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Dunkin’ Donuts Claims Yard Goats Ballpark Name

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HARTFORD — Downtown Hartford already has a few Dunkin’ Donuts stores, now it has the brand as a new corporate citizen as the name of the Yard Goats ballpark under construction.

It was a closely held secret until 12:30 Wednesday, with nary a hint at the construction site, at the Yard Goats office in the XL Center on Trumbull Street or at the Stegosaurus sculpture next to city hall, where the team and the city will unveil the sponsor.

We knew it would be a national brand, not a local corporate stalwart. That’s the trend in the stadium naming rights game, and team owner Josh Solomon confirmed that much earlier this spring.

At least it’s a brand we know, even if it’s not one of the glitzy, techno brands of the 21st century like Apple or Google. Amazon was on the list of names speculated, as the online retail giant is building a warehouse in Windsor.

We’re still waiting to see the contract price. Whoever bought the rights from the Yard Goats, the team must pay the city of Hartford half the take over $50,000. And the city’s plan calls for $225,000 a year in name revenues, meaning a sponsor must pay $500,000 for the privilege a year or the taxpayers fall short.

That’s all the more important as the city’s plan to collect a $1-a-ticket tax has two strikes against it at the state Capitol.

Half a million a year seems like a rich deal as Double A ballparks go, but then again, metro Hartford is bigger than almost all other Double A markets — and wealthier by a long shot.

Whatever the price, the name will be the first public corporate presence associated with the Yard Goats — with at least two more to come by July, according to a source familiar with sponsorship talks.