Team Infidel
Forum Spin Doctor
DOUG ALDEN
Associated Press
SALT LAKE CITY - The home of the Utah Jazz has a new name that's sure to get a reaction.
EnergySolutions, a nuclear waste services company based in Salt Lake City, has bought the naming rights to the downtown arena that has been known as the Delta Center since it opened 15 years ago.
Jazz owner Larry Miller said Monday that negotiations with Delta Air Lines to keep the original naming rights in place stalled with the airline, which is trying to emerge from bankruptcy. Miller said he was apprehensive at first when approached by EnergySolutions, which runs a radioactive waste disposal facility 75 miles west of Salt Lake City.
"I really think that this is something that does not need to be a controversial topic if people understand what it's about before they just panic and throw their hands in the air when the word 'nuclear' is first used," Miller said. "As I was able to spend time learning about it, I got much more comfortable with it."
Giant banners with the EnergySolutions logo were hanging outside the arena Monday afternoon. Miller and EnergySolutions chief executive officer Steve Creamer unveiled a new logo on the basketball court, which reads "EnergySolutions Arena."
Creamer wants people to look past the stigma associated with nuclear waste.
"We looked at lots of different ideas and when this came available we felt like it was a great opportunity," Creamer said. "We think it's a great way for us to help people feel more comfortable and help our education efforts."