GolfWorld – “The PGA Tour’s developmental tour has a new name: the Korn Ferry Tour. Known for the past seven years as the Web.com Tour, after previous stints as the Nationwide Tour, Buy.com Tour, Nike Tour and Hogan Tour, there’s a new sponsor, effective immediately.
Starting with this week’s Wichita Open, Korn Ferry, a Los Angeles-based global consulting firm, will take over as the umbrella sponsor with a 10-year deal with the PGA Tour, running through 2028. Web.com had signed a 10-year deal in June 2012, but the deal ended short of that agreement after the company was sold last year, as reported by the Sports Business Journal.”
So apparently, effective today, the Web.com Tour is now the Korn Ferry Tour. I’ll tell you this right now, I’m still referring to it as the “Web.com.” This has to be one of the worst named “things” in sports, and I’ve seen some bad ones. It just sounds so unnatural and awful. I refuse to call it that. Maybe I’ll switch to the “KF Tour” at some point (trademark that for me, I’m taking all the credit if people start calling it that). With this terrible sponsorship naming, it brings me to some of the worst (in MY opinion) names in sports.
Guaranteed Rate Field – Chicago White Sox
So this one caused quite an uproar in the city of Chicago. I mean nobody called it US Cellular Field to begin with, but with the switch to Guaranteed Rate Field, the Sox officially became the laughing stock of Chicago. It just sounds terrible. But, like the Sears Tower (which nobody calls the Willis Tower either*), it will forever be “Comiskey” to true Sox fans and Chicagoans.
PPG Paints Arena – Pittsburgh Penguins
Look, I’m a die-hard, albeit random, Penguins fan, but this one made me cringe. The Igloo in Pittsburgh was the shit, and when they named the new stadium the Console Energy Center, I though “eh that sounds kinda cool.” But PPG Paints Arena? Come on, that’s just lame. Can’t wait for that sponsorship deal to end.
KFC YUM! Center – Louisville Basketball
This one is probably hit or miss for some people. On one hand, there’s probably loads of good fast food inside of this place. And who doesn’t love KFC?! But the YUM! Center? Come on now. “Where’s the game at?”
“It’s at the YUM! Center!”
That’s just a pretty bad name in my opinion.
Smoothie King Center – New Orleans Pelicans
Not only did the Pels just trade away Anthony Davis, they also have to play in a stadium sponsored by a smoothie company. Again, the arenas named after food chains are bad enough, but now it’s a mediocre, lesser-known smoothie chain? You could’ve at least gotten Jamba Juice. Do better, New Orleans.
University of Phoenix Stadium – Arizona Cardinals
Where to start here? Sure, the University of Phoenix has provided many adults with a higher level of education at affordable rates. But this is a primarily ONLINE university, with NO sports programs, sponsoring a PROFESSIONAL sports team. That’s just grounds for a ton of confusion right there, and doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. University of Phoenix? Is this a college stadium? Wait, University of Phoenix has a team that plays here? Nope, just the Arizona Cardinals. But hey, they’re the “Harvard of Internet Colleges” according to Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson, so they do what they want.
While I write this all in good fun, at the end of the day, all of the above are terrible. But man, the PGA Tour may have taken the cake with this Korn Ferry Tour thing. Hopefully the 10 year deal they signed gives them enough time to think of a better naming convention next time. That, or they can break the contract when a better (and higher paying) naming sponsor comes around. Either way, best of luck KF Tour.
*Note from Bill: I work in the Willis Tower…a lot of people call it the Willis Tower now.
