Patch Poll: What Do You Think About the New Name for the Cougars' Stadium?

About the same time that the were announcing that Fifth Third Bank had bought the , a story on the Washington Post website was saying how the Olympic Stadium in London probably will have its Olympics name for only about four months.

After that, the name will go to the highest bidder in hopes of covering "the $149 million cost of converting the 80,000-seat stadium to a 60,000-seat venue," the story said.

No one knows yet how much Fifth Third Bank is paying for the rights to rename Elfstrom Stadium as Fifth Third Bank Ballpark, but it certainly has to make economic sense. Nor are we sure at this point whether Kane County taxpayers will get any piece of the naming-rights windfall.

The good news is that the events center will retain the name of Phil Elfstrom, the former Kane County Board chairman who was to Kane County in the 1980s what Mayor Richard J. Daley was to Chicago in the 1960s. Elfstrom flexed his muscles, a landfill rose from the ground, a stadium was born and the Cougars came to town.

The stadium name was a fitting legacy and tribute to Elfstrom, who was a bit of a despot but was without doubt a visionary and lover of the great American pastime.

But the question here is, as always: What do you think?

The first stadium to go for the naming-rights check is none other than Wrigley field, so you know it can't be all bad. Nowadays, we've got everything from U.S. Cellular Field to MetLife Stadium. And of course, college bowl games range from the Capital One Bowl (formerly the Citrus Bowl) to the Chick-Fil-A Bowl (formerly the Peach Bowl.) So in that sense, it's not anything new.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments field and in the Patch poll below.