No Section
U.S. Bank Signs Long-Term Deal For Naming Rights To New Vikings Stadium
U.S. Bank will be the naming-rights partner for the Vikings' new $1.1B stadium scheduled to open in July '16. Sources said the deal was completed in March, but will be officially announced next Monday. The sources added that the deal for what will soon be called U.S. Bank Stadium is for 20 years and $220M, around the same total amount as the reported figure Levi's paid to entitle the 49ers' year-old stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The new venue is slated to host Super Bowl LII in '18, and the '19 NCAA Final Four. Prior to a <a href="http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2015/06/12/Sports-Facilities-and-Franchises/Vikings-Stadium.aspx" target="_self">presentation on the new Minneapolis stadium at last week's Veritix Sports Facilities & Ffranchises conference</a> , Vikings Exec VP & CMO Steve LaCroix would not comment on the deal beyond noting that "there are plenty of Fortune 100 companies in our backyard." During his presentation, LaCroix said the Vikings also are hoping to secure the '20 CFP for the new stadium, along with a future Wrestlemania. Van Wagner Sports & Entertainment has been assisting the Vikings in selling PSLs, suites and some of the larger pieces of sponsorship inventory associated with the new stadium. VWSE Senior VP Chris Allphin, who was also at last week's SFF Conference, referred questions on Minneapolis naming rights to LaCroix. The deal ends a two-year courtship of Minneapolis-based U.S. Bank, which is the fifth-largest bank in the nation. Sources said the naturally conservative tendencies of bankers were exacerbated by the NFL's domestic violence problems last season.
