Which Denver companies might buy Mile High’s naming rights?

What corporate name will be awkwardly inserted into every mention of Mile High Stadium during this season’s Denver Broncos games?

The deadline for accepting bids on Mile High’s naming rights has been extended until Monday by Hilco Steambank.

While we wait to see who buys out the remainder of the contract from the ashes of the Sports Authority bankruptcy sale, now seemed like a good time for some wild speculation.

What type of company might seek to take on the sponsorship of Denver’s premier sports venue? Will it be a firm with local roots, like Sports Authority?  Maybe a multi-national brand like Invesco, the stadium’s past sponsor?

“The Broncos won the Super Bowl, so there’s national, even international exposure, so this is well suited for companies based in Denver, first of all,” said Jack Hazan, executive vice-president of Hilco. “National and international companies, as well.”

Spending more than $6 million a year on a stadium sponsorship is no joke.

Confining our speculation to companies headquartered in Denver, we can think of at least a few that might make sense.

Now, spending more than $6 million a year on a stadium sponsorship is no joke.  So any business even entering the conversation would need hundreds of millions or billions in annual revenues to justify such an expense.

We also tried to confine our thinking to companies that have a national reach, and who would benefit from the national television exposure.  That means we are looking for consumer-focused brands, not defense contractors or obscure pharmaceutical giants.

With all of those criteria in mind, here are a few Denver companies that might at least consider taking on the naming rights to Mile High Stadium.

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