Dunkin' Donuts Signs Naming-Rights Deal For New Minor League Ballpark In Hartford

The Double-A Eastern League Hartford Yard Goats' new ballpark "will be known as Dunkin' Donuts Park," according to a front-page piece by Carlesso & de la Torre of the HARTFORD COURANT. Team Owner Josh Solomon "declined to discuss financial details of the sponsorship, saying only that Hartford would receive half the cut and that more announcements would be made in the coming months." The club under its agreement with the city "gets the first $50,000 from the stadium naming rights." The team and the city will "split the rest." Projections "call for $225,000 a year in naming revenue for Hartford, meaning that Dunkin' Donuts must pay $500,000 for the name or the projections will fall short." Dunkin' Donuts VP/Field Marketing Tom Manchester said the chain "didn't need sabermetrics to evaluate this opportunity" when it was offered the title sponsorship. The Yard Goats' opening day is slated for April 7, 2016, meaning the 9,000-seat ballpark "must be substantially completed by March" ( HARTFORD COURANT, 6/11 ).