Downtown Kansas City’s Sprint Center is going magenta.
T-Mobile, which recently acquired Overland Park-based Sprint Corp., announced it will rename the arena the T-Mobile Center and begin replacing signage in August. In a news release, T-Mobile said it would retain naming rights on the facility through 2032.
After a lawsuit from more than a dozen states challenging the union, a federal judge approved the $26 billion merger of the two wireless companies in February. T-Mobile officially closed on the transaction in April. Based in suburban Seattle, T-Mobile committed to keeping a secondary headquarters in Overland Park, the longtime home base of Sprint.
“I couldn’t be prouder to announce T-Mobile Center and show the Kansas City community that we’re deeply invested in the home of our second headquarters! We’re proud to be with you, and when it’s safe to re-open, we’re bringing you some incredible Un-carrier experiences,” T-Mobile CEO Mike Sievert said in a news release Thursday.
“Kansas City has a rich culture, known for live entertainment, sports, a thriving arts scene and my personal favorite, Kansas City BBQ, and we are honored to help bring it all to life in T-Mobile Center well into the next decade! Get ready for a good time!”
T-Mobile said it would provide free Wi-Fi around the venue and offer T-Mobile customers a fast pass entrance. It also promised “many more upgrades to follow in the coming years.”
The city-owned Sprint Center is managed by ASM Global. In T-Mobile’s news release, ASM said it was “thrilled” to team up with the wireless carrier.
Sprint partly funded the 2004 campaign to gain voter approval for a downtown arena and its marketing officials worked alongside the political team pushing the project.
In 2007, Sprint signed a 25-year naming rights agreement on the Sprint Center. That agreement does allow for a name change.
T-Mobile also has naming rights on the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, T-Mobile Park in Seattle and Distrito T-Mobile in Puerto Rico.
