Having politely declined requests to name their Camden Yards home after the late Johnny Unitas, the Baltimore Ravens have hired a sports marketing specialist to search for a new corporate sponsor willing to buy the name of Ravens Stadium.
E.J. Narcise, a Howard County resident and veteran of several lucrative naming-rights deals, has been hired to find a replacement for former sponsor PSINet Inc., which dissolved in bankruptcy this year.
Narcise confirmed his involvement but declined to comment further yesterday. A Ravens spokesman did not return phone calls.
Even with the economy soured and several naming-rights deals shattered by bankruptcy, analysts expect the Ravens Stadium naming rights to fetch more than the $105.5 million, 20-year deal signed by PSINet in 1999.
"The Ravens' stadium is a valuable naming-rights proposition, and it's going to be worth more today than it was when they signed with PSINet," said Dean Bonham, head of a Denver sports consulting group that has represented several corporations in naming-rights deals.
"It's not in New York, or Los Angeles or even Houston, but it's a brand-new facility with a very successful franchise. I'm sure there will be some interest."
The Ravens bought out their contract with PSINet in March for $5.9 million, and gave their purple-seated home the temporary name Ravens Stadium at Camden Yards. Fans waged a spirited petition drive to have the park named Johnny Unitas Memorial Stadium after the former Baltimore Colts star died in September, but the team declined, saying the stadium's name is so valuable that they could not give it away and remain competitive.
The largest naming rights deal came two years ago, when Reliant Energy agreed to pay $300 million over 32 years to hang its name on two stadiums, an arena and a convention center in Houston, including the Astrodome.
The Washington Redskins signed a 27-year, $205 million deal for the naming rights to FedEx Field, though analysts say the Landover park is more valuable than its Baltimore counterpart because of its cachet in the Washington power corridor.
PSINet was one of several corporations whose multimillion-dollar deals ended in spectacular and embarrassing bankruptcies - among them Enron Corp., the former Houston energy giant.
The market for naming rights tumbled as stadiums scrambled to replace their dead corporate partners.
But interest seems to have recovered. The Houston Astros' Enron Field became Minute Maid Park in June, part of a $170 million deal. The Philadelphia Eagles signed a $139.6 million deal with Lincoln Financial Group days earlier.
Narcise, founder of the sports marketing firm Team Services LLC, was the vice president of business operations for the former Baltimore Stallions team in the Canadian Football League.
He has helped negotiate several naming rights deals, including Comcast Corp.'s recent $25 million agreement with the University of Maryland's basketball arena.
"E.J. is a very knowledgeable and very capable executive in this industry, and I have every confidence that they've hired the right guy," Bonham said. "If he can't get it sold, then no one can."
Sun staff writer Jon Morgan contributed to this article.