It doesn’t seem like the Chicago White Sox will improve much from their historically poor 2024 season, but they will make a notable change in at least one area.
After eight years of fans complaining and mocking the name of the team’s home base at Guaranteed Rate Field, the White Sox announced the stadium will have a new name: Rate Field. The change coincides with the name change from rights holder Guaranteed Rate to the name Rate, which it announced in July.
The change was announced with the furor of a 10-second video on social media posted at 6:45 PM CT on Tuesday. Notably, the logo for the pitch will still feature a large red arrow pointing downwards, preserving a facet of the name that has been particularly criticised.
The stadium in question was known as Comiskey Park, named after former White Sox owner Charles Comiskey, from its opening in 1991 until 2003, when it became US Cellular Field. That name gave way in 2016 to Guaranteed Rate Field, named after the Chicago mortgage company that paid $2.4 million a year for the rights.
And now the “Guaranteed” is being dropped, which is appropriate because there are no guarantees when Jerry Reinsdorf owns your team.
The White Sox are bouncing back from arguably the worst season in MLB history, setting a league record for losses with a record of 41-121. Every facet of the team was a disaster, from the lowest-scoring offense in the MLB, to the 25th-best starting rotation by ERA, to the third-worst bullpen, to a defense that ranked last in defensive runs saved.
And the team is now in worse shape after trading their only notable player, starting pitcher Garrett Crotchet, to the Boston Red Sox for prospects. At least the team has a new manager in Will Venable, but the leadership remains the same. For now.
