Final Stadium Beam Set

The final beam was set into place for the new Meadowlands stadium earlier today.

At this time a year ago, the Jets and Giants could have imagined a large corporate logo — symbolic of a naming-rights deal worth at least $30 million annually — adorning a 40-foot steel beam raised today in their stadium topping-off ceremony.

Instead, a nondescript NMS — for “New Meadowlands Stadium” — was featured on a ceremonial steel football that is attached to the beam.

The continued namelessness of the $1.6 billion facility was a topic of conversation after a ceremony held to put the last beam into the uppermost ring of the 82,000-seat stadium. The opening will be in mid-2010.

The economy might be bad, but the stadium will eventually gain a neutral name. For close to three decades, the Jets have played the little brother in New York, calling a stadium named after another team home. This is one step closer to becoming equal partners in a new home. It is worth enjoying.