There’s been an escalation in the Philadelphia 76ers‘ ongoing war against their arena’s naming rights sponsor — you can read all about it here, but the short version is the Flyers get all the naming rights cash so the 76ers owners have sworn not to use the corporate name at all — and it is awesome for anyone who’s a fan of passive-aggressive typography:
That is “Wells Fargo Center” written as small as possible, in white lettering against a light-wood floor, so that no one will ever be able to read it or even notice it without a big red oval drawn around it by the Philly Voice’s art department. Apparently the only reason it’s on the court at all is to meet the letter of some league rule — I bet there’s going to be some fun times debating font sizes at the next meeting of the NBA’s Court Branding Subcommittee.
I have to agree here with the sixers. Why give out free advertising. You buy naming rights, that’s all you should get, Naming Rights. It doesn’t get you the right to shove it down the media’s, the fans’, or the public’s throat. I still call it Joe Robbie stadium, Cleveland stadium, Gund arena, and the Sears tower. So sue me.