, was quick to weigh in on the Internet: "Renaming the stadium Angel Stadium of Anaheim to me is a step forward in the right direction."

Others liked the idea of the return of the traditional nickname.

"I'm for the Big A being back," longtime fan Ray Durgis of Huntington Beach said. "(Owner Arte) Moreno is trying to connect with the fans, and instead of sticking us with some other weird name, he's going back to basics, and it sends the right message."

Construction on the facility began in 1964, and when Anaheim Stadium opened for the 1966 season, it was quickly nicknamed "The Big A" for the 230-foot A-shaped scoreboard beyond the left-field fence.

The scoreboard was moved out of the stadium when it was enclosed for football beginning in 1979 and eventually towed to the right-field parking lot where it now beckons motorists driving by on the Orange (57) Freeway.
Click to expand...

Angel Stadium (then known as Anaheim Stadium) as it looked in 1967.

Angel Stadium (then known as Edison Field) as it looked during the 2002 World Series).

The "Big A", which was moved when the stadium was retrofitted for football, as it appeared prior to the 2002 season. It has since been painted red to match the new team colors. A local landmark, the halo is lit (and it twinkles) whenever the Angels win a game (home or away). The halo can be clearly seen from passenger aircraft flying into John Wayne Airport. After the 2002 World Series win, the halo remained lit for a week straight.

[ March 31, 2004, 03:26 PM: Message edited by: Johnv ]

robycop3 · Apr 1, 2004

Some people criticize naming stadia, etc. after corporate sponsors, but WHAT HARM DOES IT DO? What's wrong with having the NOKIA sugar Bowl when each school playing in it gets big bucks from Nokia?

Wonder if Anaheim will opt for another corporate sponsor to buy naming rights for the Big A? Long as that big symbol, which represents West Coast baseball to us Easterners is left intact, I see no harm.

Johnv · Apr 1, 2004

I'm sure they eventually will, but they're in no hurry to. Frankly, the additional income provided by higher attendance figures at Angels games more than makes up for the loss in sponsorship revenue. Angels management dun't seem too concerned. And at a mere $12 for upper view seats ($6 for us Auto Club members), I've got several game tickets I'm already looking forward to.

I was having lunch with a few coworkers who suggested that Disney consider such a sponsorship (Disney's Angel Stadium of Anaheim has a nice ring to it). Who knows? Anything's possible. But I doubt we'll see another name on the marguee for a few years yet.

The "Big A" is back!!!

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