What's in a Stadium Name?

Globe Life Field - home of the Texas Rangers.
1/31/19  dwm photo

The day I visited AT&T Stadium, I took a short walk to the Texas Rangers' field.

It opened 25 years ago as the Ballpark in Arlington.  Ten years later it became Ameriquest Field in Arlington.  Three years after that it was Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Then in 2014 it changed its name for the final time... to Globe Life Park in Arlington.

I am confident it is the final name change because across the street, a new Globe Life Park is under construction. 

When I saw the steel girders, I wondered what was happening - a guy behind the counter at Lockhart Smokehouse said it will be the new Rangers Stadium.

My glimpse inside Globe Life Park
from the Pro Shop. 1/31/19 (dwm)

He said the current one is 25 years old and the lease is up.  The Rangers apparently want air conditioning and it is on the way.

I am not shocked, but a little surprised.  Is a 25 year old stadium obsolete?  Apparently.

The rotating names on the field was another story.  Frankly, I didn't know the name of the Rangers field after they dropped Ameriquest Field.

The right field bleachers
are protected by this
pretty facade. 1/31/19 (dwm)

I have no problem with naming rights being sold to the highest bidder - but it is important to get a name and contract you can live with for a long, long time.

The Brewers stadium has been Miller Park since it opened in 2001.  As a local company with a team named for a local industry, it is a good fit.

Now it's going to change.  Miller - Coors (the two companies merged in 2008) told the club they want a different level of sponsorship at the end of the contract.  American Family Insurance is the new rights holder, but haven't announced the name yet.

I expect to see some variation of AmFam Field, but I like the idea from a writer for the Milwaukee Journal - Sentinel who suggests "Henry Aaron Field at American Family Park."

Whatever its called, a lot of us will continue to call the Brewers' home field by its first name, Miller Park.