Skydome Got Renamed

[xboxrulz 0]

Toronto Canada, Skydome:

 

The Skydome just got purchased by Rogers Communications Inc. in Toronto. The dome which is 16 years old was just sold for CAD $25 million. Now, most of text books are incorrect because there's no such place as SkyDome anymore.

 

Here's the articles from The Toronto Star:

 

Article #1:

SkyDome now Rogers Centre

 

CANADIAN PRESS

 

SkyDome is getting a facelift with new scoreboards, new playing surface and a new name Rogers Centre.

 

Owner Ted Rogers also pledged more money for players $210 million U.S. over three years.

 

"That represents about a 40 per cent increase on the payroll in the past year," the communications mogul told a news conference today.

 

The Jays finished with a 67-94 record last season, bottom of the American League East, a division ruled by big-spending Boston and the New York Yankees.

 

"We have the resources now to go out and do some things that we would like to do," said GM J.P. Ricciardi. "We're going to take it and look at all the avenues available to us going forward."

 

The 16-year-old domed stadium's original name came from a fan competition.

 

Rogers Communications spent just $25 million Cdn to buy SkyDome from Sportsco International, a Chicago-based group of investors, late last year. It was a fraction of the $580 million the stadium cost to build.

 

But the aging 50,000-seat stadium had steadily gone down in price since opening in 1989. It sold for $151 million in 1994 and Sportsco paid $80 million when it bought SkyDome out of bankruptcy court in April 1999.

 

"We pledge to you all our fans that we will investigate any and all ideas that will improve this building and the fan experience," Jays president Paul Godfrey said Wednesday.

 

The stadium will also receive several upgrades, including new video scoreboards to replace the aging JumboTron and a new playing surface designed by the Montreal-based FieldTurf Inc, replacing the rock-hard artificial turf.

 

The main screen will be the same size as before: 33 feet high by 110 feet wide (10 by 33 1/2 metres). Two other screens, 10 by 65 feet (three by 19.8 metres) will also be installed.

 

"No longer will the Blue Jays be the only team in major league baseball to play on AstroTurf," Godfrey said.

 

Instead a new FieldTurf surface will be installed.

 

"This is our start, but by no means is it our finish," Godfrey said, saying the baseball-friendly stadium makeover will continue.

 

When SkyDome opened in June 1989, it was the envy of the baseball world a state-of-the-art facility that continually packed in more than 50,000 fans a game. The Jays broke baseball records with more than four million fans per season in '91, '92 and '93.

 

Last season the Jays drew 23,455 per game, its highest average in five years.

 

As it turns out, SkyDome was among the last of its kind. Baseball moved back to more traditional-looking stadiums such as Camden Yards in Baltimore, Jacobs Field in Cleveland and The Ballpark in Arlington, Texas and multipurpose facilities gave way to specialty stadiums.

 

Article #2

 

Feb. 3, 2005. 07:59 AM

A Dome by any other name ...

 

ALLAN RYAN

SPORTS REPORTER

 

Somebody from the SkyDome called Kellie Watson yesterday to assure her their deal was still good.

 

Actually, that would have been someone from the freshly renamed Rogers Centre, calling Watson to say that, while her winning name was being "retired," her prize of two lifetime seats for all things SkyDome would still be honoured.

 

"Someone at work heard it (about the name change) on the radio," said Watson, an investment adviser in Chatham.

 

"I wasn't surprised but I'm a little disappointed. I'm part of that thing. I guess if you spend $25 million (the recent resale price), though, you're allowed to call it anything you want."

 

`I'm part of that thing. I guess

 

if you spend

 

$25 million

 

(the recent resale price), though, you're allowed to call

 

it anything

 

you want'

 

Kellie Watson, winner

 

of the name-the-stadium contest in 1987

 

Back in 1987, two years before the dome opened, Watson, then 26, won the official name-the-stadium contest. There'd been over 150,000 entries and a total of 12,879 different suggestions and her's one of some 2,000 folks who submitted variations on SkyDome was the name then-Ontario premier David Peterson randomly pulled from a barrel. Ever since, with the help of husband, three children, family and friends, the same two seats behind home plate have rarely gone unoccupied.

 

And that would be for any of the 1,250 or so Blue Jay games over that stretch (better than $80,000 worth of tickets, right there), the Argos, the early Raptors, Bruce Springsteen, Elton John, Billy Joel and the Backstreet Boys (three times).

 

"It was a little thing our town had, a connection," said Watson.

 

The name SkyDome had been one of four finalists, beating out Harbourdome, Towerdome and, simply, The Dome, which turned out to be a close second. But, as one judge pointed out: "We thought if we picked just The Dome, everyone would wonder what the hell we had a committee for."

 

On the day Watson's name was drawn, Chuck Magwood, then president of the Stadium Corporation of Ontario, commented: "The sky is a huge part of the whole roof process. The name has a sense of the infinite and that's what this is all about."

 

 

xboxrulz

 

P.S: Even The Arrogant Worms's song The Toronto Song is also now incorrect. The lyrics needs to be changed because Skydome is no longer in existence. It's now Rogers Centre.

[XeNoToSs 0]

$25million canadian? how much is that in american.. becuz if they are roughly the same.. skydome must suk alot

[xboxrulz 0]

It's about $23-24 million USD; they bought it for $25 million CAD because they were buying it because Rogers was going to fund the sport team. Skydome is a pretty neat building. It's right next to the CN Tower (tallest freestanding building).Toronto is home to Yonge Street (the longest street in the world), CN Tower (tallest freestanding building) and Rogers Centre (SkyDome)xboxrulz

[Cammy 0]

The Rogers Centre? I don't like the new name. I can remember way back when they had a contest to name that venue. My brother was one of the first to work at the one of their many Mac Donalds(Sky Snacks)...On his breaks he would see concerts. Madonna, when she played there the first time. Ive been to two baseball games there. The Sky Dome is awesome. Ive been to the Air Canada Center and I like the Dome a lot more. Its bigger and the seats are more comfortable too.

 

http://www.rogerscentre.com/

[Caveman 0]

Boo! Bad name! Skydome sounds much cooler!The Rogers Centre? Sounds like a therapeutic hospital for those suffering from Alzheimer's Disease. Yuck!

[dropout21 0]

it is advertising. rogers media owns that building and will name it as they see beneficial. i remeber when the 'corel centre' first opened here in ottawa (kanata) it was called.... i cant even remeber, because corel bought it and named in the corel centre. if people do or dont like the new name it will still remain the name and eventually everyone will be calling it the rogers centre.25 million.. thing has lowered in value since the day it was made

[xboxrulz 0]

yes it did. Plus Kanata is Canada. Unless, you're referring to the village located in Ontario. If you were trying to refer the old name of Ottawa, it's Bytown.Anyways, I also hate the name Rogers Centre; SkyDome was WAY better!THEY SEALED THE ROOF OF THE DOME?!?! WTF!!xboxrulz

[Goosestaf 0]

well sky dome is a better name but i personally don't care. Its been legally bought so they can call it what ever they want. thats how i see it.And yes it might be a land mark, and some text books and song might be "incorrect" but i bet ya everyone will still call it sky dome

[mahesh2k 0]

Well nice name though but i hate rename thing...so any way it upto us to love name like your comapanyone or solutions one naming like that oh god that is worst kind renaming process ...if i own comapny wont let anyone rename...

[dropout21 0]

yes it did. Plus Kanata is Canada. Unless, you're referring to the village located in Ontario. If you were trying to refer the old name of Ottawa, it's Bytown.

 

Anyways, I also hate the name Rogers Centre; SkyDome was WAY better!

 

THEY SEALED THE ROOF OF THE DOME?!?! WTF!!

 

xboxrulz

48264[/snapback]

in saying kanata, yes i was reffering to the village/town of ontario.. where the corel centre is. i know stuff about canada... i live there newayz where did you read they sealed the roof? i havent read anything about that

[whyme 0]

This is basically the newest case of corporate invasion of these sports stadiums, in Vancouver, we can all see that GM Place is General Motors Place, another coporate invasion, all this new renaming is destroying the integreity of the name, on another note, the Skydome is not CRAPPY, just becasue it's sold for 25 millions doesn't means it sucks, i bet that no one here could make 25 millions in hier lifetime, ever.

[xboxrulz 0]

I think Skydome was the best name for the dome, I hate Rogers for renaming the dome :@xboxrulz

[xboxrulz 0]

QUOTE(xboxrulz @ Feb 8 2005, 06:29 PM)yes it did. Plus Kanata is Canada. Unless, you're referring to the village located in Ontario. If you were trying to refer the old name of Ottawa, it's Bytown.

Anyways, I also hate the name Rogers Centre; SkyDome was WAY better!

THEY SEALED THE ROOF OF THE DOME?!?! WTF!!

xboxrulz


in saying kanata, yes i was reffering to the village/town of ontario.. where the corel centre is. i know stuff about canada... i live there newayz where did you read they sealed the roof? i havent read anything about that

I live Toronto, Canada, so I also know the Canadian history ; so dun worry about me getting my info wrong

xboxrulz