OVERHEARD -- WSJ

By Spencer Jakab 

This article is being republished as part of our daily reproduction of WSJ.com articles that also appeared in the U.S. print edition of The Wall Street Journal (February 16, 2019).

Most of us have heard of the Stadium Curse -- the phenomenon in which companies soon go bankrupt, or worse, after affixing their names to a sports venue. There was Enron Field, Adelphia Coliseum, the Transworld Dome and many others.

Sometimes, though, it is the stadiums that have been cursed even as the shareholders of the companies in question feel charmed. Mergers and acquisitions wind up sending a lot of corporations to the scrap heap, leaving making multi-decade naming rights obsolete. The latest is SunTrust Park in Atlanta, where the Braves play. The ink on the 25-year naming deal had only had a couple of years to dry before the bank was snapped up by regional peer BB&T in the largest U.S. bank merger since the financial crisis.

It isn't the only baseball field name that will wind up confusing fans now. The combined company reportedly is working on a new name, while BB&T also has its name on minor league baseball stadiums in both Winston Salem and Charlotte, N.C., and Williamsport, Pa.

Shareholders won't always cheer, but at least the sign-makers are happy.

Write to Spencer Jakab at [e-mail]

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

February 16, 2019 02:47 ET (07:47 GMT)

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