Madison-based American Family Insurance made “an incredibly rich offer for the future naming rights of Miller Park” and MillerCoors will no longer be the stadium’s naming rights sponsor after the end of the 2020 season, the Chicago-based brewer said in a statement Tuesday.
The Milwaukee Brewers have a press conference planned for this afternoon for a “major business announcement.” BizTimes Milwaukee media partner WISN-TV Channel 12 will carry the announcement live on its website at 2 p.m.
“Late last year another Wisconsin company, American Family Insurance, proactively pitched the Brewers an incredibly rich offer for the future naming rights to Miller Park, and we’re proud to welcome American Family to the family we’ve been part of for generations,” the MillerCoors statement said.
A spokesman noted that MillerCoors was not ending its sponsorship of the team; rather the Milwaukee Brewers had opted to sign with another company. The spokesman added that the Brewers recently came to the company to say they had a lucrative naming rights offer once the current deal expires.
In 1996, Miller Brewing purchased the naming rights for Miller Park through the 2020 season for $40 million.
The company statement did not say how much American Family is offering. American Family and the Brewers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The name change follows a similar pattern to the sponsorship for the Brewers’ Famous Racing Sausages. Klement Sausage Co. had long sponsored the mascots but last year the team switched to Johnsonville Sausage after the Sheboygan Falls-based company made a larger offer.
Tom Danneker, chief executive officer of Klement, said the company was not given a chance to match the deal offered by Johnsonsville and the team moved on with a new sponsor.
In the case of MillerCoors, however, it appears fans should continue to expect to see the brewer’s products in the stadium.
“While the name on the stadium will change after the 2020 season, we fully expect Brewers fans inside and outside the stadium will continue to celebrate every home run and every strike out with one of our beloved brands,” the MillerCoors statement said.
