Joliet's cut from stadium naming rights deal not known

A naming rights deal for the Joliet-owned baseball stadium was announced this week, but the Slammers aren’t saying how much money the city gets from the agreement and city officials contacted Thursday said that they don’t know.

It's not clear who – if anyone – with the city of Joliet signed off on the agreement to name the stadium
DuPage Medical Group Field, although a Slammers' executive said Mayor Bob O'Dekirk signed it.

O’Dekirk could not be reached Thursday, and City Council members said they did not know any details about the agreement, including how much money the city would get from the arrangement with DuPage Medical Group.

“I don’t know anything other than that we get an email from Marty [interim City Manager Marty Shanahan] saying nothing’s been signed and we’re going to be meeting with them,” said council member Pat Mudron, chairman of the council’s Stadium Committee.

The Slammers, according to their lease with the city, negotiate naming rights, which is something the team has been working on since a 15-year agreement with Silver Cross Hospital ended in 2016.

The agreement must be approved by the city, although the lease does not specify how that approval is done.

The Slammers and DuPage Medical Group on Tuesday said they have an agreement to rename the stadium DuPage Medical Group Field, a breakthrough announcement given that no naming rights agreement was in place for the past two baseball seasons.

John Wilson, vice president of sales and marketing for the Slammers, called DuPage Medical Group “a great partner that’s not only going to be beneficial to the Slammers but also to the city of Joliet and community.”

Wilson, however, would not comment on what DuPage Medical Group is paying for the naming rights, calling it “confidential information.”

The city, according to the lease with the Slammers, gets 50% of whatever DuPage Medical Group pays for naming rights.

Council members on Thursday said they are still waiting to find out what that amount is.

“That has not been discussed yet. We have to have a meeting,” council member Jan Quillman said.

Council member Larry Hug suggested the council might have more information if the Stadium Committee had more meetings.

“The Stadium Committee hasn’t convened for a meeting in months,” Hug said. “I don’t know what’s going on there.”