This will be the last season of Dr Pepper Ballpark as we know it, as the Plano (Texas) company is passing on a renewal of its naming-rights deal with the Frisco RoughRiders (Class AA; Texas League).
The 15-year naming-rights deal ends this September, and the soda giant has declined a renewal, but will retain pouring and vending rights at the ballpark and will continue to hold events there. Normally, the loss of a naming-rights deal is a huge headache for baseball front offices, but the Frisco front office can make a compelling case to any company wanting to make an impact in a fast-growing city in a large market From the Dallas Morning News:
“We routinely evaluate our sponsorships against the changing marketing priorities of our business and brands, and through this process we made the decision to reshape our sponsorship of the RoughRiders,” according to a company statement Tuesday to The Dallas Morning News. “While the ballpark will have a new name after this season, we will continue to have a strong presence there.”
Selling naming rights is never easy, but the RoughRiders have plenty of ammunition to draw a pretty good deal, per the Morning News:
It’s in the nation’s second-fastest-growing city, which has a global reach, thanks in part to the Dallas Cowboys and Toyota among the major entities relocating their headquarters here.
“We’re in the epicenter of one of the biggest growth markets in the United States,” said John Alper, chief sales officer for the Frisco RoughRiders.
The goal is to have a new naming-rights deal in place for the 2018 season.
Image courtesy Frisco RoughRiders.