Citigroup and their naming rights

So far, this off-season is pretty boring.

The most exciting thing going on in Mets land right now is whether or not Citigroup should retain the naming rights to Citi Field after getting bailed out by the US government. Remember when baseball was an escape from everyday life, where you could focus on nothing but the game and the players and their passion for the game? Yeah, I can barely remember it either.

Citigroup is rumored to be laying off 52,000 employees, but will keep the $400 million deal to brandish their name on the Mets new ballpark, with American taxpayers money. Now, to them, it's just an advertisement. If they went about buying $200 million worth of commercials and billboards, no one would even bat an eye, but because it's naming rights to a stadium, people seem to be in an uproar.

I understand it's "America's money," but if you think about it in terms of commercials, we (American taxpayers) would have no say in how their commercials would look, sound or say. As frustrating and bizarre this might be, Citigroup has the right to do whatever they please with the name, because thanks to the US gov't and us, they now have some money to play with -- it's their money now.

Sorry to be brash, but it's the cold, hard truth.

But, if the naming deal does fall through, I've been a proponent of having it be MetLife Field. It only makes sense.