I love to take the kids to Kauffman Stadium

I admit, I’m not a huge sports fan, but there’s something special about taking in a Royals game at The K. Sure, our team may not be the best in the nation, but tickets are still affordable as MLB tickets go, and the fans are great. I love to take the kids to Kauffman Stadium. I also love that it isn’t a corporately named stadium.

Rumors say that this could change, and I am not at all excited about it. After all, Kauffman is one of only nine Major League Baseball stadiums that are not corporately named. Going to “Commerce Bank Field” just isn’t as nostalgic sounding as going to “Kauffman Stadium.”

Even though I don’t like it, I guess I can see the reason behind seeking a corporate sponsor. After all, Mr. Kauffman did a great job in founding the franchise, but he’s not exactly bringing in any income for the team these days. Naming rights could be quite valuable this year in particular because of the All Star Game coming in June.

Some who advocate naming the field say that it might give the franchise the money it needs to buy players who could make a year out of it. We have to admit that no matter how much we love Kauffman Stadium, our Royals have struggled. This year we did pretty well, but our past history isn’t a strong one. A lack of money makes it difficult for the franchise to pull in good players, and when they do get a young player who does well, they tend to lose him to a team that can pay better. If sticking the name of a bank on the stadium could fix this, I suppose people would be interested.

For me, though, I still think that leaving things well enough alone is the best route to take. I like going to Kauffman Stadium and answering my son’s questions about who Mr. Kauffman was. There’s just something special about a name that isn’t tied to a billion dollar account.

Rumors have also said that if they do sell the naming rights, they will keep the Kauffman name attached to the park in some way in conjunction with the new corporate name. That would be better, but still not what I would like to see happen.

According to the latest official statement from the Royals, which is from November, there is no official naming rights partner in place. That’s pretty vague, but does give me a little hope that maybe they will let this idea go for now. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what the name on the ballpark is on opening day.