ATLANTA -- The Braves officially bid adieu to the SunTrust Park era on Tuesday morning, when it was announced their stadium will now be known as Truist Park.
Truist Financial Corp. was formed when SunTrust Bank and BB&T merged last summer. So this will essentially be an extension of the 25-year, approximately $250 million deal the Braves struck with SunTrust before opening their current stadium in 2017.
“Part of our success and our ability to be successful long term is that we partner with companies,” Braves president and CEO Derek Schiller said. “That’s what we’ve done previously with SunTrust and now with Truist.”
Though many fans expressed a desire for the stadium name to honor Hank Aaron, this was never a feasible option. The Braves weren’t going to walk away from the approximate $220 million they’ll receive over the next 22 years. As for Truist, the value of this expenditure comes via a stadium name that focuses solely on its company name.
Aaron’s legacy will continue to be honored in the way of a statue outside the stadium and through Hank Aaron Terrace, which will continue to exist beyond the left-field wall. Truist plans to refurbish at least one ballfield in the Atlanta metropolitan area over the next 10 years and place Aaron’s name on each it does so for.
“That’s a great way to celebrate Hank’s legacy and the role Hank has not only with our organization, but with the role of growing the game of baseball,” Schiller said.
The Braves have already started to remove some of the nearly 150 signs in an around the stadium that included the name SunTrust. The most visible signs, like the one above the center field video board and those behind home plate, will be replaced with Truist signage within the next couple months, but construction issues will prevent the removal of all SunTrust signage before Opening Day.