ATLANTA — One of Atlanta’s most well-known sites just got a new name: Say hello to Truist Park.
The new name was announced after the merger of SunTrust Bank and BB&T.
The name change was necessitated for the Braves’ 3-year-old home stadium by the SunTrust-BB&T merger, which was finalized last month, and the renaming of the combined bank as Truist.
“We tested and did quantitative research and it was a clear winner,” Truist Chief Digital and Client Experience Officer Dontá Wilson said.
The naming rights will last more than 20 years.
..And here it is, folks! The @Braves stadium just got its new name. https://t.co/JJJvUf6Qx6 What do you think? pic.twitter.com/kcYMdl7D9q
— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) January 14, 2020
Rebranding everything will take a while. With opening day less than three months away, crews will be tasked with removing and replacing more than 150 signs.
A lot of fans are left wondering why the Braves didn’t rename the stadium in honor of Braves VP and former player Hank Aaron or former player Bobby Cox.
[READ MORE: Braves fans react to SunTrust Park name change ... and the comments aren’t so kind]
A team spokesperson said the Braves and Truist plan to honor Aaron in another way: they’ll renovate a local baseball field each year for the next 10 years and rename it for Aaron.
"We continue to celebrate Hank Aaron in a lot of different ways. Things like statue at the ballpark and all the various areas that we celebrate Hank here,” said Braves CEO Derek Schiller. “Hopefully as early as this year, we’re hoisting that World Series trophy and they’re celebrating here, and they’re saying what a good place Truist Park is to celebrate a World Series victory.”
© 2020 Cox Media Group
