Brian in Boston

Johnson City's Appalachian League team has been rebranded as the Doughboys. The new identity was inspired by a statue - The Spirit of the American Doughboy - that sits just behind the team's home stadium, TVA Credit Union Ballpark. It's also a nod to the Johnson City Soldiers teams that represented the community for ten seasons in the Class D Southeastern (1910) and Appalachian (1911-13, 1921-24, 1937-38) Leagues. 


 

7 hours ago, Darknes said:

So my question is will there be any Portuguese teams in the Iberaliga? I mean with a name that references Iberia which does include Portugal

While, today, the Iberian Peninsula references the landmass that is home to Spain, Portugal, Andorra, Gibraltar, and a bit of France, its name is derived from ancient Greek (Iβηρ, or Iber) and Roman (Hiberus, or Iberus) names for what is now known as the Ebro River. Said waterway is located entirely in Spain.

"One of these things is not like the others... one of these things just doesn't belong..."

 

Wow! The Wild Bills logo is rough. It really stands out amongst the Wild Wild West League marks... and not in a good way. 

On 10/13/2020 at 9:28 AM, Brian in Boston said:

Should Honey Hunters be chosen as the name, Brandiose is more likely to give us an identity package revolving around this mascot...

 

I called Brandiose using a Honey Badger as the mascot in conjunction with this name three months ago.

You just know that the gang at Brandiose has been waiting to create an identity around this "crazy, nastyass" animal since it burst on the scene in a viral video ten years ago. Played out a decade later? They "don't give a **** !"

The logos are sharp. At least with the honey badger, the trademark Brandiose mascot side-snarl is fitting.       

I suspect that someone has already mentioned it elsewhere on the boards, but on the outside chance that the idea hasn't been raised, the Rose Bowl really should have recolored the flower in its logo to yellow for this year's game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Outstanding update! A perfect balance has been achieved between maintaining those design elements that speak to the Hudson Valley Renegades' brand history and integrating aspects of the Yankees' storied visual identity. Typically terrific work from Dan and Studio Simon.   

2 hours ago, CaliforniaGlowin said:

I just saw this.  New team in Spartansburg SC needs a name.  Watch they'll be called the Spartans.

That's unlikely. While Spartanburg has been the home of minor league baseball teams dubbed the Spartans in the South Carolina League (1907), the Carolina Association (1908-11) and the South Atlantic League (1922-39), most people in the region now associate said identity with the athletic programs at the University of South Carolina Upstate. 

51 minutes ago, TBGKon said:

If I recall correctly, this stadium was originally supposed to be a new Patriots stadium (in another form) prior to Gillette Stadium being thought of.

You're close. The 68,000-seat stadium that was to have played host to the New England Patriots and the University of Connecticut's football team was going to be built on a site in  downtown Hartford that is now the home of the Connecticut Convention Center. The UConn Huskies' current football home - 38,066-seat Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field - is located across the Connecticut River in East Hartford, a 3.5 to 4-mile drive from the proposed stadium's location.    

The American Association of Professional Baseball - an independent minor league circuit that was founded in 2005 - has unveiled a new league branding package. The change marks the circuit's first rebrand since its inaugural season in 2006.

Primary Mark


Secondary Mark


Tertiary Mark


Word Mark


The family of marks was created by Portland, Oregon-based Baseballism, "a premium off the field brand focusing on the class, tradition and history of baseball". The American Association had announced a formal partnership with Baseballism the day before introducing its new league brand.

"A new look and feel for the American Association was long overdue, and to be able to work with a company like Baseballism to make it happen is very exciting as we move into a new era as a Major League Baseball Partner League. This logo brand signals a new vision for the league and will appeal to a younger demographic. The logos are clean, modern, and a fitting visual representation of the professionalism of our league, our players, and our organizations. It's a look we think our fans will embrace and look forward to seeing it on the field in our stadiums in 2021." - Joshua Schaub, American Association Commissioner

  

Independent minor league baseball's American Association has unveiled a new league branding package.

Primary Mark


Secondary Mark


Tertiary Mark


Word Mark


The family of marks were created by Portland, Oregon-based Baseballism, "a premium off the field brand focusing on the class, tradition and history of baseball".

 

"Mr. Cameron... we have the attorneys for Rip Taylor's estate on line 1. They say that if we're going to use their late client's likeness as the inspiration for our primary mark, the panther has to be wearing a toupée. The mustache alone isn't going to cut it."

3 hours ago, DEAD! said:

Then again, Toronto's sports teams have not had much of a tradition of 'T' logos 

 

I was speaking, specifically, to the history and tradition of the Argonauts. Why should the Argos' decisions on any aspect of their branding be dictated by what the Blue Jays, Maple Leafs, Raptors, Toronto FC, or other pro sports franchises in the market elect to do? The Argonauts' history and tradition began establishing itself before that of any of the other pro sports teams that now call the market home.

4 hours ago, Gothamite said:

The only thing better would be swapping out the A for a T.  

 

City initials > nickname initials. 

The primacy of the A in Argonauts' logo history speaks to the team's roots. It was founded as a subsidiary of the Argonaut Rowing Club in 1873. In fact, the rowing club owned and operated the team until it was sold to independent operators in 1956. It was referred to as the Argonaut Rowing Club football team, the A.R.C. football team, and the Argonaut Football Club for its first decade of operation. It wasn't until the early 1880s that the place name "Toronto" was first used as an identifier for the team, and even then only informally. Argonauts or Argos was the preferred sobriquet, as there were other Toronto-based teams competing in (rugby) football competition that utilized the city's name in their identity. Hell, the only Ts that appeared in the team's logo for over a century were the pair in the "Pull Together" slogan.

History & Tradition > any city vs. nickname initial debate     

17 hours ago, WSU151 said:

Pretty clever how they made sleeve stripes look like waves!

Provided they were to bring those sleeve stripes back as something more than a design feature on an alternate jersey.

Beyond that, the aesthetics of the wave stripes in the logo are just awful. Line weights don't appear uniform and things get particularly sloppy where the stripes taper to a point at each end of the waves. I understand that there are those amongst sports logo enthusiasts who believe that the ultimate branding achievement for a professional sports franchise is to adopt a primary mark that can be easily replicated by a child on the cover of his school notebook. While that's all well and good, the actual logo the pro team uses shouldn't look as though it were created for them by a sixth grader goofing off in social studies class.            

I want to love it, but I can't help but see a personalized handkerchief affixed to a whoopee pie... that's being studied by four 18th century long-handled quizzing glasses... that are emerging from a dollop of the original blue-and-white Aquafresh toothpaste.

In all honesty, my primary problem is with the rendering of the oars and the waves. There's something that's always struck me as being "off" about those elements in the logo and this version doesn't solve the issue. Also, this is the CFL - that football needs stripes.

Off the top of my head, I'd suggest Milwaukee Hogs or Milwaukee Iron. The first references both the Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson, Inc. and the fact that the sport of football is played with a piece of equipment colloquially dubbed a "pigskin". The second also pays homage to Harley-Davidson's history in the city, and recognizes that American football is  contested on a field dubbed the "gridiron" by players who are "armored" in protective gear including helmets and pads.


I like Louisville Thunder or Kentucky Thunder for a franchise based in the Bluegrass State's most populous city. The name is a tip-of-the-hat to the sound of thoroughbred hooves thundering around the track and down the stretch at Churchill Downs, as well as the annual Thunder Over Louisville fireworks display and airshow.

27 minutes ago, QCS said:

If we're splitting hairs like that, than the Braves should have four cities: Boston, Milwaukee, Atlanta, and Cumberland, their new home. I know you're joking, but for accuracy's sake I'll chime in.

While I was having a bit of fun, I wasn't really "splitting hairs". The franchise that is today's Dodgers did play in three different cities, as Brooklyn wasn't consolidated into the City of New York until 1898. Further, Bloomington and Minneapolis, Minnesota are two distinct municipalities within the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metro Area. 

As for "accuracy's sake", I was going to cite Cumberland, Georgia... but it isn't a city. It's a community improvement district within Cobb County. Whatever the hell that is.      

19 hours ago, mrcubfan415 said:

There have been three MLB teams that have based in three different cities over the course of their franchise history:

 

- Braves (Boston, Milwaukee, Atlanta)

- Athletics (Philadelphia, Kansas City, Oakland)

- Orioles (Milwaukee, St. Louis, Baltimore)

Technically, both today's Dodgers and Twins franchises could be added to the list. 

Brooklyn / Los Angeles
City of Brooklyn (1890-1897)
City of New York (1898-1955)
City of Los Angeles (1956-present)

Washington / Minnesota
Washington, D.C. (1901-1960)
City of Bloomington (1961-1981)
City of Minneapolis (1982-present)
 

The new Butte, Montana-based team in the summer collegiate Expedition League has settled upon an identity: the Mining City Tommyknockers.



Tommyknockers are gnome-like creatures that originated in the folklore of Cornwall, England. Cornish miners claimed that tommyknockers were humanoid creatures - not unlike leprechauns or brownies - who lived deep beneath the earth. Dressed in clothing that mimicked that of the garb sported by human miners, these imps were thought to manifest their existence in a couple of different ways. First, miners claimed that mischievous tommyknockers were responsible for stealing any tools, personal items, or food that might go missing in the mines. More importantly, the creatures were said to knock and hammer on the walls of mines to signal that a shaft or tunnel was about to cave in. If miners hearing the sound - actually the creaking of timbers and shifting of earth - escaped such a collapse, the tommyknockers were said to be well-meaning. However, if a particular mine saw numerous collapses that resulted in death or injury, the tommyknockers therein were thought to be in a malevolent mood, usually brought about by the presence of miners who doubted in their power or refused to believe in them at all.

Garnering 72% of the votes cast, Tommyknockers bested Blasters, Powder Monkeys, Prospectors, and Ridge in the final round of the ballclub's "Name the Team" campaign. 

The logo was designed by Jason Stemm of Stemm Creative.           

On 10/22/2020 at 7:27 AM, DustDevil61 said:

... by showing restraint.

Only in a world where the Brandiose design team collaborated with the Worcester Red Sox on nine jerseys and seven ball caps can a mere five ball caps be regarded as restraint. 

That said, I  love the place-name change, the primary and word marks, and the redesigned mascot crab. The crab with baseball stitches is solid, though it looks like it was torn from a completely different identity package and wedged into this brand. The sunglasses? Too much going on... particularly the forced 'JS' and 'BC' in the corners of the lenses. 

   

The only other team I can remember using the name was the Manchester Millrats / Saint John Mill Rats. The franchise played three seasons in New Hampshire (2007-08 in the American Basketball Association and 2008-09 and 2009-10 in the Premier Basketball League) before relocating to Saint John, New Brunswick. After spending the 2010-11 season in the PBL, the team became a founding member of the National Basketball League of Canada in 2011. Prior to the start of the 2016-17 NBL Canada season, the Mill Rats rebranded as the Saint John Riptide.


 

The summer collegiate Prospect League's Johnstown, Pennsylvania-based expansion team has settled upon an identity - the Mill Rats.

According to Bill Davidson, one of the team's owners, "We wanted a name that had not been used before, a name that reflected the character and the resiliency of the Greater Johnstown region. That's how we landed on the name Mill Rats. It pays homage to the history of Johnstown, obviously a strong mill town and steel industry. A rat is a notoriously tough animal. We wanted something that was tough and resilient, but also something that people could be proud of. It's a combination of history as well as resiliency."

 Per the team's general manager, Brennan Mihalick, 350 people submitted ideas in the initial phase of the ball club's "Name the Team" contest, with 250 people casting votes in the final stage. Apparently, more than half of those voting selected Mill Rats over the four other finalist identities.

5 hours ago, GDAWG said:

What would the mascot be for Gastonia Uppercuts?  A boxer doing an uppercut?

Most likely a porcine mascot depicted as a boxer. After all, the promotional copy accompanying the Uppercuts identity suggestion includes lines such as, "destined for the slaughterhouse", "this underhog", "we wouldn't suggest betting against us - just ask the butcher", and "we're fed up of that old, tired underhog label".

In fact, based upon the marketing speak accompanying each identity, it can be surmised that a Fire Ants identity would feature depictions of the namesake insect; the Hogzillas brand would revolve around a monstrous wild boar/pig; the Honey Hunters name would be paired with images of a small, scrappy, and aggressive burrowing creature; and the Hotshots' logo package would see axe-wielding cottontail rabbits garbed as smoke-jumping firefighters.         

On 10/10/2020 at 9:19 PM, CaliforniaGlowin said:

Here's the perfect mascot for the Honey Hunters.

Should Honey Hunters be chosen as the name, Brandiose is more likely to give us an identity package revolving around this mascot...

 

On 10/4/2020 at 9:38 PM, Chromatic said:

Well, if nothing else, Saanich's old logo answered the question, "What if Sir Cedric Hardwicke had been cast in the 1970s 'Keep America Beautiful' television public service announcement over Iron Eyes Cody?"