ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (CelebrityAccess) — The University of New Mexico has asked the naming rights partner for WisePies Arena (aka The Pit), to step aside to make way for a new, yet-to-be-announced naming rights sponsor.
In a statement, the university said it recently asked restaurant chain WisePies Pizza & Salad to abandon the naming-rights deal they secured in 2014 to allow an agreement with a new naming rights partner that will cover multiple facilities at the school, the Associated Press reported.
According to the AP, WisePies owner Steve Chavez said the company would be happy to step aside, as he knew how much the new proposed agreement would benefit the university. Chavez said he valued the company's partnership with the school and said he expects it will continue in a different capacity.
First opened in 1966 as University Arena, the venue, which is known informally as The Pit, was renamed in 2014 to WisePies Arena. The 15,411-capacity arena underwent its most recent refurb in 2009 and is considered to be one of the Top Twenty Sporting Venues of the 20th Century by Sports Illustrated. – Staff Writers
