new name for Barn

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10 years? If this arena is still standing in 10 years we have a problem.
 









bga1 said:
Profits are up 400% since 2014.....
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WHAT..... where are you getting your numbers? The health insurers have been getting their ass handed to them the past 2 yrs. I think you must have heard what happened to UCare this past year.

Last year, Blue Blue Shield of MN reported a combined operating loss of $353 million on $10.4 billion in fully insured premium revenue. Despite the operating loss, a strong performance in its investment portfolio allowed the company to close out the year with a positive net income of $83 million. So, basically, a hot stock market saved them as a non-profit, but how long can you depend on that? So, the question is, does this naming rights deal make sense considering their financial position, as the outlook for the health insurance segment isn't any rosier in 2026.
 






Rocksoldier said:
It’s still Williams arena or the barn no matter what they plaster all over the building.
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Not sure on the complaint here. The official name is now The Barn....

Personally I think The U has done a phenomenal job with the basketball and hockey arena naming rights. It could be just a sponsor named arena but they managed to keep the history as part of the name
 
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99Gopher said:
WHAT..... where are you getting your numbers? The health insurers have been getting their ass handed to them the past 2 yrs. I think you must have heard what happened to UCare this past year.

Last year, Blue Blue Shield of MN reported a combined operating loss of $353 million on $10.4 billion in fully insured premium revenue. Despite the operating loss, a strong performance in its investment portfolio allowed the company to close out the year with a positive net income of $83 million. So, basically, a hot stock market saved them as a non-profit,
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Per Google, they’re considered a taxable non-profit as they also sell commercial policies.

Yes, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota is a nonprofit corporation, but with a very unique twist: they are legally classified as a taxable nonprofit. [1]
They do not operate like a traditional charity, nor do they operate like a Wall Street insurance company. Their structure dictates how they handle their money: [1, 2]


1. No Shareholders to Pay
Unlike for-profit insurers (like UnitedHealthcare or Aetna), BCBS of Minnesota has no public stock or private shareholders. [1, 2, 3]
  • The Rule: Any profit or investment margin they make cannot be paid out as dividends.
  • The Action: They must reinvest 100% of their earnings back into the company's reserves, member benefits, technology, or community health initiatives. [1, 2, 3, 4]

2. Why Are They "Taxable"?
Most people assume "nonprofit" means "tax-exempt" (like a 501(c)(3) church or food shelf). However, BCBS of Minnesota pays state and federal corporate taxes, often exceeding $75 million to $100 million annually. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
  • The History: In 1986, Congress revoked the federal tax-exempt status for most large Blue Cross Blue Shield plans.
  • The Reason: Because they sell commercial insurance policies in direct competition with for-profit companies, the government rules they must pay taxes to maintain a level playing field.

99Gopher said:
but how long can you depend on that? So, the question is, does this naming rights deal make sense considering their financial position, as the outlook for the health insurance segment isn't any rosier in 2026.
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I have multiple family members in the insurance industry and always look askance when someone cries poverty on their behalf.

Their financial issues have even caused by this, per Google -

Financial Reality
  • The Losses: In 2025, BCBS of MN reported a \(\$353\) million operating loss, largely driven by underperforming Medicare Advantage/Medicaid plans and spiking specialty drug (e.g., GLP-1) costs.
  • The "Save": The operating loss was offset by \(\$388\) million in investment returns, leaving the company with a modest positive net income.
 

A not so veiled reference to the name change from Williams Arena is the lead-in about a local competitor in the recently concluded Special Olympics.



They must have had enough money to spend like drunken sailors at the University of Minnesota before the Great Depression started in the late summer of 1929. Anyone with basketball awareness knows that the large building on University Avenue called Williams Arena for nearly a century, and certain to be called that forevermore by those of us who can’t believe the university just sold out its heritage for a paltry $1.7 million annually, knows that the extra-large gymnasium dates to February 1928.

What I didn’t realize as a proud four-quarters attendee of our great state university, many decades ago, is that Northrop Auditorium was being constructed simultaneously in 1927-28.

And if we have ancestors remaining for namesake Cyrus Northrop, the university’s second president, you should be warned that the people running the place now would sell out great, great grandpa Cyrus for 30 pieces of silver.

Which would be sad, because Cyrus was a wit, if you believe his Wikipedia page, which states that when agreeing to speak at the dedication of a new cemetery in a cold rain, good old Cyrus said:

“I hope you will excuse me for not removing my hat, as I have no desire to contribute personally to the success of this enterprise.”
 


The only people that will be calling it the full name are those contractually obligated to.

BCBS of MN paid to have millions of eyeballs hear them use the full name on the B10 network (and others), and to have "print" outlets have to call it that

Everyone else will still refer to it as The Barn or Williams.
 

Unregistered User said:
The only people that will be calling it the full name are those contractually obligated to.

BCBS of MN paid to have millions of eyeballs hear them use the full name on the B10 network (and others), and to have "print" outlets have to call it that

Everyone else will still refer to it as The Barn or Williams.
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Reusse tells a story about calling Target Center "the arena by the garbage burner" until Target whined to his bosses at the Star Tribune.
 



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