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Alaska Airlines' name to grace Seattle sports arena

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By Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

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Courtesy of Alaska Airlines

Add Alaska Airlines to the list of carriers that has its name on a sports arena.

The airline on Thursday announced that it has reached a naming rights deal with the University of Washington to place the Alaska Airlines name on the university's on-campus arena. With the five-year deal, UW's Hec Edmundson Pavilion is now known as the "Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion."

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The Associated Press says Alaska Airlines' sponsorship of the arena "includes $400,000 a year in cash, some free travel from the airline, and related marketing and advertising buys."

Also in the deal are additional MVP gold memberships for UW staff, according to university's The Dailystudent newspaper.

"Currently [we] have eight and we're bumping it up to 20 … it's for our coaches that recruit and travel," UW athletic director Scott Woodward tells Daily reporter Daron Anderson. "[It's] one of these things we can take advantage of and don't have to pay for."

The Seattle Times puts the total value of the deal at $700,000 annually.

Court signage, including the Alaska Airlines logo, was unveiled during Thursday night's men's basketball game against Arizona. Exterior signage will be installed "within the next eight weeks," the airline says.

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Courtesy of the Alaska Air Group

"We are thrilled to expand our long-standing relationship with the University of Washington and that the Alaska Airlines name will be associated with the proud history of Hec Edmundson Pavilion," Alaska Airlines President Brad Tilden says in a press release. "Husky basketball is a time-honored tradition enjoyed by many in our community, including our customers and our employees."

The University of Washington is in Seattle, home to the Alaska Air Group's headquarters.

As for the 10,000-seat Hec Edmundson Pavilion, it was built in 1927 and underwent a major renovation that was completed in 2000. It is home to Washington's men's and women's basketball teams as well as the university's women's volleyball and gymnastics squads.

Posted Jan 21 2011 10:28AM