The Grand Junction Rockies, an independent minor league baseball team in the Pioneer League, made the long-overdue decision to rebrand two seasons after losing their affiliation with the Colorado Rockies. The team announced today that it will heretofore be known as the Grand Junction Jackalopes.
The nickname derives from a mythical creature that is equal parts jackrabbit and antelope. While there have been legendary horned mammal mashups in cultures throughout the world, the North American roots of the jackalope are attributed to two teenagers in Douglas, Wyoming, whose experimentations in taxidermy led to the creation of the bunny-pronghorn hybrid in 1932.
The Jackalopes released a guide to the design elements of the new logo, which was created by design Nathan Martinez. The colors include purple majesty, perhaps a nod to their former Rockies affiliation, sky blue and desert sunset. The logo incorporates a lightning bolt, credited in myth for the creation of the first jackalope, as well as references to the grand mesa in western Colorado, a baseball diamond, a wooden sign post, and a lucky rabbit’s foot.
The team announced that it would rebrand after it was purchased by Future Legends Complex LLC, the same organization that as of recently owns the Northern Colorado Owlz (with a Z).
The new brand replaces the Grand Junction Rockies’ identity that was its own mashup of sorts, this one combining the Colorado Rockies and Pizza Hut.
The Jackalopes will take the field for the first time in May, when the 2023 Pioneer League season begins.
