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Friday Afternoon Distraction: What shirt sponsor would you want to see if Volkswagen and D.C. United split?

With reports from the Washington Post's intrepid Steve Goff that Volkwagen might not be returning as United's primary sponsor, the time has come for fans to let their opinions be known. We're the ones who buy the things, after all.

By Adam M Taylor
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

This really doesn't fit into our You be the GM series, but it is nevertheless a critical negotiation that D.C. United's front office will have to navigate carefully and successfully to ensure a good foundation for future success. Steve Goff is reporting that he's receiving "mixed signals" about the likelihood of Volkswagen returning as the jersey sponsor for the club next year and beyond. Goff has also reported that other current team sponsors have expressed interest in stepping into any gap that might be created, and the club has had some talks with potential VW replacements.

All this leads to an open quesion: Who do we, the fans, want to see on United's shirts next year? Just looking at the list of current team sponsors, there are quite a lot of possibilities. We could get AT&T or Verizon, which would be a nice, established brand. (And who knew they were both sponsors?) We could get an insurance giant on our shirts - GEICO would mean Talon gets a green buddy for home games, while Allstate might mean the opportunity for judicious use of mayhem around RFK.

Outback Steakhouse could mean free bloomin' onions for those with ticket stubs. Lucas Oil would forever associate United with the Indianapolis Colts (who, of course, play at Lucas Oil Stadium), which would be nice for everybody who doesn't identify with Baltimore. American Airlines could mean that Jon Hamm replaces both Doug Hicks as CMO and Chris Geissler as the stadium announcer; it would also cause some confusion as to why AA is sponsoring a team that shares a name with one of their rivals, but that just adds to the appeal in my book.

Then again, maybe Fairfax-based Volkswagen USA returns for another year or three, or a totally new sponsor comes out of the blue. Or, of course, Adidas could just step up and pay the extra sponsorship money to Bring Back the Stripes.

So, dear readers, who do you want to see plastered across Chris Pontius' chest come next season? Tell us and let us know your reasons in the comments - and do be sure to rec your favorites.

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