Baker & Daniels on Tuesday joined a growing list of corporate sponsors of Lucas Oil Stadium, marking the venue's third such deal in the past month.
The stadium's upper and lower east club levels will be named for the Indianapolis law firm, said Tom Zupancic, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Indianapolis Colts.
Baker & Daniels also will get media advertising rights as part of the six-year agreement. The deal is a "shrewd move" by the firm, said Larry DeGaris, director of the academic sports marketing program at the University of Indianapolis.
"I think obviously they see the value in the number of businesses and corporate decision-makers who are going to pass through those turnstiles," DeGaris said. "You need to keep in mind who's going to be sitting in (club-level) seats."
Zupancic declined to discuss how much the deal is worth, but DeGaris estimated the firm could be paying $500,000 to $1.5 million per year, depending on the specifics of the media package. Advertising opportunities include in-stadium spots, game programs and local spots broadcast on the Colts' television show, "Colts Up Close.''
Representatives from the Colts and Baker & Daniels said the deal is a logical step from previous partnerships. As part of the sponsorship, the firm has been named one of the stadium's "founding partners."
"We have been so integrated with this facility and with this team that it was a logical place for us to be," said Jack Swarbrick, a Baker & Daniels partner.
"Literally without the people at Baker & Daniels we wouldn't be here today," Zupancic said.
He pointed out that David Frick, an attorney at the firm, was involved in the 1983 negotiations to bring the Colts to Indianapolis. Frick also serves as chairman of the Indiana Stadium and Convention Building Authority, which is overseeing stadium construction.
Lawyers at the firm also helped orchestrate the new stadium deal and have worked to attract the Super Bowl to Indianapolis, Zupancic said.
A total of 12 founding partnership deals at the stadium are for sale, with naming rights for entrances, seating levels and lounges up for bid. The stadium is set to be completed by mid-August.
