The uproar that rang throughout the Big Blue Nation came fast and furious upon the early May announcement that Commonwealth Stadium was getting a new name. 

After the University of Kentucky gave the naming rights of their football stadium to JMI Sports in a 2014 agreement, the rumors started swirling on what new moniker would grace the front of Fall’s favorite facility. 

After several bids, the powers that be chose the name that would benefit the university the most financially, thus giving us Kroger Field. From this deal, the university will receive $1.85 million annually for 12 years.

The name, regardless of the financial benefits that came with it, did not receive the most positive reviews from Kentucky fans. Jokes, disses and genuine disdain surrounded Kroger Field with shouts of “not my stadium” coming from across the Bluegrass. What it seems, however, is that folks don’t realize things could have been much, much worse.

For starters, there are other big name businesses who very easily could have gotten in on this deal. Fans would not have responded to “Walmart Stadium” as well as Kroger Field. At the very least, Kroger is the ninth largest employer in the area, meaning there are bound to be loads of Kentucky fans who benefit from their employment. 

And just down the street from campus rests recently renovated Euclid Kroger, fulfiller of sushi cravings and last-minute Starbucks stops. There is not a single student on campus who hasn’t benefitted from Kroger’s exceptional deals and easy accessibility. Can you imagine having Kentucky’s football stadium named after something like Trader Joe’s or Lucky’s? Kroger is always the way to go.

Kentucky is also the first school in the SEC to sell corporate naming rights to its football stadium, putting the university ahead of a growing trend in their conference. While they weren’t as quick to sell their souls as little brother, Louisville, they held out long enough to find reasonable benefit that will help fund campus renovations.

In the grand scheme of things, acknowledging that Kentucky Football now plays their games at Kroger Field rather than Commonwealth Stadium is a difficult, but small pill to swallow. 

Does it kind of sound like we have a team of soccer moms rolling on the field in minivans ready to bake up some cakes? Certainly. Does it give us the opportunity to improve our entire campus? Absolutely. 

So even though it feels like you will be seated in the bread aisle or sushi suite, remember it is only a name. The chills you get when we all come together for “My Old Kentucky Home” and “It’s football time in the bluegrass!” is something “Kroger Field” will never take away.