Jacobs Field in Cleveland Being Renamed…
According to the AP, Jacobs Field will be renamed Progressive Field under terms of an agreement between the Cleveland Indians and the auto insurance company.
From the Indians.com: Say farewell to “The Jake” and hello to … “The Prog,” perhaps?
Though the edifice is intact and the distinctive elements remain, Jacobs Field — in appellation alone — is no more.
The ballpark on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario streets that has been home to the Tribe since 1994 shall now be known as Progressive Field, by virtue of a 16-year naming rights pact the Indians have made with Progressive Insurance.
The agreement, announced Friday morning, calls for Progressive to pay an average of $3.6 million annually for the naming rights, which will expire in 2023 — the same year the Indians’ current lease agreement with the Gateway Economic Development Corporation runs out.
Progressive is an automobile insurance company with Cleveland roots and headquarters. That hometown connection — to say nothing of the big bucks being doled out — appealed to the Indians.
“Progressive was a company we identified early on [in the process] because of their world scope, the Cleveland base and, frankly, it was a great name,” Indians president Paul Dolan said. “When something looks like it’s going to fit, and it’s a natural thing, it goes pretty well, and that’s how this went.”
Still, it was an arrangement that took time to cement. The Indians had been seeking a naming-rights partner since the end of the 2006 season, when former owner Dick Jacobs’ rights to the name expired.
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