Shaming Rights
When teams sell their naming rights, they have to be careful. They can't always sell to the highest bidder. That's because all it takes is a corporate scandal (Enron, see Astros) or a bankruptcy (PSInet, Ravens) for the deal to have a negative effect on the team. With that, we bring you University of Phoenix, the Apollo Group-owned organization which paid $154.5 million over 20 years to be on the Arizona Cardinals' new stadium. On the way to profits, the online university has a graduation rate of 16 percent or lower, according to the New York Times. That's compared to a national graduation rate average of about 55 percent. This isn't necessarily a scandal, but it is an issue that the Cardinals should start contemplating. What message does its naming rights partner's graduation rates say about the Cardinals brand -- a brand that, thanks to its record in recent years, needs all the help it can get.
