Whichever stadium/arena/field/theater/concert hall had the worst name, that title has been passed along. We're not sure what it was, but it now belongs to the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Not only is the official name obscenely long, but its short form, WaMu Theater, is just plain silly sounding. The Washington Mutual Theater has a much nicer ring to it, no? Madison Square Garden and Washington Mutual announced that they inked a long term agreement for the naming rights of the MSG venue formerly known as just The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Terms of the multi-year contract were not disclosed, but Cablevision and the Dolans probably padded their wallets pretty nicely. Maybe they can blow the money on the Knicks!
Previous names of the 5,600-seat venue include the Felt Forum (not for the delightfully soft material) and The Paramount (the previous owners of The Garden). The venue has played host to concerts, sporting events, meetings, and various other events. In addition to having WaMu signage on the theater, Washington Mutual will also have 11 ATMs throughout the theater and in arena. It's the first time MSG has sold the naming rights to any of its venues.
Our suggestion for the theater's nickname - The Mu.
Photo of boxing in what's now the WaMu Theater by kerfuffle & zeitgeist on flickr
