Opinion: Don't expect Tropicana's name to remain on new Rays stadium
Like orange juice and toothpaste, it was never a good mix.
In 1996, Tropicana entered into a 30-year agreement with Tampa Bay's major league baseball team for naming rights to the stadium. The deal reportedly nets the franchise $1 million per year.
Those not blinded by the novelty of finally having a team understood right away that Tropicana Field was inadequate as a major league facility, and it didn't take long for whispers of a replacement to surface.
Since the franchise began play in 1998, the stadium's reputation has been beaten to a pulp over the years, so it's hardly worth rehashing it here. Hall of Famer Wade Boggs once called it the "World's Largest Pinball Machine" and that's about right. The team has routinely been at or near the bottom of season attendance despite fielding contending teams, and the stadium has widely been considered the worst in baseball by too many publications to count.
Alas, there was big news on Tuesday. The Tampa Bay Rays and government officials announced an agreement to build a new $1.2 billion stadium close to where the current one sits. Officials are hopeful it will open in 2028 and eventually, the question will come up: What is it going to be called?
Will it remain Tropicana Field?
The juice company has been associated with this dump for nearly 30 years. It wouldn't be surprising if the relationship dissolved based on that alone. Then again, Tropicana may be interested in taking advantage of the publicity a new stadium will generate. Doubtful, but who knows for sure?
At any rate, Bradenton should be paying attention to this. The city no longer serves as Tropicana's headquarters, but there is still a plant in town that provides jobs and what happens with the baseball stadium naming rights may be another reflection on the juice industry and the direction the company is taking.
New Stadium: Tampa Bay Rays set to announce new stadium in St. Petersburg, which will open in 2028 season
A large part of Manatee County's identity is Tropicana. In 1947, the company was founded by Anthony Rossi after he began packing gift boxes full of fruit in Palmetto. In 1998, it was sold to PepsiCo. A private equity firm purchased it in 2021 for $3.3 billion. PepsiCo sold it to concentrate on healthy snack foods and zero-calorie drinks. The sale reflected a decline in juice drinks as consumers began steering away from sugar.
If Tropicana were to remain as the name on the stadium, it would be a sign the market is healthy, though re-upping on another contract would definitely cost much more than the original deal.
Citi Group, for example, pays the New York Mets $20 million a year for the rights to Citi Field. The cost for a naming rights contract with Tampa Bay will likely be in the ballpark of the $11 million a year Globe Life Insurance pays the Texas Rangers.
As far as stadiums named for companies, Tropicana Field may be the best in the majors. The name fits Florida, sounds good and there is no question as to what the company does. The same can't be said for many other stadiums.
Still, having an association with a stadium so reviled that even the league itself refuses to hold an All-State game there can't be great for marketing.
Bottom line, it seems doubtful Tropicana would be willing to risk its reputation again on another baseball stadium.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Relationship between Tampa Bay and Tropicana running out of juice
