But of course, the real problem with the Enron collapse is...
What are they going to re-name the Astros' stadium now?
/sarcasm
For people outside of Houston (or outside the pro baseball community), allow me to explain:
When taxes were used to build a shiny new baseball stadium (don't get me started on *that* topic), it was dubbed "Enron Field" thanks to the miracle of corporate sponsorship (translation: Public money built the field, but for a yearly fee of $3.3 million Enron could stick their name on it and pretend it was theirs).
Now that Enron has tanked, are they going to rename the stadium? Good question. When asked that very question, a spokesman for the Astros gave one of the best PR-speak replies I'd ever heard:
"If you were to ask me the question today, it will be called Enron Field on April 2 [opening day of baseball]. But there is so much that could happen. Every day could bring a new twist to this deal. ... We are waiting to see how this plays out."To the casual observer, it sounded like, "we don't have any answers to that question yet". But if you paid attention to what she was actually saying, her message was loud and clear: "as long as the sponsorship money keeps coming in, sure, but if they miss a payment, expect a sudden name change".