Niners' stadium will carry Levi's tag

[Auggie]

Source: San Francisco Chronicle

One of San Francisco's most widely recognized companies, the clothing outfit Levi Strauss & Co., will pay $220 million over the next two decades to put its name on the San Francisco 49ers' new stadium in Santa Clara.

The naming rights agreement - which will help the Niners pay for their $1.2 billion stadium, scheduled to open for the 2014 season - was announced Wednesday in a news conference at Levi's headquarters.

The 68,500-seat venue will be called Levi's Stadium.

"Levi's Stadium will connect two iconic Bay Area brands that share similar values, a rich heritage and a pioneering spirit," said Chip Bergh, CEO of Levi Strauss.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/matier-ross/article/Niners-stadium-will-carry-Levi-s-tag-4498958.php

---

$220 million ... think of the possibilities.

[marmar]

1. 501s Stadium? Button-Fly Field?

[El Supremo]

5. Pre-washed Santa Clara 49ers?

[onehandle]

2. I wore Levi's for most of my life.

Now they are ill fitting and uncomfortable.

[El Supremo]

6. I like Lee or Wrangler jeans better.

[El Supremo]

3. Does this really belong in LBN?

Really?

[Auggie]

7. Why don't you alert on it and find out?

Nice avatar. What are you using tomorrow?

[El Supremo]

10. I don't alert....

I just insult.

And my avatar will NOT be the Bay Area Bombers Warriors.

[freshwest]

15. How about *Bay Area Blue Jeans*? They will *fit* for the next decade, LOL.

[chollybocker]

4. Makes perfect sense.

The Gold Rush pickers and panners (the 49ers) wore denim for its durability, which led to "jeans" becoming popular all across blue-collar America.

Sounds like a perfect fit.

[Purveyor]

8. Well now that is "Late Breaking News" that make this place..."must read", indeed! eom

[alp227]

12. Has historical symbolism for CA and is relevant to the American business world.

See post #7 for why Levi's has such significance to CA/SF history. Damon Bruce pointed that out in his show today.

[Purveyor]

17. Yeah. LOL That is why it has received 1 fucking 'rec' after nearly 3 hours...indeed! Carry on...nt

[Botany]

9. fine let them play their games in Lesotho, Africa

Levi a great American outsourcer

[davidpdx]

22. Levi's isn't the only one that has naming rights in the NFL that has problems

Mercedes-Benz outsources throughout the world and has the naming rights to the New Orleans Saints stadium.

Bank of America outsources their call centers to the Philippines and has the naming rights to Carolina Panthers stadium.

Century Link has been trying to outsource leading to a strike and has the naming rights to Seattle Seahawks stadium.

I'm sure I could find a few more examples if I dig harder. Should these teams also play in the places they outsourced (or plan to outsource) to?

[rurallib]

11. aren't Levis made in China?

let 'em name something over there.

[freshwest]

16. Oh, well.

[DeSwiss]

26. Yep.

- And that's actually an improvement over their past slave-wage operations and practices.....

In 1991, Levi Strauss faced a scandal involving pants made in the Northern Mariana Islands, where some 3% of Levi's jeans sold annually with the Made in the USA label were shown to have been made by Chinese laborers under what the United States Department of Labor called "slavelike" conditions. Today, most Levi's jeans are made outside the US, though a few of the higher end, more expensive styles are still made in the U.S.

Cited for sub-minimum wages, seven-day work weeks with 12-hour shifts, poor living conditions and other indignities, Tan Holdings Corporation, Levi Strauss' Marianas subcontractor, paid what were then the largest fines in U.S. labor history, distributing more than $9 million in restitution to some 1,200 employees. Levi Strauss claimed no knowledge of the offenses, then severed ties to the Tan family and instituted labor reforms and inspection practices in its offshore facilities.

The activist group Fuerza Unida (United Force) was formed following the January 1990 closure of a plant in San Antonio, Texas, in which 1,150 seamstresses, some of whom had worked for Levi Strauss for decades, saw their jobs exported to Costa Rica. During the mid- and late-1990s, Fuerza Unida picketed the Levi Strauss headquarters in San Francisco and staged hunger strikes and sit-ins in protest of the company's labor policies.
More

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

13. The name should be;

Levi's- now made in India Stadium

[davidpdx]

23. See post #22

Levi isn't the only company with naming rights that outsources. I don't see criticism of the others.

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

24. That's 'cause I didn't know that :O)

We could do the same for them

[davidpdx]

25. And here's the list of the ones who had financial problems

These were listed on Yahoo today:

http://finance.yahoo.com/photos/stadium-naming-jinx-1368123280-slideshow/stadium-naming-jinx-photo--1972264738.html

[DeSwiss]

27. Hahaha.....

...I think the all the teams sucked bigtime the years all those warthogs of capitalism owned them too!

- With Levi's history, I'm hoping history repeats.

[virgogal]

28. This one only lasted about 5 minutes.

Slight exaggeration but you get the point.

http://www.thestreet.com/gallery/tsc-sports-sponsorships/8/photo-.html

[davidpdx]

29. Yeah I didn't even go looking for any non-football examples

But as you pointed out there are plenty both here in the US and in other parts of the world.

The once minor league baseball stadium in Portland Oregon was PGE Park. PGE was a local company until Enron bought it. The baseball team was chased out of town because the city decided it would rather have a major league soccer team, so they refurbished the stadium. The naming rights were sold once again and it became Jeld-Wen Field which is owned by a nasty ass Republican.

[sakabatou]

14. Candlestick wasn't a very good stadium

Fucking windy and cold.

[hughee99]

18. Levi's Acid Washed Skinny Jeans Stadium. n/t

[ForgoTheConsequence]

19. Levis made in America line is great.

Of course if you don't buy them when they're on clearance they're like 250 bucks. Good thing I wear my jeans everyday until the crotch blows out.

[NBachers]

20. I'd prefer "Boss of the Road" Stadium

[OriginalGeek]

21. No matter how they name it

it can't be worse than "1-800 Ask Gary Amphitheater"


That was the stupidest shit I ever saw a show at.

[musiclawyer]

30. I just bought a pair of True Religion

American made. 200 bucs. Probably the one and only time I will pay that much. But they look very nice and fit like a glove