Anyone who has followed the NFL knows that hallowed Lambeau Field will eventually have its name changed to something else. Despite Packers President Mark Murphy proclaiming, “It will always be Lambeau Field,” football fans have seemingly accepted the notion that stadiums can no longer just be named after a significant public figure like the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome, RFK Stadium, or (Curly) Lambeau Field Stadium. And facilities that honor groups like Soldier Field or War Memorial Coliseum will be fading from the NFL landscape in favor of glitzy billion-dollar venues.
In due time, all stadiums will eventually be named after a Fortune 500 stalwart like Ford Field or a flashy upstart like SoFi Stadium. Or they’ll incorporate a mashup attempt at the old and new, like Empower Field at Mile High Stadium.
The NFL is about money and keeping up with the (Jerry) Joneses. That’s why I’m not buying the idea that Lambeau Field will always be Lambeau Field. There’s just too much money to be made by selling the naming rights.
With a name change seeming inevitable, now is a great time for the City of Green Bay and the Packers, who lease the stadium, to explore sponsorship deals that will bring global name recognition and reflect the Packers’ brand values.
Since the Packers have proven to be one of the softest teams in the NFL, it’s only fitting to explore corporate partnerships with leading mattress and sleep companies. You can envision all kinds of promotional opportunities in and around the stadium grounds.
It’s easy to imagine a Serta Sideline SleepZone where fans who have been subjected to watching Green Bay’s uninspired offense can fall asleep while doing so in extra-comfortable padded bleachers. Or perhaps the GooseDownDistrict, where fans could try to run (or sleepwalk) through soft pillows adorned like Packers run defenders. Another upgrade to the fan experience could be the Tempur-Pedic “Lambeau Sleep,” an area in the stadium’s rotunda where exhausted fans can lie down for 60 minutes at a time like the Packers’ offensive and defensive lines.
And while Lambeau Field has already sold the rights to various stadium entrances, there could be an opportunity to sell rights to stadium exits. If you consider the Packers’ history of disappointing playoff exits, the possibilities are endless. One can envision an Ambien Early to Bed Playoff exit or the ZzzQuil Sleep Through Your Super Bowl Window exit.
As non-traditional as a Soft and Sleepy theme might be in an NFL stadium, the Packers would be wise to explore this idea. The benefits to both the team and potential sponsors are abundant. Packer fans are all too familiar with having a soft team whose current GM is asleep at the wheel, and sponsors could capitalize on the obvious theme in Titletown. There’s no sense in ignoring it anymore!
And imagine if the additional revenue from selling the Lambeau naming rights could be used to lower taxes and stadium beer prices — that’s an idea that nobody should sleep on.
