Business of Sport/Daire Whelan: This Tuesday is the 10th anniversary of the death of Matt Busby. The man who brought the Busby Babes through only to see them cut down on a Munich runway in 1958 and then returned to bring the European Cup back to Old Trafford 10 years later has entered United folklore.

But more significantly than any history books or records, Matt Busby is now part and parcel of Manchester United plc.

Sir Matt Busby Way is the road that greets you on the way to Old Trafford while the imposing statue of the Scotsman stands tall outside the club's superstore.

It is the selling of Matt that shows just how far United have come since their early days. United fans can buy into the legend and the history through buying Busby merchandise.

There is the bronzed figurine, a commemorative Dartington Crystal paperweight, an exclusive Dartington Crystal tankard and even a Busby Babes porcelain plate with 22-carat gold rim, all featuring the face of Busby.

If that's not enough for you, the selling of the cult of Busby can be pored over in the numerous books written about him. Busby - Epitaph to a Legend, Sir Matt Busby - A Tribute, Father of Football - The Story of Sir Matt Busby and A Strange Kind of Glory - Sir Matt Busby & Manchester United are just some of the published tomes for entry into the larger world of Manchester United plc.

So as they remember the 10th anniversary of the death of their modern father, it's worth asking have the club gone too far in their pursuit of commercial domination.

Will Lansdowne Road and Croke Park naming rights be sold?

The fiasco of the future home of the national stadium rumbles on as the costings on either side are weighed and measured. But what about raising the question of naming rights for any new sports home as a means of bringing in much-needed cash?

Yes, fingers may have been burnt over the eircom Park fiasco but it should not and will not sour the use of naming rights to increase financial income for Ireland's sports organisations. But this country does not have an impressive track record in selling stadium rights and it is something that should be corrected over the coming years.

After all, it is estimated that in the United States there are 66 naming-rights agreements worth a total of $3.4 billion. Dean Bonham, chairman and CEO of the Denver-based Bonham Group, a sports-entertainment marketing company, has pointed out that "naming rights are the most effective marketing platform available today", which can come under the headings of "comprehensive benefits", "inclusive benefits" and "interactivity".

In Britain, the most notable success has been that of Bolton Wanderers' Reebok Stadium. While the FAI's eircom Park didn't get built in the end, to this day the eircom brand will be forever associated with the project - contrast that to The Friends Provident St Mary's Stadium, Southampton, which is merely known as St Mary's.

Whether we will see Lansdowne Road become known by any other name will depend on numerous factors. Both the FAI and IRFU state that just "getting the go-ahead for the stadium" is their only priority and while they are aware of the possibility of making future capital from selling the naming rights of Lansdowne Road it is not a subject that has been broached yet. No business has been approached on the matter and none has approached the organisations either.

While the IRFU and FAI will not be getting anywhere near the likes of the $205 million that is being paid by FedEx for the Washington Redskins Stadium to be renamed the FedEx Field over the next 27 years, Lansdowne Road would certainly get more than the IR£11 million that eircom were willing to pay for the West Dublin site over 10 years in 1999.

Eircom have confirmed that for them any possible involvement in future stadium-naming rights is not an issue at the moment and they will wait and see what happens with any new stadium.

With a larger capacity of up to 60,000, more matches to be played involving the FAI and IRFU and more exposure and media coverage, the future battle over stadium naming rights for a redeveloped Lansdowne Road should prove fascinating indeed.

It also leads to the intriguing issue of stadium-naming rights within the GAA. Will the day ever come when Croke Park becomes Vodafone Park?

The historical and cultural significance of Croke Park, as well as the sheer size of the stadium, may be too prohibitive for any business looking to get involved in any naming rights at GAA headquarters but county grounds are probably best suited to getting in on the action.

Cavan sold their ground name over to Kingspan for 10 years in a deal worth €4 million in 2002 while Limerick are said to be looking for a suitor for Gaelic Grounds. But any future naming rights involving GAA headquarters are not being totally discounted and Croke Park say the matter will be given careful consideration.

bizofsport@eircom.net

Sports Television channel ESPN has just launched an all-Spanish network in the USA called ESPN Deportes. It will be joining a crowded commercial Hispanic sports market with the likes of Fox World Espanol, Telemundo and Univision already vying for a slice of the large Hispanic community.

One of the main attractions of ESPN Deportes will be its broadcasting of games from the Spanish La Liga and it will also be showing over 200 live events in 2004 including NBA, MLB, NFL and the UEFA Champions League.

America has an estimated 27 million Spanish speakers and the ethnic communities are being marketed in the States.

Is it any wonder, when the number of Americans speaking a language other than English has increased from 10 to 17 per cent, Asian-language speakers number 7 million and nearly 45 million Americans say they speak a language other than English.

From Spanish TV cable to bilingual ATM machines and now the mainstream sports TV market, ESPN will be hoping to get a significant piece of the Latino population's $500 billion purchasing power in the USA.

3.75p Leeds United. Will Monday spell the end

for the Elland Road club?

£3,500 Cost of buying the Croke Park site. It was sold by Frank Dineen to the GAA in 1913.

"The quality of a person's life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their chosen field of endeavour."