Toronto sports fans react to the Air Canada Centre name change
The news came out today that the Air Canada Centre will be no more in 2018 which has left some fans disappointed.
It’s the end of an era in Toronto as Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (MLSE) announced that they’ve reached a 20-year, $800 Million deal with Scotiabank to rename the Air Canada Centre (ACC) to the Scotiabank Arena (SA?) starting July 1st, 2018.
BREAKING: MLSE agrees to record arena rights deal with Scotiabank worth roughly $800 million (via @rwesthead). MORE: https://t.co/FMlHlIaGiA pic.twitter.com/bPfYlGlPjJ
— SportsCentre (@SportsCentre) August 29, 2017
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Air Canada airlines have held the naming rights since the arena opened back in 1999, paying around $4 million a year to keep its name on the building.
The new deal will reportedly bring in close to $40 million a year for MLSE once the contract begins which is a monumental deal for venue naming rights.
As much as this is a business move for both sides, fans in the city of Toronto have expressed their disappointment with the news as the name has been a big part of the Toronto landscape for decades.
No thanks. https://t.co/T3j7IrX8KF
— Anussa Nithiy (@Anussa_Nithiy) August 29, 2017
https://twitter.com/OnlyOnePatrice/status/902612858617389062
Of course, this is only a small sample as more reaction continues to pour in from all aspects of social media. Scotiabank will have its third arena with its name on it in Canada. In Calgary, the Saddledome’s name was kept with the official name of the stadium being “Scotiabank Saddledome” while Halifax has “Scotiabank Centre”.
In Ottawa, Scotiabank had a deal with the Ottawa Senators, having named the arena “Scotiabank Place” from 2006-2013 before the rights were sold to Canadian Tire as it is now known as the “Canadian Tire Centre”.
Despite the sudden news about the name change, fans on Twitter have had some fun with the switch, poking fun at Scotiabank’s industry, as well as their own suggestions of the new arena name.
Should I expect my bank fees to increase as a result? And can I get a discount on Leafs tickets? https://t.co/IW8RfOJXKn
— 💙Steph (@stephtweetsx) August 29, 2017
I was hoping for Skydome https://t.co/Fk0I592lSt
— Matthew Cauz (@mcauz56) August 29, 2017
I will also change my name for hundreds of millions of dollars. Call me 📞.
— Caroline Cameron (@SNCaroline) August 29, 2017
If it makes fans feel any better, according to TSN’s Rick Westhead, who broke the news about the new deal, Air Canada will still be a major sponsor for MLSE and the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors.
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The venue to keep an eye on is BMO Field as MLSE could look to cash in on another deal with the building’s naming rights expiring in a year. Only time will tell to see if BMO will also go through a name change within the next few years.