Cities and towns strapped for cash could always sell their naming rights

November 8th, 2009 at 09:54am Pat Cunningham

 

 I live in Rockford, but I wouldn’t mind living in, say, Pepsi City or Burger Kingdom — as long as I don’t have to pull up roots and move.

 Most cities and towns in America are facing horrendous budget crises these days, as you may have noticed. Some locales have been forced to cut back on basic services, including public safety, just to make ends meet.

 Well, I’m here to tell you that the crunch could be eased a bit — or even more than a bit — if financially strapped municipalities were willing to sell their naming rights to corporate America.

 The idea arises from the example of a guy up in Sheboygan, Wis., who recently picked up a cool $5,000 for changing his name to that of a Finnish electronics firm (as we see HERE.)

 Hey, if one guy in Sheboyban can get five grand for a name change, a whole town should be able to get really big bucks for changing its name to the choice of the highest bidder. Then, too, the company that wins the naming rights likely will be inclined to bend every effort to improve local conditions, lest its namesake municipality fall into disrepute.

 So, how does Hooters, Illinois, sound to you? It works for me.

Entry Filed under: naming rights