In 2002, when starry eyed recent college graduates Jason Klein and Casey White of Plan B Branding visited Tulsa, Oklahoma, on a research trip for one of their first projects, the spectacular view from their luxurious accommodations gave rise to a minor league baseball brand that has endured for more than a decade.
Category: The Story Behind the Nickname
Feeling Blue: The Story Behind the OKC Dodgers
There are few trends in sports more pronounced than minor league baseball teams abandoning their parent club’s brand in favor of a unique nickname appropriate to the local community. So shortly after the 2014 season, when the Oklahoma City RedHawks announced that they would take on the name of their
Gimme Some Fin: The Story Behind the Daytona Tortugas
For 22 seasons, the Florida State League was home to the Daytona Cubs. But after the 2014 season, when Chicago switched its High-A affiliate from Daytona to the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, the team in Daytona signed on with the Cincinnati Reds and started the process of developing a new identity. “We
Where the Teams Have No Name: The Story Behind PRO Rugby
In five American cities, anonymous rugby teams are taking part in a unique sports experiment this year. It’s not just that the Professional Rugby Organization (PRO Rugby, for short) is a league of professional rugby union teams—something rare enough in the United States. It’s that the five teams are playing
If Pigs Could Fly: The Story Behind the Texas AirHogs
When the Grand Prairie AirHogs debuted on May 8, 2008, against the Saint Paul Saints, their unusual name warranted an explanation in the game’s media notes. The AirHogs, a brand-new independent franchise based in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, were visiting Minnesota to take on one of the American Association’s classic teams, the Saints,
Back to the Salt Mines: The Story Behind the Lincoln Saltdogs
The city of Lincoln, Nebraska, has a lot going for it. With a quarter-million residents, it’s the state capital (its skyline is highlighted by the nation’s second-tallest capitol), it’s home to the University of Nebraska, it hosts an expanding tech industry, and it’s named for a president who guided the United
Nothing Normal about them: The story behind the Cornbelters
Stretching across the plains of the midwestern United States, you’ll find a part of the continent defined in many ways by its most prominent crop. Last year, four states produced more than a billion bushels of corn each: Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska, and Minnesota. “They refer to it as the Corn
Pilot Episode: The Story Behind the Lakeland Flying Tigers
In March of 1941, the US was not yet officially involved in World War II—that would come in December after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Despite their official neutrality, though, the Americans were sending supplies to allies like Britain, Russia, and China. With China on the cusp of succumbing to Japanese invasion, one
The Iconic Silver Fern of New Zealand: The Story of the All Blacks
I recently returned from New Zealand, a nation known for its sweeping landscapes, its creative methods of killing invasive rats, and, of course, its imposing and wildly successful rugby team. New Zealand is a place where the question of visual identity and national branding has been on the forefront of the
Wicked Curve: The Story Behind the Corpus Christi Hooks
Corpus Christi, Texas, sits on the Gulf of Mexico, where recreational and commercial fishing are a big deal. So when you look at the identity for the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks, the connection to fishing is obvious. And indeed, if you call up the Hooks and ask them about the
The Malty, Mountainous Tacoma Rainiers: The Story Behind the Nickname
If you’re not familiar with the history of minor league baseball, and, more importantly, beer in the Pacific Northwest, then the nickname for the Triple-A franchise in Tacoma, Washington, seems to be about as straightforward as they come. The Rainiers’ name is obviously inspired by Mount Rainier, the tallest mountain
Cool Cats: The Story Behind the Sacramento River Cats
In the course of writing this series, I have been surprised on many occasions to learn of connections between the names of sports teams and their home towns. So when I called up the Sacramento River Cats to learn the story behind their nickname, I was expecting to find that