Why Fresno State’s $10 million naming rights deal is worth a lot more than money
Fresno State and Valley Children’s Healthcare on Thursday announced a 10-year, $10 million partnership that includes naming rights to Bulldog Stadium, an important piece in stabilizing the finances of an athletics department that is recovering from lost revenues due to the COVID-19 pandemic and for years has struggled to adequately fund its sports programs.
The deal brokered with the assistance of former Bulldogs quarterbacks David and Derek Carr, who serve as ambassadors for the healthcare network, also represents an opportunity for strategic planning and to shift focus from simply staying afloat financially to long overdue facilities upgrades including a substantive renovation of a football stadium that was opened in 1980.
“I really want to see where we are, assess where the budget has to be with athletics for our 18 sports, get them to dry land, and then really start to strategically plan,” university President Sául Jiménez-Sandoval said.
“If we don’t do that, we will always be struggling for more or wanting for more and in this case it is my responsibility to really build this critical brand that is Fresno State athletics. Athletics is synergistically woven into the fabric of what Fresno State is all about. We have the 100-year celebration of athletics right now. It grew up with the university. You cannot distinguish one from the other, so I’m very focused on really presenting what the value of Fresno State is in this synergistic relationship with athletics, as well.”
Athletics director Terry Tumey since his hire in 2018 has prioritized piecing together and stabilizing an elaborate financial puzzle for a cash-strapped department, but said Bulldog Stadium also has been a target.
“That building has taken care of us,” he said. “It’s time for us to take care of it. It’s time for us to invest in it.
“Is that a heavy lift? Yes. Do we know the challenges that come with that? Yes. Are we in a position where that is more difficult? Yes. Are we up to the task? Absolutely. We are up to this challenge and this is going to define the success of this athletics program. We’re going to take a step that hasn’t been taken in a long time here.”
Athletics department officials have not yet taken a deep dive into a stadium renovation, a source said, and certain upgrades fall to the university and California State University system as deferred maintenance projects.
But donors have been approached about plans to renovate. “We’ve had some success there, but we’re definitely not done,” Tumey said. “We have so much more to do. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that. It’s important. It comes from everywhere, but all the resources are going to one salient point.
What does the future of Bulldog Stadium look like?
“We need to support these students through physical enhancements, period. That’s what it is. If we do that, and we support our community through that same type of lens, the people will come out and support the student-athletes, the student-athletes will feel that power of the Valley.”
The athletics department, then under the direction of the late Jim Bartko, did not make much progress there six or so years ago when pushing a major $60 million renovation project that was to include access tunnels into the seating bowl, cross aisles to improve flow around the stadium and a new tower and press box.
That project was shelved in 2018 by former university president Joseph I. Castro, who said the project simply didn’t pencil. When Castro ditched the Bartko renovation, he said the university would invest $45 million in improving Bulldog Stadium with a focus on restrooms and concessions stands, seating and modernizing the suites on the east side of the bowl as well as structural upgrades.
There also were plans for a privately-financed football operations building, which would expand the footprint for all of Fresno State athletics programs in the student-athlete village nestled among Bulldog Stadium, Beiden Field, the Duncan Building, Ricchiuti Academic Strength & Conditioning Center and Meyers Family Sports Medicine Center.
A new turf field and new lighting was installed at Bulldog Stadium in 2019, but Jiménez-Sandoval and Tumey know Fresno State is playing catch-up in college athletics and even within the Mountain West Conference.
“The pressure that I feel is the pressure to my people, and my people are my community,” Jiménez-Sandoval said.
“The pressure that I feel is that I know the stadium was built in 1980 and that’s 41 years ago. The pressure that I feel is that I want to give my people a really good fan experience. That’s the pressure that I feel.”
San Diego State and San Jose State, the Bulldogs’ California State University rivals in the Mountain West Conference, already have major facilities upgrades in the works. San Diego State is building a new football stadium as part of a year-round entertainment district. San Jose State is renovating CEFCU Stadium to include the Spartan Athletic Center that will include football and soccer training areas, locker rooms and office space.
“We’ve recruited the talent of this Valley, which is wonderful and it really, really represents the Valley extremely well and this university well,” Tumey said. “We’ve hired great coaches. We’ve hired great administrators.
“The only thing that’s left is the physical plant. That’s what is left for us to move this program to the next level, to the level that is indicative of what this Valley deserves, and that’s our goal.”
Bulldog Stadium will have a new name in 2022
Fresno State under Tumey also has landed a lucrative apparel contract with Adidas worth more than double its previous contract with Nike, enhanced fan experience with the addition of live music and food trucks on Bulldog Blvd. to spur football ticket sales and has deftly generated more guarantee revenue from its scheduling of non-conference football games against Power Five conference opponents.
Athletics got a boost from the Mountain West media rights deal, which could be worth as much as $4 million a year for conference members. Fresno State under the previous deal received about $1.1 million a year.
The university also helped its athletics department by axing wrestling, men’s tennis and women’s lacrosse following 2020-21 seasons, which cut more than $2.5 million from annual operating expenses.
Now, it will receive revenue from a 10-year, $10 million naming rights deal, and look forward.
“Our student-athletes, we really need to think about what’s going to affect their everyday lives and we all know it needs to start with capital improvement,” Tumey said. “So this is going to be a basis for hopefully for more resources to go down that path and instead of planning we can put some actions in place. I think that’s the major goal that we’re trying to achieve here – put some actions in place.”
The new name of Bulldog Stadium is to be determined in the spring, 2022 and is subject to approval of the California State University Board of Trustees.
“Valley Children’s and Fresno State have much in common over many, many decades,” Valley Children’s Healthcare president and CEO Todd Suntrapak said. “Both have a demonstrated commitment to kids over their lifetimes, both are filled with gratitude for the community support we have received over the years vital to both organizations and both realize that in these times in particular we are stronger together.”