The Milwaukee Brewers’ Ballpark Will No Longer Be Named After a Brewery

No matter how much you hate Milwaukee’s baseball team (and as a Cardinals fan, I hate them a lot!), you have to admit they have one of the coolest names in sports, the Brewers — a nickname selected based on the city’s prominence in the beer industry. Miller Brewing Company is probably the city’s most famous brand (sorry, Pabst!), so it felt especially fitting that, when the team opened a new ballpark back in 2001, it was named Miller Park. Yes, these big money naming rights deals often result in terrible stadium names — I’m looking at you, TIAA Bank Field — but in this case, Miller Park couldn’t have been more fitting.

But so much for fitting. Yesterday, the Brewers announced that MillerCoors — the brewing giant behind the Miller beer brand — had lost the naming rights to the field. Starting in 2021, Miller Park will be renamed by…. wait for it… an insurance company.

Though the exact new ballpark name has yet to be revealed, American Family Insurance will be the company behind it. To be fair, American Family Field — for instance — would sound perfectly wholesome. Still, nothing will be quite as fitting as Miller Park was. Meanwhile, American Family Insurance has secured the naming rights for 15 years, so unless the insurance company goes belly up, Miller won’t be back in the fold for quite some time.

And yet, Miller — who still has an opportunity to sell a lot of beer to Brewers baseball fans — explained there were no hard feelings. “Late last year American Family Insurance proactively pitched the Brewers an incredibly rich offer for the future naming rights to Miller Park, and we're proud to welcome American Family to the family we've been part of for generations,” MillerCoors told ESPN in an email. “While the name on the stadium will change following the 2020 season, our relationship with the Brewers remains as strong as ever.” Yes, don’t worry, you’ll still be able to pay $7 for a Miller Lite!