Don’t forget the key fact in all this: UNM will receive $5 million over the life of the contract. This is a good deal for the men’s and women’s programs, the Athletics Department and the University as a whole.
Aside from the whole use of “aka” in the name, that is. It should be: WisePies Arena at the Pit rather than WisePies Arena aka The Pit. That being said, let’s move on.
The Pit name has always been a colloquial one. The official name for the building has been University Arena for quite some time. What UNM did was change the name from University Arena to WisePies Arena. The Pit has not and will not go away. The new name (aka aside) still recognizes The Pit in its title, and fans will continue to call it The Pit regardless which corporate sponsor UNM partnered with.
UNM’s pursuit for a partner to brand University Arena has been in the works for quite a while, so Monday’s announcement does not come as a surprise. The Athletics Department needs to pay back the loan it took for the extensive renovations made to the building and add funds for its general operations.
The department receives constant criticism for the money it spends, from the upgrades to a football facility for a struggling team to giving a pay raise to a coach with only one year’s head coaching experience. Rightly or wrongly, that’s how many people on campus and elsewhere peg on Athletics: it spends too much money that could be better used for other campus needs.
If that’s the case — if the Athletics Department does nothing but hemorrhage money — then how can it be faulted for accepting a financial gift worth so much to help its budgetary situation? It is not cheap to run an NCAA Division I athletics program, so are we to turn down the sixth-largest donation in University history?
The one concern Lobo fans should have in this deal is the fact that WisePies is a brand new restaurant, having only been in business since January. There are no guarantees a business will succeed over time, but there is also no guarantee a business will fail, either. There will be a certain segment of the Lobo fan base that will frequent WisePies now just because they made this deal with the school. Supporting the supporter, in essence.
Even if, hypothetically, something happens and this deal falls apart before it ends, it still shouldn’t be an issue. The way this deal is structured, WisePies will make annual donations starting with $100,000 on Monday. Another $100,000 will be made next Dec. 31 with $600,000 annually through the remainder of the deal until 2023. If the deal is terminated after the first two years, that’s still $200,000 that UNM will receive.
Any way you cut it, this partnership between UNM and WisePies Pizza and Salad just makes sense. UNM needs the money for its Athletics Department, and it found a locally owned company to assist them financially. Sure, a certain segment of Lobo fans will be upset with the name change, but it will still be known as The Pit. The publicly accepted name to the state’s most iconic sports arena remains. It just has an additional name attached to it.
But one thing, UNM: please reconsider the “aka” in the name. WisePies Arena at The Pit sounds so much better.
J.R. Oppenheim is the managing editor and a sports columnist for the Daily Lobo. Contact him at managingeditor@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @JROppenheim.
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