The 9 possible new names for Footprint Center, according to readers

We know the readers of Phoenix New Times are big fans of polls. So much so, we've augmented our own coverage with some frankly neat-o polls as of late. For instance, you fine folks recently named Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" as the greatest love song of all time. They'll write about these kinds of decisions in the history books, they will.

But if you forget, we also asked you another important, albeit less romantic question: What should they rename Footprint Center? Well, 71 of you responded, and with a whopping 31.4 percent of the vote, we have our winner:

America West Arena

I can't tell you how overjoyed I am that 1) so many of you picked the right answer and 2) we've got some true blue locals reading this here publication.

There's lots of reasons why America West Arena works. For one, it's a deeply nostalgic callback, and if there's anything folks love more than polls, it's looking back fondly at our shared history. Secondly, it's the name of an airline that hasn't been in operation since September 2007, and if that kind of proud ignorance isn't a deeply American trait, then nothing else defines our country. Third, there were some great concerts back in the days of the "original" America West Arena, and that connection feels like a great way to encapsulate the venue's continued value to the city. And, finally, almost anything in the world beats the temporary PHX Arena, which may as well just be "Arena A" or "Stadium Alpha."

The rest of the vote broke down as such:

• PHX Arena (27.1 percent — what did I just say about this one, folks?!)
• The Wallace and Ladmo Center (8.6 percent)
• The Purple Palace (7.1 percent)
• The Maynard James Keenan Center for the Arts (5.7 percent)
• Curaleaf Center (5.7 percent)
• Stevie Nicks Stadium (5.7 percent)
• The Alice Cooper Palace (4.3 percent)
• Easley’s Fun Bowl (4.3 percent)

Lost Leaf Field either got zero votes, or it accidentally wasn't included on the final list. Oh, what might have been with that choice.

If you forgot, or you just tend to vote blindly for things (that explains the state of our country), here's a refresher. Earlier this month, workers removed the "Footprint Center" signage from the building's exterior. Calls to both the Player 15 Group (who own the Phoenix Suns and Mercury) and city of Phoenix revealed nothing about the new name or the reasons for the change (if it's the rights deal expiring or, perhaps more likely, another issue entirely).

Our only true piece of concrete evidence is that sports industry news site Sportico reported that a new name would not be revealed until sometime next year. Until then, all we really have to go on is conjecture that — courtesy of an r/Phoenix post and a WHOIS domain search — the arena's next name could be Western Alliance Center (for Western Alliance Bank).

If that is the case, Western Alliance Center would be the eighth name for the venue located at Jefferson and Second street. The venue began life as America West Arena in 1992 and was subsequently renamed to U.S. Airways Center (2006) and Talking Stick Resort Arena (2014). From there, it underwent brief stints as PHX Arena in 2020 and Phoenix Suns Arena in 2021 before landing on Footprint Center (also 2021) and back again to PHX Arena.

Seriously, though, let's make America West Arena happen. Somebody start a hashtag or whatever.