Fans Petition To Rename Stadium For Unitas

WBAL (Baltimore) Radio News ^ | September 11, 2002

[jackbill]

Within hours of the death of Johnny Unitas, a fans group had already launched an effort to rename the Baltimore Ravens stadium in honor of the Colts Hall-Of-Fame player.

The on-line petition calls for the stadium to be named "Johnny Unitas Memorial Stadium."

[jackbill]

Click on the Source URL to view and sign the petition.

[Lunatic Fringe]

But the Colts play in Indy. Should the stadium to be named after him be connected to the city or the team?

I suppose the city would make more sense, since you can move teams but the stadium will always stay in Baltimore.

[angkor]

"Johnny Unitas Memorial Stadium."

Johnny Unitas never played a day of football in Indianapolis. Not even one minute.

As a kid, I saw Johnny U on the Memorial Stadium playing field, as an adult spectator at pee-wee football games in Towson, and at youth club events in the Baltimore area. He was worshipped.

"Johnny Unitas Memorial Stadium" can only be in Baltimore. Anything else is utter blasphemy.

By the way, there is only one "Colts" and it is the Baltimore Colts. That Indianapolis club does not share the heritage of Johnny U, Ray Berry, Bubba Smith, or Art Donavan. Never did and never will.

[Thebaddog]

Is Unitas the real family name or was it changed when they came over?

[MeekOneGOP]

[jackbill]

But the Colts play in Indy. Should the stadium to be named after him be connected to the city or the team?

The stadium in the town where he played and the town where he was and is loved should be where he is honored. What in the hell does Indy have in connection with Unitas?

[VaMarVet]

Signed - thanks so much for this post - what a great idea to repay in some way what this great person did for Baltimore. Number 19 was a class act all the way - growing up in Baltimore, he and Brooks Robinson were my boyhood heroes.

[VaBthang4]

Grow up...

Indy fans would riot in the streets if you tried to rename the RCA Dome after Unitas[sp?].

Oi...

[A CA Guy]

It is a nice idea that can't ever fly.
Who is going to pay fpr the revenue lost by not getting a sponsor invoved in the name?
There is big money involed in the name.
Used to be a Great Western Forum, there is an Edison field and so forth.
The future of stadiums is to sell the name for advertising money and the loss to name it for Unitas could be tens of millions.
Just not wise or practical, no matter how loved a guy was.

[monkey]

Who is going to pay for the revenue lost by not getting a sponsor invoved in the name?

Unitas would be a good name for a car. Certainly more appropriate for our cultural climate than Integra.

Maybe some naming rights lawyers and corporate diversity honchos can take a meeting on it.

[jackbill]

It is a nice idea that can't ever fly.

Who is going to pay fpr the revenue lost by not getting a sponsor invoved in the name?

There is big money involed in the name.

Used to be a Great Western Forum, there is an Edison field and so forth.

The future of stadiums is to sell the name for advertising money and the loss to name it for Unitas could be tens of millions.

Just not wise or practical, no matter how loved a guy was.

And Raven's stadium was once called PSI Net Stadium, until they went bankrupt.

The stadium was built with Maryland taxpayer's money. If the taxpayers make enough stink, it will happen.

[jackbill]

22511 signatures and counting.

[A CA Guy]

Expect then the Unitas Trojans stadium.
Tax payer money built most sports venues throughout the country, but even if they didn't they need large flow of cash to keep up the stadium and make a profit.
The staduim name makes a profit today and would be revenue lost.
I am being practical only. If this was 15-20 years ago, the name/money revenue issue would not have existed.

[Larry Lucido]

Abe Simpson: "Look at them sideburns! He looks like a girl [commenting about Joe Namath]. Now, Johnny Unitas -- there's a haircut you could set your watch to."

[BluesDuke]

I don't see anything wrong with this idea at all. Johnny Unitas was Baltimore football. Maybe the only sports figure more personifying of Baltimore was Brooks Robinson. (Aside from which, I don't think anyone looked better in a football uniform, more Right For The Part, than Unitas looked in the blue-and-white of the Colts.) I once heard it said of Robinson, "Around here, they don't name candy bars after him. People name their children after him." I'd bet likewise was said of Johnny Unitas. Rename the stadium for him.

[VaMarVet]

[VaMarVet]

[safeasthebanks]

If I'm remembering correctly (and I think I am), the tax payers of Maryland got $5 million from the Ravens when the stadium first opened for naming rights.

Team management has definitely seemed to appreciate Unitas and the fans' link to the old Colts teams, but I don't think they appreciate it $5 million worth!

[Poohbah]

Unitas would be a good name for a car.

It's the name of a US & Latin American military exercise, as well.

[jackbill]

If I'm remembering correctly (and I think I am), the tax payers of Maryland got $5 million from the Ravens when the stadium first opened for naming rights.

Apparently the Ravens DID purchase naming rights. They in turned signed with PSI Net, which in turn went bankrupt. The Ravens claim that they expect $2 million/year by selling the name.