#ustrend #webstory Astros give Daikin naming rights to stadium #darakhonline

Ahead of their ballpark's 25th season, the Houston Astros agreed to a 15-year exclusive stadium naming rights agreement with Daikin, replacing Coca-Cola's Minute Maid as the naming

rights sponsor. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Daikin Park will be the name of the retractable-roof stadium that opened in 2000 to replace the Astrodome, the first

domed sports stadium now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Founded in 1924 in Osaka, Japan, Daikin is the world's largest air conditioning manufacturer. In

addition, medical devices and hydraulic systems are manufactured. The Fortune 1000 company opened its North America division in 2004 with its continental headquarters in downtown

Houston. “Daikin is an international company that proudly calls the greater Houston area its North American home,” team owner and chairman Jim Crane said in a statement. “As

we celebrate the 25th anniversary of this stadium in 2025, I am proud to have Daikin at our side to create even more special memories for our fans now and in the future.” Daikin

Park originally opened as Enron Field after the energy trading company signed a 30-year, $100 million contract with the team. However, the company was involved in one of the

largest accounting scandals in US history and went bankrupt in 2001. After a legal battle to terminate the naming rights agreement, the Astros settled with Enron - paying the

troubled company $2.1 million in the process - and signed a new contract with Houston-based Minute Maid. The deal with the orange juice brand is also reportedly worth $100 million

over 30 years. Although the naming rights deal with Minute Maid ended several years earlier, the brand will be an affiliate of the Astros through 2029. “We would like to thank

Minute Maid and The Coca-Cola Company for their long-standing commitment to our stadium,” Crane said. “Minute Maid came on board at a very critical time in our history and we

are pleased that they will continue to be a partner of the Astros for years to come.” Despite the sign-stealing controversy that obscured its 2017 World Series victory, Houston

remains one of the better franchises in the MLB. The Astros have made the playoffs eight straight years, including four trips to the Fall Classic (two wins) and seven consecutive

appearances in the ALCS - a streak that was broken last October when they lost in the wild card the Detroit Tigers lost round. With a value of $3.21 billion, the Astros rank

seventh Sporticos MLB Franchise Ratings. In 2011, Crane purchased the franchise from Drayton McLane for $615 million, a reduced price after Crane received a $70 million