Seattle on Safeco Field name change: Meh

Safeco Field, the home of the Seattle Mariners, will be getting a new name. Safeco Insurance and the ball club said they’re ending their agreement.

It doesn’t sound like people in Seattle are too concerned about the name change.

“If it’s something that reflects the Seattle city a little bit more then people might actually prefer it,” Carl Brozek said.

“It’s going to be weird because we all know it as Safeco, and it’s just going to be strange that we’re getting a whole new stadium name,” Judy Sitero said.

“It’s all corporate sponsorship and corporate branding," Eric Schwab said. "So, I don’t think that people of Seattle probably have an emotional affiliation with the name.”

Safeco began as a Seattle-based insurance company in the 1920s.

In 1998 they formed a naming rights agreement with the Mariners. It was worth $40 million and lasted over 20 years.

Safeco said they’re not renewing it because they’re changing their marketing approach. So, who’s on deck?

“There are a handful of companies that we’ve reached out to already," said Rebecca Hale, a spokesperson for the Mariners. "It’s very early in the process — again, we’ve got about a year and a half to go before the current agreement expires.”

Safeco’s agreement with the Mariners ends after the 2018 season.