* At The Hops: USF has signed a 10-year, high six-figure agreement to rename the Sun Dome. It will become the Yuengling Center. A naming-rights agreement with an alcoholic-beverage producer, however, inevitably elicits scrutiny about image and impact on student drinking habits.
For the record, a Yuengling corporate statement said that the brewery, as part of its campus partnership, will “pledge to educate the students of USF, local residents, visitors and Tampa at large about ways to drink responsibly.”
At least it’s not the 1-800-ASK-GARY Dome.
* The Rays were in New York last Sunday for the Yankees’ 72nd Old Timers Game. It’s always a big, celebratory deal with a lot of big names. It reminded me, in contrast, to some Old Timers Games in Philadelphia. The former Phillies great who would never participate was the late All of Fame centerfielder–and long-time broadcaster–Richie Ashburn. His rationale: He didn’t, he would explain, want to be reminded of all that he “could no longer do.” Understandable but sad.
* I’m not a soccer fan, but I do look in on World Cup competition. I love the eclectic matchups–geographic and demographic. Countries that would never show up in the same sentence were it not for the World Cup. As in: Argentina vs. Iceland, Denmark vs. Peru, Uruguay vs. Egypt, Serbia vs. Switzerland, Panama vs. Tunisia or Poland vs. Colombia.
I’m also reminded of being part of the media scene in the late 1980s when a delegation from FIFA visited Tampa to check out Tampa Stadium as a possible venue for the 1994 World Cup that was awarded to the U.S. I still recall a Brazilian reporter who said, “Having the World Cup in the U.S. is like having the World Series in Brazil.” BTW, Tampa wasn’t chosen–but Orlando was.
Well, it’s back in America again–in 2026. Most of the World Cup matches will be in the U.S, with others in Canada and Mexico. Presumably tariffs will no longer be an issue.