Original Article biz journals.com
American Family Insurance, the new naming rights sponsor of the Milwaukee Brewers home ballpark, revealed Thursday the new logo for the stadium, which will be renamed American Family Field starting Jan. 1, 2021.
The logo, which uses the Brewers team colors, features the ballpark’s roofline along with the American Family roofline.
In January 2019, Madison-based American Family Insurance signed a 15-year naming rights deal for the Brewers’ home field. The company’s deal would take effect in 2021, once the current deal with Molson Coors Brewing Co. expires.
MillerCoors inherited the sponsorship in 2008 when the company was created by the 2008 merger of Miller Brewing Co. and Coors Brewing Co. Miller Brewing acquired the naming rights ahead of the stadium’s debut in 2001, agreeing to pay more than $40 million over 20 years for the naming rights.
The value of the naming rights deal between the Brewers and American Family has not been revealed. AmFam also owns the naming rights at the Brewers spring training complex in Arizona called American Family Fields of Phoenix.
At the ballpark, the new logo will be seen above the main fan entrance facing Interstate 94, on the major free-standing sign adjacent to I-94, and on top of the scoreboard. The signs will be illuminated. The timing for installation is still being determined.
AmFam and the Brewers worked with Salt Lake City-based Infinite Scale on the new logo. Infinite Scale also worked with the two parties on the new stadium name. Other sports venue projects worked on by Infinite Scale include Target Field in Minneapolis and Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Officials with AmFam said merchandise featuring the new logo will be available soon.
Jack Salzwedel, American Family chair and chief executive officer, said the new logo is part of the company’s overall strategy to become more visible in Milwaukee. That strategy includes opening a new building in downtown Milwaukee, a joint $200,000 donation with the Brewers to Milwaukee Public Schools, and being a main sponsor for the Summerfest music festival. The company also recently joined the Milwaukee Tech Hub Coalition.
“Milwaukee is a critical market to us, in particular for talent that we’re looking to hire over the next five to 10 years,” he said. “These investments are our long term (strategy) and we view them that way and we think that long term. The name of the field and the logo will wear very well in Milwaukee, and that’s our hope. ”