It’s been more than a year since the Entertainment and Sports Arena opened in Congress Heights, and it’s supposed to have a … well, a more exciting name by now. That’s at least according to Events DC, which said last September that the name was just a placeholder until the agency could secure a naming rights deal for the venue.

What’s the hold up?

Events DC President Greg O’Dell says the agency, which manages 11 venues across D.C., is “having discussions with somebody in particular about the naming rights, right now.” But he can’t say who or what corporation Events DC is in discussion with. The ESA serves as a home for the WNBA championship-winning Washington Mystics, the NBA G League’s Capital City Go-Go, and the esports team the Washington Justice.

If a naming rights deal were made for the arena itself, Events DC would get the money, per a spokesperson. Events DC is a quasi-public organization, and its $200 million operating budget comes in large part from D.C.’s hotel and restaurant tax.

“We hope to make an announcement in early 2020 for at least what we consider a substantial partner,” O’Dell says. “It won’t be a naming rights deal, but we’ve been in close and detailed discussions to name a partner pretty soon. The naming rights deal … I probably couldn’t give you a forecast on that as of yet.”

For what it’s worth, MedStar Health scored the naming rights for the training facility for the Wizards, Capital City Go-Go, and Mystics, which is on the same campus as the ESA. That 2018 deal also includes MedStar providing healthcare to all teams under the Monumental Sports banner, including the Mystics. (It also bought the naming rights for the Capitals training facility in Ballston.)

According to Lisa Delpy Neirotti, a sports management professor at George Washington University’s business school, it simply takes time for companies to gauge what type of audience they’ll get out of a deal with a new arena.

“Companies are buying visibility, they’re buying eyeballs, and if they’re not getting eyeballs, why would they put their names on this?” Neirotti says.

Neirotti says that Events DC might consider securing a deal with an escalator clause—that is, sign a deal for an amount that will increase over time if the arena draws more fans. “They want someone who’s going to be there for a while,” Neirotti says. “You don’t want to just partner with a company that may not have the financial stability or the reputation you want.”

Naming rights deals can bring in substantial revenue for teams, so it makes sense to hold out for the best offer. The Sports Business Journal reported that the deal to name Audi Field was $4 million annually for 10 to 15 years. FedEx Field was named for a price of $205 million in a 27-year deal, and Capital One Arena reportedly went for $100 million over 10 years.

But those stadiums and arenas have much bigger seating charts and draw thousands more fans than the ESA. The 4,200-seat ESA is more in line with Loudoun United’s stadium in Leesburg, which struck a 10-year deal with technology company Segra this July, according to the Washington Post.

Within Washington, the ESA isn’t alone in being relatively nameless. Nationals Park has gone without a naming rights deal for more than a decade, though experts say that could change due to the Nats’ recent World Series success. The Mystics championship win could bring similar attention, but Neirotti says the few hundred fans that regularly attend events at the arena aren’t enough to secure a major deal just yet.

Neirotti also says that locals should remember the early days of Capital One Arena when it was called the Verizon Center and, before that, the MCI Center. “It took really 10 years for that whole neighborhood to catch on. People were a little hesitant to go out there at first,” Neirotti says. “People forget that, but I don’t.”

Events DC should be looking at potential partners that serve the African American community, since that’s who lives in Congress Heights, Neirotti says. And, simply put: “They need time to get more events in there.”