This study examined the use of historical names vs. corporate names of stadiums by newspapers in Major League Baseball game stories. The study includes a sample of stories from seven major league teams from the first season that each team played in a corporate-named stadium after playing the preceding year in a historically-named park. A content analysis of 725 newspaper articles was performed. The hypotheses and exploratory questions tested the frequency of use comparing the corporate name to the historical name and also examined where in the sports section the names were appearing and where the names were being used in the stories. Also tested was how hometown newspapers of teams were handling the change.
The study found the corporate name was used nearly 70 percent of the time. Thirty percent historical may be a large enough number to concern corporations spending tremendous sums of money on naming rights.
","abstract_html":"<p>This study examined the use of historical names vs. corporate names of stadiums by newspapers in Major League Baseball game stories. The study includes a sample of stories from seven major league teams from the first season that each team played in a corporate-named stadium after playing the preceding year in a historically-named park. A content analysis of 725 newspaper articles was performed. The hypotheses and exploratory questions tested the frequency of use comparing the corporate name to the historical name and also examined where in the sports section the names were appearing and where the names were being used in the stories. Also tested was how hometown newspapers of teams were handling the change.</p><p>The study found the corporate name was used nearly 70 percent of the time. Thirty percent historical may be a large enough number to concern corporations spending tremendous sums of money on naming rights.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Armstrong, Donald Ray"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"MA (Master of Arts)","degree_level":"Thesis - unrestricted","degree_discipline":"Communication, Professional","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2004,"date_issued":"2004-12-18T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2004-12-18T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:19:35Z","subjects":["corporate","historical","stadium","baseball","Communication","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/952","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Armstrong, Donald Ray"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2004-12-18T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Communication, Professional"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis - unrestricted"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["MA (Master of Arts)"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["corporate","historical","stadium","baseball","Communication","Social and Behavioral Sciences"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright by the authors."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/2109/viewcontent/ArmstrongD112904f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/952"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This study examined the use of historical names vs. corporate names of stadiums by newspapers in Major League Baseball game stories. The study includes a sample of stories from seven major league teams from the first season that each team played in a corporate-named stadium after playing the preceding year in a historically-named park. A content analysis of 725 newspaper articles was performed. The hypotheses and exploratory questions tested the frequency of use comparing the corporate name to the historical name and also examined where in the sports section the names were appearing and where the names were being used in the stories. Also tested was how hometown newspapers of teams were handling the change.
The study found the corporate name was used nearly 70 percent of the time. Thirty percent historical may be a large enough number to concern corporations spending tremendous sums of money on naming rights.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Print Media's Treatment of Corporate-Named Stadiums vs. Historically-Named Stadiums in Major-League Baseball Game Stories."]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Armstrong, Donald Ray"],"dc:date.issued":["2004-12-18T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This study examined the use of historical names vs. corporate names of stadiums by newspapers in Major League Baseball game stories. The study includes a sample of stories from seven major league teams from the first season that each team played in a corporate-named stadium after playing the preceding year in a historically-named park. A content analysis of 725 newspaper articles was performed. The hypotheses and exploratory questions tested the frequency of use comparing the corporate name to the historical name and also examined where in the sports section the names were appearing and where the names were being used in the stories. Also tested was how hometown newspapers of teams were handling the change.
The study found the corporate name was used nearly 70 percent of the time. Thirty percent historical may be a large enough number to concern corporations spending tremendous sums of money on naming rights.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://dc.etsu.edu/context/etd/article/2109/viewcontent/ArmstrongD112904f.pdf","https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/952"],"dc:rights":["Copyright by the authors."],"dc:subject":["corporate","historical","stadium","baseball","Communication","Social and Behavioral Sciences"],"dc:title":["Print Media's Treatment of Corporate-Named Stadiums vs. Historically-Named Stadiums in Major-League Baseball Game Stories."],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Communication, Professional"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis - unrestricted"],"thesis:degree_name":["MA (Master of Arts)"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:19:35Z"}