User:GhostRiver/cbp

Citizens Bank Park is a baseball park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, within the South Philadelphia Sports Complex. The home of the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball (MLB) team, it opened on

Planning
By the end of the 20th century, Veterans Stadium, the home of both the Philadelphia Phillies Major League Baseball (MLB) and the Philadelphia Eagles National Football League (NFL) team had fallen into disrepair.

Naming and unveiling
In April 2003, the Philadelphia Daily News reported that Citizens Bank, which already marketed itself as the "official bank of the Phillies", was likely to earn the naming rights to the new ballpark. The rumors were confirmed on June 17, with Citizens Bank paying a total of $95 million to hold the naming rights to the ballpark over 25 years. Only $57.5 million was set aside for the naming rights, while the financial group paid an additional $37.5 million to ensure that no other financial advisers were advertised during Phillies radio and television broadcasts. While both parties had contemplated naming the ballpark "Citizens Park", Citizens Bank chairman Stephen D. Steinour decided to go with "Citizens Bank Park" to give the corporation "the brand identification we need". As the Eagles' new stadium had already been announced as Lincoln Financial Field, while the Philadelphia Flyers and Philadelphia 76ers' arena was scheduled to become the Wachovia Center, this ensured that all major sports stadiums in South Philadelphia would be named after financial institutions.

Ice hockey


On September 26, 2011, the National Hockey League (NHL) announced that the Philadelphia Flyers would host the New York Rangers for the upcoming 2012 NHL Winter Classic, an annual outdoor ice hockey game taking place around the new year. The Winter Classic had previously taken place at other MLB stadiums, including Fenway Park and Wrigley Field, and Citizens Bank Park was selected as the location for the 2012 game. The Winter Classic festivities at the ballpark began on New Year's Eve with the Winter Classic Alumni game, in which Flyers alumni defeated Rangers alumni 3–1.

Democratic National Convention


In February 2015, the Democratic Party chose the city of Philadelphia as the location for the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Prior to the convention, the DNC host committee held a media party for reporters at Citizens Bank Park, featuring culinary stations from a number of local vendors, and multiple entry points were left open for guests to step onto the field, into the dugout, and into the batting cages. Although presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton was scheduled to accept her party's nomination at the nearby Wells Fargo Center, reports arose that Clinton was considering moving to a larger outdoor venue such as Citizens Bank Park or Lincoln Financial Field. These reports were denied by the DNC committee, which told the Philadelphia Business Journal that all events would take place at the Wells Fargo Center.