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In 2005, the UA would’ve been among the first to sell stadium naming rights. Now they will be among the last. Now there’s Mountain America Stadium at ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ State (15 years, $50 million), Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium at the University of Indiana (20 years, $50 million) and West Shore Home Field at Penn State (15 years, $50 million).

A reasonable estimate for a mid-level football franchise such as ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ would be about $3 million a year in naming rights. The Washington Huskies get $4 million a year from Alaska Airlines in exchange for naming rights.

The evolution of stadium naming rights has come a long way. In the mid-1970s, the Utah Utes sold naming rights to their football stadium for $1 million to Robert L. Rice, a fitness guru in the state. A half-century later, his name remains on the stadium, shared with that of SLC businessman George Eccles, who 30 years later paid $10 million for what is now called Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Utes could get three times that today, or more.

When the ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Diamondbacks opened spring training operations in Tucson in 1997, Tucson Electric Power bought naming rights for the baseball stadium on Kino Boulevard for 10 years, $2 million. In retrospect, it was a cheap transaction for TEP.

UA athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois told me more than a year ago she would sell naming rights to ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Stadium. Now the transaction appears to be underway. What do you think? Caterpillar Stadium? Banner Health Stadium? Reed-Francois has the ball moving. The new basketball court at McKale Center has “Desert Diamond Casinoâ€� etched onto the floor in front of the UA bench.

Twenty years after the UA and Casino del Sol discussed naming rights to ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Stadium, nothing is off limits in college sports.