When your team has the longest post-season drought in all of American professional sports, there is little news — short of getting into the playoffs — that will sound like good news. Such was the case for grumbling Seattle Mariners fans on Wednesday as a new name was announced for the ballpark where the team plays its home games.
With splashy, magenta-infused artist renderings of the stadium once called Safeco Field, Bellevue, Wash.-based wireless carrier T-Mobile confirmed that it would be taking over the naming rights for the next 25 years down at the intersections of First Avenue South, South Royal Brougham Way and Edgar Martinez Drive South.
Baseball fans are nothing if not sentimental, even for a team that has never been to the World Series and last played beyond the regular season in 2001. When The Kingdome fell flat in 2000, fans hoped at the time that a modest moniker such as Rainier Field or Mariners Park could be slapped on the stadium that replaced it.
But despite being the House that Griffey Built, in stepped Seattle-based Safeco Insurance for a 20-year agreement with the Mariners, and over time the name grew on fans who came to call it simply Safeco or The Safe. The building’s place as one of the premier baseball stadiums in all the Major Leagues didn’t hurt when it came to fans loving on it.
Seattle is obviously not alone in this new world order where our publicly-funded playgrounds for rich sports ballers are adorned with the names of equally rich corporate entities. Consider yourselves lucky, Chicago (Wrigley Field), New York (Yankee Stadium), Boston (Fenway Park), Los Angeles (Dodger Stadium).
But even though AT&T Park (San Francisco), Petco Park (San Diego), Target Field (Minneapolis) and others are the norm, some fans in Seattle still expressed dismay over the choice on Wednesday.
With a statue of celebrated slugger Ken Griffey Jr. out front, how was Griffey Field not the new name? With a statue of beloved broadcaster Dave Niehaus inside, how was Niehaus Park not the new name? Even Starbucks Grounds or Boeing Field or Prime Park (for Amazon) seemed to gather more corporate steam in the months ahead of Wednesday’s official word.
And so “True to the Blue” Mariners fans — already aching from a season that sizzled and then fizzled, and stinging during offseason “retooling” — were left wondering, “What’s with the pink?” And then they proceeded to tee off against T-Mobile.
Check out a sampling of some of the reaction on social media below:
Me, walking into T-Mobile Park the first time pic.twitter.com/VY1S2nQbHm
— the ninth Octopath Traveler (@gomezdan) December 19, 2018
Dude, we don't want pink lights on our baseball field. Please rethink that. Your name will be out there for 25 years, that should be enough. You are correct, it is one of the crown jewels…treat it as such.
— cassie fritz (@cassiefritz) December 19, 2018
I can't tell you how much I hate this. Please tell me there won't be obnoxious pink light like that. This is a baseball park…
— cassie fritz (@cassiefritz) December 19, 2018
That stadium looks like it belongs on South Beach, not Seattle.
— RAS (@BaltimoreRAS) December 19, 2018
— John McCallum (@johncmack) December 19, 2018
I honestly don’t mind the name. Could have been much worse. Also, they may be playing t-ball there for the next few years anyway so….
— Hjayoh (@hjayoh) December 19, 2018
Looks like Pepto Bismol Park
— riley killip (@k1llip) December 19, 2018
Pepto Park looks amazing!
— Larry Anderson (@visuatek) December 19, 2018
Please don't light it up like that. Huge fail and would definitely take away from the classic retro look of the stadium.
— Nick England (@nceng3) December 19, 2018
— andrew t. lane (@andrewtlane) December 19, 2018
Whatever, change the name but keep the Mariners font and color scheme like the old Safeco signs did, that pink is not a good look
— Tanner Krysinski (@tannerk37) December 19, 2018
Looks like a strip club
— Bill (@Bill2024) December 19, 2018
— Todd Kirk⭐⭐⭐ (@tksaturn) December 19, 2018
No!!!!!!! Always will be the Safe pic.twitter.com/xX3EIsgRx1
— Nick Schaan (@NickSchaan) December 19, 2018