Proposition C guarantees that the honorary name, Candlestick Park, will once again change.
The passing of Proposition C ultimately repeals 2004’s passing of Proposition H, no longer requiring Candlestick Park to keep its name.
This will result in the imminent re-naming of Candlestick Park to something like Chase Stadium or The Olive Garden Arena.
No doubt it will be far less catchy and shamelessly commercial.
58% voted yes to Prop C.
This means that the sale of naming rights will then be used to fund the directors of City Recreation centers. Everyone needs a paycheck, and this is how the city will pay.
A little background: In 2004, the 49ers sold the naming rights to Monstercable and in turn the city received $3 million. This agreement ended in 2008. Now, once again, the name is up for sale with the 49ers and the city eventually benefitting 50/50 from this proposition with the eventual sale.
Prop C is a continuation of the Open Space Fund, which covers costs that succeed budgets for everything from building public swimming pools to renovating golf courses in metropolitan San Francisco.
This all strikes me as sad and I am wondering why we, the people of San Francisco, must sacrifice the simple integrity of a well-known sports arena such as Candlestick Park so that Dunkin can sell more donuts.
An obvious answer is that we are a consumer culture, and are therefore bought and sold accordingly. Sadly, I hope this is not the whole truth.
The Giants named this park in 1959 when they once called it home, and the 49ers continue to play here today.
The Beatles played their final show here in 1966.
Amazing and wonderful events have happened here. It seems its name might deserve a little more respect.
And this is not just happening here. Places of leisure once named after significant human beings or icons are quickly and steadily being replaced with logos after being sold to corporations.
One example: The Luther Burbank Center in Santa Rosa- originally named after the American botanist and horticulturalist responsible for developing over 800 strains and varieties of plants -is now, sadly, The Wells Fargo Center- named after a great American bank?! Bah humbug.
Candlestick Park will now be bought out as well. It’s only a matter of time.
I imagine corporations are already making offers.
A truth I can honor: we are all experiencing tough economic times, and some things just must happen.
Money, then, doesn’t grow on trees, but Astroturf in this case.
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