After a contract was approved Friday that finally put a cap on the stadium-naming mess involving former Coliseum Authority Executive Director Scott McKibben, the Oakland Coliseum is now formally "RingCentral Coliseum."
And you know it's real when even Google Maps also reflects the change.
According to Mercury News, the lengthy and "scandalous saga" — that put McKibben front-and-center in a lawsuit after he violated state laws by seeking personal payment from Belmont-based RingCentral — is now all polished after the Coliseum Stadium Authority Board finally approved 2019’s $3M, three-year naming rights contract with RingCentral on Friday. (As the news outlet notes: The board learned McKibben had prior "sought a finders fee for negotiating the contract," which is in complete violation of CA's conflict-of-interest laws; McKibben took a plea deal back in October to avoid trial and possible jail time.)
Amongst the contract's dealings, it also constitutes a restructuring of the naming rights of the former Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, or more commonly reffered to as the Oakland Coliseum, which includes RingCentral paying a $450K installment upfront and a monthly payment of $15K during the COVID-19 health crisis to display the compay's name; the monthly payments were negotiated down amid most games at the then-Oakland Coliseum being put on as livestreamed spectacles. However, once things return to normal for the stadium (and it's again crowded with patrons) RingCentral will pay an annual payment of $1.1M each year over its entire contract.
But as many have noted: “RingCentral Coliseum” signs had gone up over a year ago, and both radio and TV broadcasts also regularly referred to the ballpark as "the RingCentral Coliseum” in 2019 — despite any shift to legitimately transfer the naming rights to the cloud-based communications and collaboration solutions company. Mercury News, too, acknowledged that even the Coliseum Authority’s own website referenced the Belmont-based company in its digital copy. (And as we also found out, Getty Images had also been refering to stadium as "RingCentral Coliseum" for a while.)
Nevertheless, next time you're in the bleachers watching an Oakland A's homegame — still probably wearing your mask, mind you — make sure to take note of all the new RingCentral signage.
Related: Oakland Backs Off A’s Stadium Lawsuit, Jack London Ballpark Plan Back On Track
Image: Oakland Athletics team photographer Michael Zagaris sits among cardboard cutouts as he photographs the Oakland Athletics playing against the Chicago White Sox in Game Three of the American League wild card series at RingCentral Coliseum on October 01, 2020 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
