New York might be the headquarters of Pepsi, but don't expect to find any at the new Barclays Center when it opens over the Atlantic Yards in September 2012. Not one drop. The stadium has canceled its previous deal with the smaller Jones Soda company in exchange for a multimillion-dollar deal with the Atlanta-based soda giant.
"Our goal is making this arena all about Brooklyn—even the food and drink—and one thing that became clear to me is Brooklyn's a Coke town," Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark told the Post. And it is true, the old Pepsi-Cola plant and the sign that go with it are in Queens, not Brooklyn. Anyway, as part of the deal—said to be similar to the seven-year $1.7 million annual deal the stadium previously signed with Jones—Coke will reportedly be treating fans with "special Brooklyn-themed flavored beverages" along with the company's trademark sodas.
But for now the company is keeping mum as to what those special drinks will be, so we can only speculate. In honor of the Atlantic Yards' troubled history, perhaps will there be a Gatorade flavor called NIMBYade? When Life Gives You NIMBYs, make NIMBYade! Or maybe a Coca-Cola Net Loss drink to replace Diet Coke? It burns calories, and your hopes of a successful NBA franchise, just drinking it! Meh. Somehow we suspect the final products will be more like In A New York Minute Maid. How would you flavor a Brooklyn-themed beverage?
