Poultry is a big deal in Arkansas. According to Farm Bureau Arkansas, poultry is the largest agricultural product in the state, and the industry accounts for a quarter of all jobs in Arkansas. This is in large part to the existence of Tyson Foods, Inc., which is headquartered in Springdale, Arkansas, home to the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
Poultry is such a big deal in Springdale, when the Naturals debuted in 2008, the close second choice in a name-the-team contest was Thunder Chickens, and the team has even played a few “What Might Have Been” games with that moniker since then.
This season, the Naturals offer a twist on their alternate fowl-based identity, and will play two games as the Growlin’ Chickens. They’ll wear a two-toned cap that has a gold crown with scarlet visor and buttons, and jerseys with red with gold pinstripes and the Northwest Arkansas Growlin’ Chickens logo.
The Growlin’ Chickens will take the field August 9 and 10 in games against the Tulsa Drillers.
