Levi’s Stadium will continue to be called Levi’s Stadium until 2043, as the apparel company has agreed to re-up their naming rights deal for $170 million, even though they still have nine years left on their original deal.
The big sports news out of Santa Clara this week is obviously Sunday’s 49ers-Lions NFC Championship Game, wherein a 49ers win would send them to the Super Bowl on February 11.
But in terms of the money that makes Big Sports operate (and the money that drew the 49ers to Santa Clara in 2013), the headline out of Santa Clara this week is that Levi Strauss & Co. just offered $170 million for a 10-year extension for the naming rights at Levi’s Stadium, according to KRON4. And given that $170 million was offered, all parties seem delighted with and willing to accept the offer.
Levi’s® Stadium home of the Faithful. @LEVIS has extended their naming rights partnership through the 2043 season.
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) January 25, 2024
Details: https://t.co/iSVwlqSt8B#FTTB pic.twitter.com/HKFAnvKnJk
The deal is not final. As the Chronicle reports, the Santa Clara Stadium Authority Board will vote to rubber-stamp it Tuesday. But in a Thursday morning press release, all parties involved were falling all over themselves to praise the deal.
"Levi Strauss & Co. has deep roots in the San Francisco Bay Area, and we know the value that this iconic name brings to a world-class stadium that attracts hundreds of thousands of people annually," Santa Clara Mayor Lisa Gillmor said in the release (and mind you, Mayor Gillmor is no 49ers pushover). "This extension would solidify our partnership with LS&Co., showing that we have a shared commitment to make a positive impact on our community."
As the Bay Area News Group points out, Levi’s still has nine years left on their original 20-year naming rights deal from 2013. The new deal extends that original deal out through the end of the 2043 NFL season.
It’s not as if this Santa Clara stadium deal has gone swimmingly. The 49ers’ meddling in local politics has resulted in perjury charges for elected officials, the traffic situation has been a mess, and the 10 p.m. concert curfew has routinely pissed off big-name performers.
But the Super Bowl is coming back to Levi’s Stadium in 2026, the 2026 World Cup will have a few games there, and as this news illustrates, the money is still flowing, so the Levi’s-sponsored status quo will remain in effect.
Image: @LevisStadium via Twitter
