SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — If and when the Golden State Warriors finish building their new arena in San Francisco, it won’t be called the Roar-acle. It may be called “The Chase.”
Or better yet, “The Bank.”
Before the team made it official Thursday morning, clues found on the internet earlier this week seemed indicate that the proposed Warriors Ground stadium in Mission Bay will be called Chase Arena.
JP Morgan Chase & Co. snatched up several domain names last Friday that suggest the company bought the naming rights to the 18,000 seat arena expected to open for the start of the 2019-20 season.
The firm also has its name on two other professional sports venues, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ stadium and at Madison Square Garden.
Among the names registered through MarkMonitor, the banking firm now owns:
ChaseCenterGSW.com
ChaseCenterSF.com
ChaseWarriorsArena.com
The New York-based banking and financial company, alongside Warriors officials and star Steph Curry, made a joint announcement Thursday morning saying only that the deal was to place it name on the waterfront arena. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Today is a great day, not only for San Francisco, but for the entire Bay Area community,” said Joe Lacob, Co-Executive Chairman and CEO, GSW Arena LLC. “Chase Center will be the best sports, entertainment and convention destination in the world, and our partnership with JPMorgan Chase is key to getting this privately financed venue built.”
The new Warriors arena will occupy the site of what is currently a parking lot across the street from the University of California at San Francisco’s newly built medical center at Third and 16th streets.
The team had plans to move into their new home in 2018 but have since been delayed at least a year due to a recently filed lawsuit filed by Mission Bay Alliance.
The group is opposing construction of the arena and entertainment complex alleging that city officials violated California environmental review laws by failing to properly consider alternative locations and environmental impacts on traffic, air quality and noise.
“We believe the arena is far from a done deal and that any announcement about the naming rights to an arena in Mission Bay is premature,” the group said in response to Chase’s announcement.
“The Mission Bay Alliance is concerned the arena will cause great harm to San Francisco by jeopardizing patient access to hospitals and risking lives. It would also create major traffic jams and interfere with the long-range land use plans for Mission Bay as the biotechnology hub of San Francisco,” the group said.
City officials had given unanimous approval of the privately-funded stadium.
Warriors spokesman P.J. Johnston previously said the team expected the group to sue, but expects to prevail in court.
“The only thing this lawsuit will accomplish will be to waste everyone’s time, delay all the jobs and economic activity the arena will bring, and line the pockets of a bunch of lawyers,” said Johnston.