The arena first was called the Delta Center upon its opening in 1991. Delta filed for bankruptcy in 2005, citing rising fuel costs and faced with more low-cost competition, and did not renew its sponsorship agreement with the team in 2006. The airline emerged from bankruptcy 19 months later.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe went through a difficult time following 9\/11, the whole airline industry did. We had to make some tough decisions to save costs fast. I was the one in the chair and made the decision to take the name off the arena, and 16 years later it still haunts me,\u201d Bastian said. \u201cIt’s a real honor to be back. They say homecomings are sweet, 16 years later, this is really special.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the interim, the Jazz sold the naming rights to the stadium to low-level nuclear waste processing company EnergySolutions. Vivint Smart Home bought the naming rights to the stadium for 10 years in 2015. (In 2020, the \u201cSmart Home\u201d part of the arena name was dropped.)<\/p>\n
Vivint’s deal was not set to expire until 2025. However, concurrently with the Delta arrangement, Vivint agreed to a new sponsorship agreement with the Smith Entertainment Group, the company that owns the Jazz and the arena. Under the renegotiated deal, which extends through the 2030 season, Vivint will retain the rights to its courtside suite, along with in-game promotions, advertising packages, and digital ads placed on the court during the team’s TV broadcasts.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo company is a bigger fan of the Jazz organization than Vivint and we look forward to continuing our partnership,\u201d Vivint chief revenue officer of Vivint Smart Home Todd Santiago said in a statement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey’re Jazz fans, and everyone knows what this means,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI think this is probably the only naming rights deal where Vivint would work with us to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the deal with Delta, it came together after Smith and Bastian attended a game in Atlanta together in 2021. The discussion of the old Delta Center name came up, and Bastian told Smith he wanted to pursue rekindling the naming rights deal.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf there was ever an opportunity to do something that made that right, I would be very interested in considering that,\u201d Bastian said he told Smith.<\/p>\n
And Bastian wanted to keep the Delta in Salt Lake City, and the Delta Center name, for the long haul. \u201cThis is far deeper than just a name on a building or a sponsorship deal,\u201d Bastian said. \u201cThere’s real roots here, and we want to continue to bring Utah to the world and the world to Utah. The fact that we’re coming back in here, and putting a real great brand with 5000 employees behind it here \u2014 we’re never going to leave.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Bastian and Smith know the rekindling of the Delta Center name will be nostalgic for Utahns.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s not even the name, it’s the memories, like going into the arena as a kid with my grandfather,\u201d Smith said. \u201cI see Mehmet over there and the other past players \u2014 when we say ‘Once a Jazzman, always a Jazzman,’ this is your home.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Vivint Arena will be officially renamed July 1. (Photo courtesy Utah Jazz) The Utah Jazz announced Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023, the arena will once again be named Delta Center with a new agreement with Delta Air Lines. | Jan. 14, 2023, 4:00 pm | Updated: 9:52 pm Many residents never stopped calling downtown Salt Lake …<\/p>\n