USC Football: United Airlines buys LA Coliseum naming rights

United Airlines has agreed to buy naming rights for the LA Coliseum, in a deal worth more than $70 million, according to Sports Business Daily.

Two years ago, USC reportedly began shopping naming rights for the LA Coliseum. Now, it appears that a deal is finally done.

United Airlines will pay the university $4.7 million a year for 15 years to put their name on one of America’s most iconic stadiums, according to a report by Michael Smith and John Ourand of Sports Business Daily.

The exact naming of the Coliseum, however, is still murky. When reports first surfaced of USC’s quest for a naming rights partner, the university insisted that the stadium would protect it’s historic “Memorial Coliseum” tag.

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The fee is by far the biggest for naming rights of a college football stadium, which are quite rare.

But other college football deals could be a sign that USC fans need not fear watching football games in the “United Memorial Coliseum” or “United Airlines Memorial Coliseum” for the next 15 years.

It is possible naming rights could follow in the steps of other Pac-12 rivals, selling field naming rights as opposed to a full stadium deal.

Washington sold naming rights for $41 million over 10 years to Alaska Airlines two years ago and now play on “Alaska Airlines Field at Husky Stadium.” In 2013, Cal penned a deal with Kabam to name just the field at Memorial Stadium for $18 million over 15 years.

So while the “United Airlines Memorial Coliseum” is still a possibility, it stands to reason USC could have commanded a much larger asking price for that deal. Instead, the compromise could see “United Airlines Field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum” become a reality.

The annual average for college football stadium naming rights deals back in 2015 was just over $800,000, according to BusinessofCollegeSports.com.

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It’s not clear when the deal will be official, or when the naming rights will take effect — perhaps in 2019 when the $270 million renovation of the Coliseum is complete.