STADIUM NAMING RIGHTS: HOW THE BIG BUCKS (OR LACK THEREOF) AFFECT CU

College athletic budgets are under unprecedented pressure. The new NCAA vs. House settlement permits athletic departments to pay players up to $20.5 million per year. Rick George has said that Colorado will fully fund this amount to players — meaning that CU now has to find an additional $20+m of revenue every year. Naming rights deals are one such source of support — they provide up-front (or yearly payments) in exchange for a corporate sponsor’s name on the stadium.

While Rick George is correct when he says that CU will be “more reliant on donor support than ever before,” there are other revenue streams that also need to be tapped. Selling stadium naming rights is one of those obvious opoprtuntiies.

It’s true that while some major college stadiums have lucrative corporate names, others stubbornly (naively?) retain legacy titles. Colorado’s case is notable: while it does have a $12 million deal for its UCHealth Champions Center, Folsom Field itself remains unsponsored. In this post, we’re going to look at the expected money CU could pull in for a naming rights deal and ask a very basic question — why has CU not sold naming rights to Folsom Field?

Major Naming Rights Deals in College Football

Among FBS football programs, naming-rights deals vary widely. Some are lucrative corporate contracts; many others are simply donation-backed naming deals. Here are a few notable deals and costs (with public figures):

Stadium (School)	Corporate Sponsor	Term	Total Value	Avg $/year
Canvas Stadium (Colorado State)	Canvas Credit Union	15 years	$37.7 million	≈$2.5 million
TDECU Stadium (Houston)	TDECU Credit Union	10 years	$20 million	$2 million
Jones AT&T Stadium (Texas Tech)	AT&T	25 years	$20 million	$0.8 million (deal cut in 2000, reopens for bidding next fall)
Acrisure Bounce House Stadium (UCF)	Acrisure Mortgage	10 years	$19.5 million	$1.95 million
West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium (Penn State)	West Shore Home		$50 million	$3.33 million
DATCU Stadium (North Texas)	DATCU Credit Union	15 years	$21.5 million	≈$1.43 million
Mountain America Stadium (Arizona State)	Mountain America Credit Union	15 years	$50 million	$3.33  million

• Table Notes: These deals (and others) illustrate the range of naming-rights money in college football. For example, CSU’s Canvas Stadium deal nets roughly $2.5 million per year, while Boise State’s recent deal ($12.5 million/15 yr) equates to only $833 K/year. The average payout across deal for a Power 4 team is roughly $3 million per year.
• Big 12 Schools: The current Big 12 roster is notable for how few corporate names it has. Aside from UCF, Texas Tech, Arizona State and Houston, the conference’s teams mostly have traditional names: Baylor’s new on-campus stadium is simply Baylor Stadium (funded by a $260 million donor gift from the McLane family), West Virginia is Milan Puskar Stadium) (funded by a $20 million gift from Milan Puskar), Iowa State is Jack Trice Stadium at MidAmerican Energy Field (the reference to MidAmerican Energy requires a $1.5 million annual donation for 10 years), Kansas is David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium (funded by a $50 million gift from David Booth), K-State is Bill Snyder Family Stadium, Arizona is Arizona Stadium, Utah is Rice-Eccles Stadium (funded by a $1 million gift from Robert Rice and $10 million gift from George Eccles), BYU is LaVell Edwards Stadium, OSU is Boone Pickens Stadium (named after Pickens for donating an aggregate of $650 M to Oklahoma State’s athletics department), Cincinnati is Nippert Field, and TCU is Amon G. Carter Stadium (named after Carter gifted $3 million to TCU).
• I want to reiterate that Jack Trice is formally called “Jack Trice Stadium, MidAmerican Energy Field.” The partnership with MidAmerican Energy requires an annual donation of $1.5 million.

The (Limited) Naming Rights History at CU

CU-Boulder’s footprint on naming rights is curious. In June 2021, CU announced a $12 million deal with UCHealth – including $9 million over 15 years to rename the team’s practice and administrative complex the “UCHealth Champions Center.” That is still the largest naming rights deal in CU history.

One often-cited reason CU hasn’t sold Folsom Field’s naming rights is tradition. Former Athletic Director Mike Bohn repeatedly insisted that any deal must “keep Folsom Field as part of the name.” CU had early talks with Frontier Airlines in 2011 that even featured a scoreboard graphic “Welcome to Frontier Stadium” – but Frontier agreed to it only if “Folsom Field” stayed in the title. Bohn said no

Current athletic director Rick George has been much less vocal about this requirement. However, some fans are surely grateful that they don’t have to go watch a game at Frontier Stadium for fear that they’ll have to pay extra for legroom and the right to use the bathroom.

Is requiring “Folsom Field” to be in the name a legitimate deal-breaker? Partly. A sponsor typically wants prominent branding. If a deal means calling it “(Sponsor) Folsom Field,” the corporate identity may be diluted. However, there are examples — including Jack Trice Stadium at MidAmerican Energy Field and Alasha Airlines Field at Husky Stadium — that this model can work. Washington, by the way, clears $4.5 million per year for the Alaska Airlines naming rights.

Other schools have made similar statements about tradition but later caved when money was thrown around. Kentucky sold naming rights to the old “Commonwealth Stadium” despite saying it would never sell naming rights. Now, the venue is known as “Kroger Field” —  for about $2 million per year for a deal cut in 2018.

While some may argue that preserving Folsom Field’s name is understandable from a fan/brand perspective, it isn’t sensible in today’s college football environment. If Rick George foolishly insists on keeping Folsom Field in the name, it will mean less money for the athletic department. Still, even with such a constraint, a deal can still get done. CU can always structure a deal as “Folsom Field, presented by (Sponsor).”.

Regardless, the high-value money is out there: CSU and others have shown it.

How much money would CU make off naming rights?

1. Status-Quo Comps:
   Canvas Stadium brings CSU $2.5 million/year for 15 years  
   Mountain America Stadium brings ASU $3.3 million/year for 15 years.
   Model: 50–55 K seats in a mid-tier media market → $3 million/year baseline.
2. Prime-Time Bump:
   Coach Prime’s national Q-rating + Denver-Boulder’s Fortune-500 roster gives CU added sizzle. If Rick George hires me as his negotiator, the deal should inch toward $4M+  — still under Washington’s haul but north of ASUs.
3. Heritage-Hybrid Discount:
   If CU insists on “Folsom Field presented by ____” (keeping Folsom first), one industry broker tells me to expect a 25 % haircut. That still nets about $2.25m+/yr — hardly couch-cushion change when the House-era payroll is looming.

Five-Year Value Check: Even a conservative $2.25 million annually drops $11.25 million into CU’s kitty over 5 years. $20 million if they hire me as a negotiator at $4 million/year. The math screams “do the deal.”

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Who Should Rick George Call? A Front-Range Rolodex

• Ball Corporation – Already owns the Nuggets/Avs arena name but clearly likes the marquee; global giant with a sustainability story that meshes with Boulder culture.
• Arrow Electronics – Fortune 150 headquartered in Centennial, massive tech-distribution footprint, and no major sports naming deal yet.
• DaVita – Renal-care behemoth (HQ Denver). Healthcare verticals have been big stadium players (see UCHealth).
• Molson Coors – Iconic Colorado brewer, and “Coors on the Hill” has a nice ring. Beer ads + college purists is tricky but not impossible.
• Vail Resorts – Could market year-round “snow to stadium” packages; deep pockets, strong lifestyle brand.
• Crocs – HQ in nearby Broomfield/Niwot; already eccentric enough to embrace the CU ecosystem.
• Western Union – Longtime Denver corporate citizen; global but searching for hip, domestic touchpoints. Aligning with CU football would help.
• Ibotta – Fresh off its IPO pop, the Denver cashback app is chasing national awareness.
• Centura Health – Regional hospital network in expansion mode; healthcare again.
• Starbuds — Kidding. Sort of.

BuffsBlog Recommendation

Bundle naming rights for Folsom Field (football), the CU Events Center (no longer beholden to the Coors name and for hoops and volleyball), and Prentup Field (for soccer and lacrosse) for a campus-wide athletics bundle. My best guess is that CU could get about $6 million / year for these naming rights. That’s over 25% of the dollars needed to meet the House settlement dollars, and for a potential naming rights partner offers a richer asset mix and circumvents the Folsom-only “brand dilution” angst (if we’re still absurdly clinging to it).

Conclusion: Tradition vs. The Need for Cash

CU’s reticence on Folsom Field naming rights blends genuine attachment with financial caution. Yes, Buffs fans appreciate the name “Folsom Field.” But with an arms race of athletic spending under way, every revenue source counts. Colorado already proved it can do naming deals (the Champions Center deal shows a willingness to partner). And other programs – even in the Big 12’s neighborhood – are getting corporate checks in the millions for naming rights. CU is literally leaving money on the table by not getting this done yesterday.

Let us know your thoughts on naming rights. What sponsor do you think makes the most (or least) sense for Folsom?