Monster Park

Monster Park (colloquially, The 'Stick or Candlestick, after its original name of Candlestick Park) is an outdoor sports and entertainment stadium located in the San Francisco Bay Area in California.

Name changes

Candlestick Park was named for Candlestick Point, a point of land jutting into the San Francisco bay. Candlestick Point is itself named for the indigenous "candlestick bird" (Long-billed Curlew), once common to the point.

Related Topics:
Candlestick Point - Long-billed Curlew

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The rights to the arena name were licensed to 3Com Corporation from 1995 until 2002. During that time the park became known as 3Com Park. In 2002 the naming rights deal expired, and the park then became officially known as San Francisco Stadium at Candlestick Point. On September 28, 2004, a new naming rights deal was signed with Monster Cable, a maker of cables for electronic equipment, and the stadium was renamed Monster Park.

Related Topics:
3Com Corporation - 1995 - 2002 - Naming rights - September 28 - 2004

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The City of San Francisco had trouble finding a new naming sponsor due in part to the downturn in the economy, but also because the stadium's tenure as 3Com Park was tenuous at best. Many local fans were annoyed with the change and continued referring to the park by its original name, and many continue to do so to this day, regardless of the official name. Freeway signs in the vicinity were recently changed to read "Monster Park" as part of an overall signage upgrade to national standards on California highways.

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A measure passed in the November 2 2004 election states that the stadium name will revert back to Candlestick permanently after the current contract with Monster Cable expires in 2008. This highlights San Francisco's extreme distaste for corporate naming, especially of this particular venue. The stadium is still almost universally referred to as Candlestick Park despite the name change by both locals and the media. The Monster Park moniker is confined to the 49ers front office and a few national broadcasters just as the 3Com name was years before.

Related Topics:
November 2 - 2004 - Election - 2008

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