Now Taking the Field: Genesis and Psalms
Sunday, April 30, 2006; Page A02
Samson may be best known as the strongman of the Old Testament, and he likely was tougher than any linebacker. But he's now the inspiration of the Birmingham Steeldogs arena football team, which has taken up Biblical-themed uniforms in an attempt to satisfy fans in the Bible Belt.
The Steeldogs have jerseys with the name Samson on the front and the name of a book of the Bible on the back, such as Genesis or James. The player's number refers to a chapter and verse. The idea is meant to please the fans that the team draws from area churches for its "Faith Nights."
"We're in Birmingham, Alabama," said Scott Myers, managing partner of the team. "In our market, we thought this would be a fun, interesting thing to do."
The idea has already experienced one setback: League rules require that the players' names appear on their jerseys. So while the team originally intended to wear the jerseys during games, players will now wear them only during pre-game and post-game festivities.
"In our excitement to do this, we got a little ahead of ourselves," Myers said.
-- Peter Whoriskey
Forget Billboards -- Just Name the Road
First Comiskey Park, home of the Chicago White Sox, became U.S. Cellular Field. Now naming rights for another Chicago landmark are on the auction block, as the city is offering corporations the chance to put their moniker on the Chicago Skyway toll road, which connects to the Indiana Toll Road.
The city is expecting to garner about $3 million a year from the deal, which could last as long as 20 years, according to a city Office of Budget and Management spokeswoman, Lisa Schrader. The city reserved the right to lease the name when it leased the Skyway itself to an Australian-Spanish conglomerate last year.
Unlike with Comiskey Park, the Skyway name will be incorporated into the new tag.
"It will be the X Corporation Chicago Skyway," said Schrader, who said the naming deal should be complete by fall.
