More details are strolling in of the announcement that Sporting Kansas City's new stadium will be called Livestrong Sporting Park. The release issued by the team indicated that a portion of all sales at the stadium will be donated to the Livestrong cancer foundation. There will not be a fee paid to the team and Sporting KC president Robb Heineman suggests they can donate between $8 million to $10 million over the six-year partnership.
When I first heard about the move, I predicted it would be well received because it's a pretty big statement to replace something with a very real valuable, like naming rights to a stadium, with a monetary donation to a foundation. Sporting KC will be raising money for and, almost as importantly, awareness of the foundation. Good move by the team.
The partnership is very unique, as Heineman said announcing the news.
"It's either groundbreaking or it's crazy, and there will be people to call (the relationship) both. What we're trying to do is more than just have a soccer team and a soccer stadium. We want to be part of the social fabric of the community."
From a popularity standpoint, it's hard to see Sporting KC beating out an area team like the Chiefs. But what they can do is ingrain themselves into, as Heineman says, the "social fabric of the community." If building goodwill with their fan base and residents of the city is one of their goals, this is an excellent step for them.
For more on Sporting KC, check out SB Nation's The Daily Wiz.