The High A Rome Braves has announced that it is taking input from fans as a first step in its efforts to announce a brand new name, logo, and team identity after 20 years of being the Rome Braves.
So why would a Braves’ affiliate dump the Braves’ brand it has used since its founding to adopt a new name and logo? It’s usually a matter of finances, which is why rebrandings are so common.
For decades, many around the minors have believed that the Braves were leaving revenue on the table by opting to keep their MiLB teams tied to the big league club’s name and branding. Eventually the Gwinnett Braves, the team’s Triple-A team, did rebrand as the Gwinnett Stripers, but the Double-A Mississippi Braves and the High-A Rome Braves have remained tied to the big league club’s name, logo and coloring.
While the Braves’ brand is quite strong, Braves fans are more likely to purchase Atlanta Braves gear rather than Braves’ gear of an MiLB affiliate. MiLB teams with distinctive names, colors and logos have always sold the most merchandise.
When the Braves owned these MiLB affiliates, the decision on whether to rebrand or remain with the Braves’ identity was a decision for the Braves ownership to make. Braves do not own their MiLB affiliated teams. Diamond Baseball Holdings, the largest owners of MiLB teams, purchased all four of the Braves’ full-season affiliates in December 2021.
The new Diamond Baseball Holdings will likely increase revenue through a rebrand, which would include increased sales of hats and shirts in Rome, as well nationally. So that’s the logical reason why we’d see DBH looking to change the brand of a team that has held that identity for the past 20 years.
The post Rome Braves to Adopt New Name and Logo appeared first on College Baseball – MLB Draft – Prospects – Baseball America.
