EXTRA: Guaranteed Rate not quite so absurd, now that we have Ring Central

Now can we stop bashing about the Chicago White Sox for supposedly playing their ballgames in the most ridiculously-named of all stadiums that have taken on a corporate identity? 

Will the new Ring Central Coliseum … 

What brings this topic to mind was the report Wednesday from the Oakland Athletics, who are now playing their games in a facility called Ring Central Coliseum.

WHICH IS REALLY the building that for the past half-century was known as (and most likely still thought of as) the Oakland Coliseum. Or if you want to be overly formal, add in the “Alameda County” portion of its old name.

But the stadium that has been home to such Hall of Fame greats as Reggie Jackson, Jim Hunter and Rollie Fingers, then later Rickey Henderson and Dennis Eckersley, now has a new identity – as the cloud-based communications company is paying $1 million to the team for the naming rights.

Of course, the fact that the building is so old (opening in 1968) and has such a strong identity that no one is going to really use the “Ring Central” name is the reason why its naming rights value is so low.

Now it is the hope of Athletics fans that they will be moving to a new stadium in the not-too-far-distant future. This could just be a short stint.

BUT YOU HAVE to admit, “Ring Central” is even more ridiculous than “Guaranteed Rate Field.” Although when you think of it, all the corporate ID-ed stadia have a sense of absurdity to them.

… detract ridicule from "Guaranteed Rate?" Photo by Gregory Tejeda

Personally, I always thought the Houston Astros ought to be stuck with the “Enron Field” moniker for their ballpark even after it became public knowledge that the company had its share of corruption within its ranks. 

So can we stop the mockery of Guaranteed Rate, what with the corporate logo of an arrow pointing downward supposedly showing the status of the White Sox themselves?

Probably not, since I suspect fans of the Chicago Cubbies wouldn’t be able to handle life if they couldn’t claim their favorite ballclub somehow had a sense of superiority – even though with its history of mediocrity to downright cruddiness, they really have no right boasting about anything no matter what happened three years ago.

  -30-