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New name for West End Field


GvilleSC

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West End Field no longer exists. Fluor Corp. has bought the naming rights to the ballpark, which will now be called "Fluor Field at the West End".

The Greenville News Article

The season begins April 3rd at Fluor Field.

I think this is a worthy name for the field. There's certainly a lot of worse names that could have been chosen! What are y'all thoughts?

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West End Field no longer exists. Fluor Corp. has bought the naming rights to the ballpark, which will now be called "Fluor Field at the West End".

The Greenville News Article

The season begins April 3rd at Fluor Field.

I think this is a worthy name for the field. There's certainly a lot of worse names that could have been chosen! What are y'all thoughts?

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Me too. I would have maybe added "Park" to it and made it "Fluor Park at West End Field" or perhaps "Fluor Field at West End Park" ... but whatevuh - it's theirs and I think the name is fine as it is. It's definitely better than "Bi-Lo" or even "Charter." Fluor, Michelin, BMW - any of these are great in my book. :thumbsup:

Charlie S: Any idea on when we can expect the signage to change? :-) I'm sure you've been working on this for a while now, unbeknownst to all of us. The logo looks pretty neat:

FluorField.jpg

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This is a great corporate name to have visible association with our downtown, along with Bowater and Michelin. This shows these companies realize Greenville is more than just a great location to base their business operations. They are "giving back" to the community they love. I hope to someday see a major BMW presence downtown as well. :shades:

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It does sound awkward, indeed. Prepositions are a sticking point with me, in general, though. "At" refers to a specific location. "In" refers to a general vacinity. "West End" is a vacinity, not a location.

Anyway - this is exactly why I would have named it "Fluor Park at West End Field." Name the ballpark itself for Fluor and keep the name of the field "West End Field." But hey...again, we should leave the decisions up to those in a position to make 'em.

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The press release doesn't mention the dollar amount. And skimming through this thread I didn't see the dollar amount.

I'm curious because the Greensboro, NC deal was for (if I recall correctly) $3M over 20 years. The Mauldin proposal, which was going to be financed by public bonds, projected revenue of $8M deal over 20 years from naming rights to help repay the bonds. I suspect that this one falls in between...and very close to the Greensboro deal.

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As for the preposition controversy, the correct usage becomes obvious when you step away from baseball and ask about other West End places/attractions.

Where's Smoke on the Water? Where's the S.C. Children's Theatre? Where's Allen Temple AME Church?

Answer 1: At the West End.

Answer 2: In the West End.

I think other naming rights deals use "at" -- but in different contexts. Not to describe a neighborhood or community but some narrower confines...like "Camden Yards." Suppose they went with Greenville instead of West End...what would be the appropriate preposition in that case?

____________________________________________________

The attached file is a "clean" logo that was sent with the press release:

post-10300-1204128995_thumb.jpg

post-10300-1204128995_thumb.jpg

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Me too. I would have maybe added "Park" to it and made it "Fluor Park at West End Field" or perhaps "Fluor Field at West End Park" ... but whatevuh - it's theirs and I think the name is fine as it is. It's definitely better than "Bi-Lo" or even "Charter." Fluor, Michelin, BMW - any of these are great in my book. :thumbsup:
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I think the difference is in how one views the West End neighborhood. Saying "at the West End" implies that it is part of downtown, on the Western edge. Saying "in the West End" gives the West End its own identity separate from downtown. I think it has developed enough as a district, complete with its own vibe and identity, to be considered its own distinct neighborhood - which means the field should have "in the West End" in the name.

Other than that, I do not mind the name. Fluor is a good corporate citizen and I am proud that they have invested in our city.

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Corporate naming rights are just a part of professional sports these days. I don't like any area/stadium to be named for a corporate entity in general, but its inevitable. And so long as they don't try a corporate sellout scheme like the Bi-Lo Center, this will be an acceptable change (obviously the circumstances are much different here). Flour is a good company to have on this ballpark. Within corporate naming rights, I like it better when the companies that purchase the rights are not retail type companies. For example, I prefer Fluor Field over Verizon Wireless Amphitheater.

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Wrigley Field was actually originally named for the Wrigley Family moreso than the gum, itself.

In re-evaluating the situation, I would have to guess "Fluor Field" was chosen for two reasons:

  1. both "Fluor" and "Field" have 5 letters - looks nice on the signage

  2. both start with "F" which makes for nice alliteration

Still, "Fluor Park at West End Field" would have sounded so much better in my book. I'm starting to sound like a broken record, so this will be the last time I say that.

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