Amway presents the Detroit Red Wings

[detlump]

What no post on this yet? Come on - any thoughts out there on this one?

[Johnnny5]

I've just lost a little bit of respect for the Illitch's.


http://www.crainsdetroit.com/article...nsorship-deal#

[Goose]

I don't mind the sponsorship, its when the Amway logo starts messing up the winged wheel logo that gets me riled......

wonder if all logo parapanelia like hats and shirts will have the amway logo also?

[corktownyuppie]

Getting some money from the West Side of the Michigan will be a net positive for the city. An Amway-sponsored arena would be a huge positive for the city. I'm not the biggest fan of the Amway name, but on the cost/benefit calculation, this is a win for Detroiters. You now have one of the wealthiest families in Michigan with some skin in the game, having a vested interest the success of a major Detroit franchise.

Too many out in Grand Rapids look down on Detroit, seeing it as the black sheep it has to share a state with. This will help shift that attitude and bring some much-needed capital our way.

I'll take it.

[Orthophonic]

I must admit to an ongoing skepticism regarding Amway [[see creepy photo below from the Amway Grand Plaza hotel, presenting Amway history in a faux-Diego Rivera style mural). So I will cringe every time I see Amway associated with the Red Wings.



However, I do agree with corktownyuppie that it is probably good to have the quintessential "West Michigan" company give props to something inextricably linked with Detroit [[or S******* Michigan, as I will not call it). The Red Wings have fans all over. I was working on a project with an engineer from Madison, WI, who informed me that there is a strong contingent of Red Wings fans that way - not the Blackhawks, not the Timberwolves or whatever the current pathetic Mpls/St. Paul team is called, but the Red Wings. And Wisconsin is the land where you can take your underage kid to the bar and let him down some shells, as long as you give him the beer directly rather than the server. What's more hockey than that?

Clearly I have digressed. This is really an odd sponsorship, and Amway continues to not float my boat - please ignore my split infinitive. I really don't think that hardcore Red Wings fans will convert to Amway customers, but maybe some Amwayoids may get more interested in the Red Wings [[and perhaps, under armed guard, they may venture a trip to [[shudder) Detroit to see this mysterious beast). Or maybe not. And I am not overly impressed by organizations/facilities which need to get by on corporate sponsorship [[anyone remember the pre-Comerica [[retch) Park Tiger Stadium?) But I'm sure it was a good deal for the Ilitches, unless they agreed to maintain the Fox Theater with Amway products exclusively.

Now how about the Dow Chemical Lions, the Two Men And A Truck Tigers and the La-Z-Boy Pistons? The horizons stretch limitlessly before us.

[7 & Van Dyke]

WTF. Seriously?

[Novine]

Can't wait to see the backlash on this.

[JBMcB]

How dare a company we don't like give money to an institution we do like!

[rjk]

Now how about the Dow Chemical Lions, the Two Men And A Truck Tigers and the La-Z-Boy Pistons? The horizons stretch limitlessly before us.

Over the last few years that would be a perfect fit.

[MojoRacer]

Amway sales people are more feared than a IRS auditor!

[Orthophonic]

Anybody seen the new logo yet?

[Downriviera]

I hated when they put the advertising on the boards. Then I hated it when they put it on the ice. I hated it even more when they started the computer generated graphics ads on the glass for TV. I understand that times and things change, but I always loved the tradition of sports and wish some things could be left alone. The major soccer teams all have corporate sponsors on their jerseys, so I saw this coming a long time ago. Soon the Wings jerseys will look like Nascar.

This post sponsored by Walmart

[ThisIsForTheHeart]

Is Amyway an auto company? Never heard of them.

[jerrytimes]

How dare a company bring money to a Detroit team and to a Detroit owned arena. Bastards!

[Diehard]

Will the new stadium be shaped like a pyramid?

[Roq]

Will the new stadium be shaped like a pyramid?

heh...nice.

[Hypestyles]

Hopefully the sponsorship won't involve plainclothes folk who walk up to you in the stadium and want to talk about "a great business venture" that you can get in on..

[JBMcB]

Hopefully the sponsorship won't involve plainclothes folk who walk up to you in the stadium and want to talk about "a great business venture" that you can get in on..

Buying season tickets is going to get *really* interesting.

[canuck]

I hated when they put the advertising on the boards. Then I hated it when they put it on the ice. I hated it even more when they started the computer generated graphics ads on the glass for TV. I understand that times and things change, but I always loved the tradition of sports and wish some things could be left alone. The major soccer teams all have corporate sponsors on their jerseys, so I saw this coming a long time ago. Soon the Wings jerseys will look like Nascar.

This post sponsored by Walmart

Yup, folks got used to the european style arenas with ads on the boards and the league said hey, lets capitalize on every square inch of space we have. But then if you look at other sports venues like baseball stadiums, they had a lot of stuff up without so much as a sigh from you and me.

[Wesley Mouch]

...Now how about the Dow Chemical Lions, the Two Men And A Truck Tigers and the La-Z-Boy Pistons? The horizons stretch limitlessly before us.

Worse, why that would have been the 1-800-CALL-SAM Red Wings.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1-800-A...Y_Amphitheatre

[BasementBeat]

Worse, why that would have been the 1-800-CALL-SAM Red Wings.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1-800-A...Y_Amphitheatre

Wow that name is brutal. KFC Yum! Center isn't the best of names either.

[corktownyuppie]

Frankly, I don't care wtf they name it if we can get a sparkly new venue over near Cass Ave and I-75. Joe Louis Arena is horrible venue with nothing nearby. It practically encourages people to drive in, park, and drive out without ever seeing anything else in the city.

[mtburb]

Now what is going to happen next, Art Van starting to sponsor the entire city of Detroit in 2012?

[ThisIsForTheHeart]

Frankly, I don't care wtf they name it if we can get a sparkly new venue over near Cass Ave and I-75. Joe Louis Arena is horrible venue with nothing nearby. It practically encourages people to drive in, park, and drive out without ever seeing anything else in the city.

The people mover helps on getting around and seeing the city.

Also I have walked from cobo joes and greektown to the Joe via streets or river walk.

The Joe has good seats compared to the new arenas as the new arenas puts you farther away from the ice level where as the Joe, there is not one bad seat in the place. So it's not a horrible venue as I'm there to watch the action on the ice and get good viewing while being in the nose bleed section.

[Goose]

Frankly, I don't care wtf they name it if we can get a sparkly new venue over near Cass Ave and I-75. Joe Louis Arena is horrible venue with nothing nearby. It practically encourages people to drive in, park, and drive out without ever seeing anything else in the city.

maybe this is the first step in the transfer of ownership from pizza to amway... paving the way to relocating the amway wings to grand rapids........