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Since 2002, the Houston Astros had a naming rights deal in place with Coca Cola's Minute Maid brand for their home ballpark. While no corporate branding looks amazing on a baseball stadium, Minute Maid was one of the least offensive matches in the league.
Over time, Astros fans began to affectionately call the stadium "The Juice Box" and it became a fixture in the culture surrounding the team.
However, all of that is set to change starting in 2025. An announcement from the team on Monday confirmed that, starting next season, the Astros' home ballpark will be renamed to Daikin Park. Daikin, an air conditioning equipment manufacturer, signed a 15-year deal for the rights to the name.
The Astros announce Minute Maid Park will be known as Daikin Park in 2025. Daikin develops, manufactures, sells, and supports heating, ventilation, air conditioning, and refrigeration (HVACR) equipment. pic.twitter.com/WywtlrKX6K
— Brian McTaggart (@brianmctaggart) November 18, 2024
Astros home park to be renamed Daikin Park starting with the 2025 season
Houston is no stranger to their ballpark getting new corporate branding. Before their stadium was called Minute Maid Park, their park was called Enron Field before Enron's branding became toxic and the two sides agreed to part ways. That paved the way for a relationship all parties could eventually get behind.
Daikin is an air conditioning company based in Japan, and while Houston natives do enjoy their air conditioning, the branding doesn't immediately resonate in the same way as Minute Maid, which could pose some problems in the short-term.
However, Daikin does have connections to the Houston area, as they opened a technology park back in 2016, and the company could be looking to expand their footprint in the US with the naming rights deal.
Given that the Astros have struggled at times to play well at home, perhaps the name change could help exorcise those demons. What really matters, though, are the financial terms of the deal, and whether or not the deal makes it more or less likely the Astros could invest in their roster going forward. With the offseason heating up, Astros fans will know soon enough if this deal moves the needle at all.
Good news, though. If Aaron Judge struggles to reach the right field seats the next time the Astros' roof is open, he and Aaron Boone will know exactly which air conditioning company to blame it on.