It's still "Times Palace" to me

by John Fontana on Nov 1, 2011 10:13 AM EDT in Tampa Bay Times Forum

This piece is going to be a bit opinion, a bit business as well. It all stems from the news that was released this morning that the St. Petersburg Times, and with it the St. Pete Times Forum, will be changing into the Tampa Bay Times on January 1st, 2012.

A name change of a newspaper isn't a common thing, I do not think, while name changes for sporting venues has become all too common in this age. Very rarely do you see venues not named for a corporate sponsor. So the change of the Forum into the Tampa Bay Times Forum is more of the same - just a modification of what was already there.

From the press release from the team:

"Our good name is our most important asset," said Times Chairman and CEO Paul Tash. "As we take up our new name, we are delighted to raise it above the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Jeff Vinik, Tod Leiweke and their team at the Tampa Bay Lightning have proven themselves to be excellent partners who share our values and our vision for the Tampa Bay region."

The naming rights partnership, enacted September 2002, was extended to August 31th, 2018.

The arena name can change, but my nickname for the place stays the same. This is Times Palace; a hybrid of the original name for the venue (Ice Palace) and the corporately sponsored name. It's short, and it's catchy... Though a degree pretentious.

At the very least, this may stop the confusion that people have with a venue, named for St. Petersburg, being located in downtown Tampa.

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Slightly OT: I wonder what the Tampa Times has to say about their regional rivals chaning their name from St Petersburg Times to the Tampa Bay Times? Confusing at the very least…could be a sign of a pending merger between the two?

"The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect"
- Smith in Orwell's 1984

by MTBoltFan on Nov 1, 2011 10:54 AM EDT reply actions

Tampa Times? The Tampa Tribune owns the rights to that name, but the Tribune is weak to say the least. They tried to stop tbt* (Tampa Bay Times* free newspaper) because of the name co-opting.

I wanted to vent about that in my post. The Tribune is… oh… I am a big fan of Erik Erlensson’s coverage that I see online. The print edition of the Tampa Tribune doesn’t do him a lick of justice. Or the area. Or the region. Yeah, newspapers are dying, but the Tribune has been in a death rattle since the 1990’s.

Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.

by John Fontana on Nov 1, 2011 11:19 AM EDT up reply actions

See? I was already confused. :-)

"The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect"
- Smith in Orwell's 1984

by MTBoltFan on Nov 1, 2011 1:21 PM EDT up reply actions

I've never understood the confusion

“People don’t know whether the Forum is in St. Pete or Tampa with that name!” Do those same people think they have to go to Boston to get chicken from Boston Market?

by Clark J Brooks on Nov 1, 2011 11:58 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

This

I find it hard to believe anyone going to an event at the forum ended up in St. Pete

October 28th, 2011-- a date which will live in infamy--

by Sveet on Nov 1, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions

True story: I bought my mother tickets to a Yani concert at the Forum some years ago. She had no clue where it was, as she doesn’t go to downtown Tampa often. She DID think it was in St. Pete. She was in her 50’s at the time.

Some people don’t pay attention to things like this – major venues in and around the area, and name changes. Times Palace was and is the only MAJOR arena (not concert venue, but arena) in the area. Some people are even clueless to that fact… “It’s at the arena” doesn’t illicit immediate understanding for some.

Typing is an adventure, and reading should be, too!
Raw Charge.

by John Fontana on Nov 1, 2011 1:12 PM EDT up reply actions

do others have illicit understanding of the arena?

I’m not even gonna ask what that entails.

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 1, 2011 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions

That’s funny right there.

"The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect"
- Smith in Orwell's 1984

by MTBoltFan on Nov 1, 2011 1:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I went to the preseason game in Orlando, and the number of people there that thought the Forum was in St Pete was incredulous and unbelievable.

"The Revolution will be complete when the language is perfect"
- Smith in Orwell's 1984

by MTBoltFan on Nov 1, 2011 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions

I personally think it is an idiotic move by the St. Petersburg Times

That name holds a lot of weight.

October 28th, 2011-- a date which will live in infamy--

by Sveet on Nov 1, 2011 12:10 PM EDT reply actions

I rebel against the whole concept...

of naming rights being sold off…that’s how we get CRAP like “The 1-800-ASKGARY Amphitheater” Are you KIDDING ME :0P
After bouncing around from short term rental(expo hall, state fairgrounds) to short term rental(Florida Suncoast Dome, now the Trop), our team finally got a home of their own.
It was christened as the Ice Palace…it is the home of our home team.
I say the address has not changed, the name should not change.
IT IS and always will be The Ice Palace, to me.

@b0lted_d0wn on Twitter *** Bolted Down on Facebook
I'm kinda boring, but look me up if you're in the neighborhood. GO BOLTZ!!

by Bolted_Down on Nov 1, 2011 4:16 PM EDT reply actions

one time, I went to a baseball game at Enron Field

true story

Heel for school, Vol for life!

Bolts, Preds, Canes (childhood team, home state team, hometown team). Canes mini-STH. Southern hockey solidarity!

by Incipient_Senescence on Nov 1, 2011 4:25 PM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, with the benefit of hindsight and historical perspective, Enron Field has got to be the worst ever. The karmic payback from that is probably why the Astros are so lousy now.

by Clark J Brooks on Nov 1, 2011 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions