IBJ Story

"The Indianapolis Colts had to be convinced that California-based Lucas Oil Products Inc. was the right company to buy its stadium naming-rights package. Football franchise executives were quickly converted, but the deal still has its detractors. A month after the 20-year, $121.5 million agreement was announced, sports sponsorship experts remain skeptical it will pan out.

'This is a heavy investment for such a small company,' said William Chipps, senior editor of Chicago-based IEG Sponsorship Report. 'I can tell you it took everybody in the sponsorship industry by surprise.'

Driving the suspicions of Chipps and other executives is Lucas Oil's annual revenue. At somewhere just north of $100 million, it pales in comparison to the money generated by other stadium sponsors. Yet Lucas has agreed to pay the NFL's fifth-highest naming-rights fee."