Tropicana not sweating criticism of Rays' stadium

Every so often, a professional sports team will get more than it bargained for with a stadium naming rights deal.

Think of the Houston Astros and their previous stadium sponsor: Enron.

Historically, the PR blunder ends when the scandalized corporation drops its sponsorship. But the tables may be turned in the case of Tropicana Field, where Tropicana Products Inc. – not the Tampa Bay Rays – theoretically could see its reputation tarnished.

The Trop has been so lampooned this summer because of its catwalks and a storm that knocked out a row of lights that the juice maker legitimately might worry about its brand association, one branding expert says.

If the company is sweating things, though, it's not saying so publicly. In a statement to The Tampa Tribune, the company was upbeat about its relationship to the stadium.

"We've only experienced goodwill through our sponsorship, which we use to benefit local charities, reward our employees and entertain customers," a Tropicana spokeswoman said. "We have a long-term agreement that we don't see changing anytime soon."

People have complained about the Trop for years, but things really picked up steam last month.

First, a foul ball broke the glass casing in front of a catwalk light, bringing the game to a temporary halt. The very next night a lightning strike nearby knocked out some lights behind first base.

ESPN analyst Orel Hershiser called the Trop the worst stadium in the big leagues. Baseball Tonight analyst John Kruk said it's not a major-league ballpark.

Could such comments sully the reputation of its sponsor, Tropicana?

Brand experts have mixed opinions.

Nobody thinks people would stop drinking its orange juice because the Trop gets a bad rap. But, sponsors ink stadium deals to build their brand and stay fresh and relevant, said Josh Feldmeth, chief executive of the New York office of Interbrand, a brand consulting firm.

Tropicana probably has calculated down to the dollar how much brand value the Tropicana Field sponsorship creates, he said. The question is whether it's eroding economic value quicker than creating it, Feldmeth said.

"If I'm running the Tropicana brand, I'm going to pay close attention to what's happening in Tampa Bay," he said.

Jeff Marks, who brokers naming rights deals for Premier Partnership of Santa Monica, Calif., has a slightly different opinion.

Sure, Tropicana might get some grief over Tropicana Field's catwalks. But, the value of the media exposure alone might be worth the cost, Marks said. He recently brokered a deal where online retailer Overstock.com bought the naming rights to the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Critics often say the Coliseum is ugly or out-of-date, and like Tropicana Field, there's a chance the Oakland A's and Oakland Raiders could leave.

Still, Overstock.com was looking for exposure for its name change to O.co., and getting its name on a ballpark helps, Marks said.

A unit of PepsiCo, Tropicana Products doesn't pay a lot for its naming rights deal by professional sports standards.

The company signed a 30-year deal for the stadium sponsorship in 1996. It started paying $1 million a year, but its payments grow at 3 percent per year and will hit $1.4 million in 2011, according to St. Petersburg city records. The Rays and city split the payments according to a formula, with the team keeping most of the money.

By comparison, Citigroup pays $20 million per year to have its name on the New York Mets' new Citi Field.

Like Enron Field, Citi Field had its own PR snafu when critics complained that a bailed-out bank shouldn't be paying for naming rights.

The Queens, N.Y., stadium picked up a catchy unofficial nickname: Bailout Ballpark.