White Sox to change stadium name after 2016 season

The White Sox will change their stadium name to Guaranteed Rate Field after being known as U.S. Cellular Field for 13 years.

At 60-64, things haven’t exactly shaken out for the Chicago White Sox how they had hoped in 2016.

Plenty of inevitable changes are coming for the club, but on Wednesday the franchise signed a 13-year naming rights deal with Guaranteed Rate to change the name of their field, currently known as U.S. Cellular Field, to Guaranteed Rate Field.

The name change will come into effect on Nov. 1, 2016.

“We are pleased to find, in Guaranteed Rate, a new naming rights partner founded in Chicago by Chicagoans, which shares our commitment to the city and to our fans,” said White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf in a statement.

Opened on April 18, 1991, the stadium was known as the “new Comiskey Park” after being built right across the street from the old Comiskey Park. In January of 2003, the park was renamed U.S. Cellular Field after a $68 million dollar agreement was reached with the Chicago-based wireless company.

The stadium name change back in 2003 was met with much criticism from the White Sox faithful, one fan telling the Chicago Tribune, “I don’t like the idea. It will always be Comiskey to me. But the revenue is good. It would be nice to see some tweaks.”

It’s still to be seen how the name change will be taken amongst White Sox fans this time around. However, the name change from Comiskey Park to U.S. Cellular field was much more drastic, since it had been known as the former from 1939 until 1990.

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White Sox manager Robin Ventura is also rumored to be on his way out after the conclusion of the 2016 season, so it looks as though things will be looking and sounding much different for the South Siders in 2017.