KEVIN McALPIN
ATLANTA, Ga – Tuesday morning, the Braves unveiled the new name and logo for their ballpark. Effective immediately, the facility formerly known as SunTrust Park is now Truist Park, following the recent merger between SunTrust and BB&T banks. Fans should expect to see the rebranding starting soon, including ballpark signage, which will begin in the coming weeks.

“It answers a question that had been coming up consistently since the bank created the name Truist” said Braves President Derek Schiller. “Obviously we’ve got the season coming up, we needed to get this out there because there’s a lot of changes we have to do in advance of the season” Schiller added.

While some fans had hoped the new name would include the legendary Hank Aaron as part of the facility, the Braves are doing something to honor The Hammer’s legacy in and around metro Atlanta. Over the next ten years, the club is committed to refurbishing at least one baseball or softball field per year, which will be named in honor of the legendary Home Run King.

Originally signed over four years ago with the former SunTrust Bank, the club is set to receive a reported $10 million dollars per year from the bank for the naming rights of the facility over the life of its’ 25 year contract. Schiller noted that part of the reason the club has had the ability to be successful over recent years is it’s ability to partner with companies such as (the former) SunTrust. While the announcement and new name may have sparked some backlash over social media on Tuesday, at the end of the day, it’s just a name. And the Braves hope to hoist a World Series trophy as soon as this coming October in their state of the art facility, now known as Truist Park.

Kevin McAlpin has covered the Braves since 2012 for @680TheFan and the @BravesRadioNet