Delta Air Lines has returned to sponsor the home arena of the Utah Jazz, while fellow NBA team the Miami Heat has confirmed a temporary name for its arena following the termination of a naming-rights deal with cryptocurrency firm FTX.
Delta previously sponsored the home of the Jazz from 1991 to 2006 and it will once again assume naming rights in July as part of a multi-year deal with the team. The airline will replace home security system provider Vivint as the naming-rights sponsor.
As part of the deal, Delta will also serve as the official airline of the Jazz, adding to its current role as an official community partner of the team. The airline will also hold numerous sponsorship and branding rights with the team, including media, hospitality and employee management extensions.
Delta began sponsoring the arena when it first opened in 1991. The Delta Center moniker will come into effect once again on July 1.
Vivint Arena has a capacity of 18,206 and hosts more than 320 sports and entertainment events a year. After Delta ended its sponsorship of the arena in 2006, naming rights were assumed by EnergySolutions before Vivint took on the role in 2015.
Delta chief executive Ed Bastian said: “Today we celebrate a new chapter in the longstanding history between Delta, the Utah Jazz and the Salt Lake City community. The homecoming of the Delta Center represents a continued investment and dedication to Salt Lake City, and together we will provide a leading sports and entertainment experience to the city and Jazz fans worldwide.”
Jazz owner Ryan Smith added: “I have so many amazing memories of the Delta Center as a kid, and I know that countless people throughout Utah and beyond had similar experiences creating core memories there, whether watching the Olympics and Paralympic Winter Games, the NBA Finals, concerts, or other incredible events.
“We are excited to partner with Ed Bastian and the entire Delta team to not only bring back the arena’s original name, but also leverage the amazing work Delta is doing to provide incredible experiences for the people of our state and help show the world how amazing Utah is.”
Vivint, whose naming-rights deal had been due to expire in 2025, will continue as a Jazz sponsor after signing a new agreement with the team running until the 2030 season. The deal includes rights to the courtside suite as well as its current ticket packages throughout the arena.
In other news, Miami-Dade County and the Miami Heat have announced that the team’s home venue will be known as Miami-Dade Arena until a new naming-rights sponsor is found.
Last week, the Heat’s deal with FTX was officially terminated after a federal bankruptcy court ruled in favour of Miami-Dade County, which owns the arena. The Heat and Miami-Dade County announced in November that the deal would be terminated after FTX filed for bankruptcy.
The removal of the arena’s existing FTX signage and the changeover of branding elements will take place in the coming weeks. FTX acquired naming rights to the arena in April 2021 in a deal worth a reported $135m (£111m/€125m) over 19 years.
