Even with the 49ers being one of sports’ hottest franchises right now, they just might open their $1.2 billion Santa Clara stadium in 2014 without a naming-rights deal that would pay a big chunk of the construction bill. “We don’t have anything in the pipeline,†team spokesman Bob Lange told us just before the team jetted off to Atlanta for Sunday’s NFC championship game. But he quickly added, “It’s not a necessity. … A number of other stadiums have opened without a naming-rights partner.†True, says former 49ers executive Andy Dolich. But given all the excitement that the team has created on the field and the buzz it has generated over the stadium, “There should be many interested corporate entities in the pipeline.†According to Forbes Magazine, 22 of 32 NFL teams have stadiums with a corporate name attached – the most lucrative deal being the $400 million that MetLife paid to put its name on the home of the New York Giants and Jets. Source: San Francisco Chronicle
