Louisiana’s college sports programs are losing money. Can sales taxes save them?

[SECOER]

I don't think LSU has sold the naming rights to any of its athletic facilities.

Not sure why they haven't and maybe that is coming given the arms race the Power Conference schools are in. 

But public universities in Louisiana can definitely sell naming rights - UL's football stadium is Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium (after the Healthcare System - not sponsored by a local church parish - haha).

At this point, we should sell rights to everything we can - the arena, the court, the locker room, the baseball stadium, uniforms, etc.

I don't know much about how the naming rights work but I would assume there is a "set time limit for the naming".    

Does the sponsor have to provide the funds upfront or are the paid out over the course of the contract?     

Is there a bond that insures the payments are made especially if there are expenditures for signage, etc.?

Is that different than the naming rights of the "Savoie College of Engineering, Boysie Bollinger School of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, Kirschman Hall, or the Henry Bernstein College of Business Administration"?    I don't know the details of any of them.   

Just curious if anyone can answer those questions.

BUT a naming right contract that provide an influx of funds would help the athletic department IF:
1) the funds are not spread out amongst the campus,  
2) the funds are not all spent at one time on a project that will provide little or no return on the expenditure and 
3) the University doesn't say "you got this money so we can cut what we give to athletics".  

I watched Edwin Edwards do the bait and switch with the revenues from gambling....."we" will give it all to education.    Then he cut the states allocation for education from the budget and only used the gambling revenues for education.    He used the offset funds for other projects.     

[Slidell]

Not exactly sure how it all works, but you are describing individuals who donated (key - donated) significant amounts to those programs and the school honored them by naming the building or the program after them - probably agreed to, probably asked for. But not a contract with a specified term that expires after so many years.

The big time naming rights like the Caesar's Superdome or the Smoothie King Center are corporate sponsorships and advertising. They are buying the name so they can promote their businesses and are generally multi-year deals with annual payments - if not paid, the deal expires, etc.

The two are very different - which is why we should be very careful not to "honor" someone by naming an asset after them that can be sold.

I think that might be the trick bag LSU is in - the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Alex Box Stadium, etc. Those are iconic names attached to those venues already.

[mfsapera]

Is Lakefront Arena still "named after" Senator Nat Kiefer? At some point in the past naming rights discussions came up and the family disagreed and said they would fight it.

[CatCam]

Caesers has the naming rights for the Superdome, maybe Lakefront Arena could get Little Caesars?!!!!

[SECOER]

Not exactly sure how it all works, but you are describing individuals who donated (key - donated) significant amounts to those programs and the school honored them by naming the building or the program after them - probably agreed to, probably asked for.  But not a contract with a specified term that expires after so many years. 

The big time naming rights like the Caesar's Superdome or the Smoothie King Center are corporate sponsorships and advertising.  They are buying the name so they can promote their businesses and are generally multi-year deals with annual payments - if not paid, the deal expires, etc.

The two are very different - which is why we should be very careful not to "honor" someone by naming an asset after them that can be sold. 

I think that might be the trick bag LSU is in - the Pete Maravich Assembly Center, Alex Box Stadium, etc.  Those are iconic names attached to those venues already.

Same for Maestri Field....And I would NEVER want to change that.    But the stadium could get a naming right sponsor.

I would also think that the Arena Floor could get a naming right sponsor.     But the big ticket item would be the arena itself.    Especially if we can get some concerts and events to use the facility and grounds.    (Hogs for the Cause at Naming right owner - LSU New Orleans Athletic Complex.)