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June 11, 2021

Ashley Madison offers $25M to name new NFL stadium

Say what you will about AshleyMadison.com – and God knows people have – but they’ve got a nose for public relations.

The notorious pro-adultery “dating” site is back making headlines today after offering $25 million for the naming rights to the new Giants/Jets stadium, set to open later this year.

According to TMZ (yeah, I know), the deal is for a five-year term, which the site whose tagline is “Life is short. Have an Affair” would raise if another higher bid is offered to the stadium’s ownership.

Five mil a year is, by contrast, fairly cheap for the naming rights to an NFL stadium. Bank of America pays $7 million a year to sponsor the Carolina Panthers, while FedEx forks over $7.6 million to similarly back the Washington Redskins.

And neither of those fields are in the league’s largest TV market.

Of course, this is all beside the point because there’s no way in Rex Ryan’s lap-band surgery the Giants/Jets will accept Ashley Madison’s bid.

Even near the tail end of a recession that’s caused big corporations to cut back on the costs needed to plaster their name on a sports stadium, there’s little chance the Giants/Jets – or the no-nonsense NFL front office, for that matter – would even consider partnering with a brand like Ashley Madison.

In fact, who’s to say the offer is actually legit, seeing as it reeks of other headline-chasing business the site has engaged in lately?

You might remember the adultery service getting rejected for a commercial spot in last year’s Super Bowl – which the Giants/Jets will host in 2014, by the way – and recently hiring Michelle McGee, Sandra Bullock’s tattooed nemesis, as a spokesperson for its TV ads.

No, this move isn’t much more than a savvy PR grab for Ashley Madison, something that idiot media members like myself fall for to keep printing the service’s name all over the Web.

Wait … what was my point again?

Have a great weekend, everyone.

By Jason Buckland, MSN Money

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Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...

Jason BucklandJason Buckland

The modern-day MC Hammer of money, Jason can often be seen spending cash that isn’t his with the efficiency of a Wilt Chamberlain first date. After cutting his teeth as a reporter for the Toronto Sun, he joined the MSN Money team with...