It's the norm in American sports for stadiums to change names as new corporate sponsors get in on naming-rights deals. But for some stadiums, they have the same name for so long that it becomes part of the local vernacular.
In Detroit, Comerica Park was certainly one of those stadiums. And to make matters worse, its new name will be among the worst stadium names across all of the major sports.
The Tigers announced on Monday that Comerica Park — which had been the stadium's name for its entire 26-year history — will be renamed to Fifth Third Park starting in the 2027 season (if that happens). A merger between Comerica and Fifth Third finalized earlier this year, and Fifth Third plans to phase out the Comerica brand in the coming months.
The result:
A fraction is now sponsoring a baseball stadium.
The Detroit Tigers will now play at Fifth Third Park. It had been named Comerica Park since it opened in 2000
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) September 21, 2026
(via @BradGalli) pic.twitter.com/7pdBWvE2x1
I have a hard time believing that people in Detroit will actually call it anything other than Comerica Park. It's the same way Acrisure Stadium still goes by "Heinz Field" to everyone in Pittsburgh.
But we can understand why fans were upset with the name change. It's just bad.
How social media reacted
Such a downgrade https://t.co/wMoZNUXUI2
— Honolulu Blues (@HonoluluBlues_) September 21, 2026
yeah cool i’m not calling it that https://t.co/69edsEm5B6
— steph (@LNW1NGS) September 21, 2026
I’d say “it sounds like a minor league stadium name” as hyperbole, but it wouldn’t even be that.
— Benson (@Miggysbat) September 21, 2026
There’s literally already been a minor league stadium with this name. Fitting. https://t.co/rS9pni2b1K
this could have been an email https://t.co/yAUn9u7BuR
— brendan ඞ (@t0rktanks) September 21, 2026
Yeah, no. I will still be calling it Comerica. https://t.co/00AewYequr
— Lexi 🏴☠️ (@GoBlueLexi117) September 21, 2026
We’re still calling it comerica park https://t.co/28vxEAwqFj
— Gino (@WildWildWeston_) September 21, 2026
https://t.co/Z6wfnfds0O pic.twitter.com/NkACcpvuw9
— Professor Henry F. Trenches (@tinylittlehomie) September 21, 2026
That can’t possibly be the real name https://t.co/8EoXSAttXq
— Rob Silver (@RobSilver) September 21, 2026
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Fans immediately hated the new name for the Detroit Tigers' stadium
