John Boyle of the Everett Herald, whose byline appears in The Sun regularly, filed this report on a possible name change for the stadium that serves as home for the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders FC.
By John Boyle
Special to the Kitsap Sun
When does a telecommunications merger constitute sports news? When
it could mean a name change for the stadium that two of Seattle’s
professional teams call home. The FCC approved a merger
late last week between CenturyLink and Qwest, which own the naming
rights to the stadium that is home of the Seahawks and Sounders
FC.
It’s not a done deal that Qwest Field will become
CenturyLink Field or CenturyLink Stadium, but a statement from
CenturyLink said sponsorship deals will remain in place, which
would almost certainly indicate that a name change is coming. .
“All existing sponsorship contracts (including Qwest Field) that
are in effect at the close of the transaction will remain in
place,” CenturyLink said in a statement. “Each venue and the terms
of the related contract will be evaluated to determine the
appropriate re-branding implementation.”
In a story published Thursday in the Omaha World Herald,
CenturyLink spokesman said that All Qwest properties will
transition to the CenturyLink name.
The stadium currently known as Qwest Field opened as Seahawks
Stadium before Qwest bought the naming rights in 2004. That deal
was a 10-year sponsorship with an option for five more
years.
For more Seahawks coverage, check out the Seahawks blog at
heraldnet.com/seahawksblog
