MiLB Teams Use Alternate Identity Rebrands To Boost Fan Interest, Increase Sales

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Minor league teams used to goose merchandise sales and fan interest by undertaking a rebranding.

Have a logo that’s a little old in the tooth or a tad stale?

No problem. Hold a contest to rebrand the team, which gets some local attention. Winnow down to a few names, one of which is so outlandish that you make fans upset that you are even considering it.

Then you select a tamer, but still slightly edgy or off-the-wall nickname guaranteed to get some fans to complain about how you’ve harmed your legacy. Sometimes, you pick a name that was never made public.

After a few days of modest outrage, most everyone decides they like the new logo and nickname, and the team rakes in the increased merchandise sales, while also hopefully bringing more fans to the park, spurred by the offseason discussion that drove brand awareness.

There’s only one problem with the rebrand plan. You only get one shot. So choose wisely.

While rebrands usually do wonders in the short term, whatever new identity a minor league team picks is something they are going to have to live with for years.

And some teams have a brand so iconic that they are never going to change. The Toledo Mud Hens have been the Mud Hens for more than 125 years. Don’t expect the Durham Bulls to take down the “Hit Bull, Win Steak” sign anytime soon either.

In the 2020s, however, we are deep in the age of the alternate identity, which allows teams to get the best of both worlds. They keep their long-time brand, but now they can also grab attention, merchandise sales and a bit of fun by embracing an alternate identity for a few games a year.

It’s like getting the sugar high from a tasty desert without having to worry about the calories. Teams can be more daring and more innovative because the change isn’t permanent. It’s a temporary tattoo that can be washed off in time for your next homestand.

There’s a healthy debate about who rolled out the first alternate identity, but it’s safe to say that the Fresno Grizzlies’ alternate identity of the Fresno Tacos helped pave the way in the mid 2010s.

Soon, almost every minor league team in the country realized that the alternate identity unlocked all kinds of benefits.

“If you’re a regular team, how many posts am I going to make all year that will be seen nationally and internationally,” Winston-Salem Dash general manager/president Brian DeAngelis said. “How many opportunities will I have to sell merchandise in all 50 states? This gives you a chance to try something new.”

The Dash have the Hooch Pooches this year, but in 2023, they rolled out the Hype Hens, which proved to be one of the best selling minor league hats that season.

So this year will see the Binghamton Bathtub Donkeys, Hartford Thunder Chickens, Hickory Goat-Karts. The battle for cutest dog logo will be held between Arkansas’ Barkansas Dizzys and the equally adorable Hudson Valley Retrievers.

These alternate identities have ranged from a chance to honor a local star—Round Rock has turned into the Ryan Express 34’s. It can be anything a team can imagine.

Wisconsin has been the Supper Clubbers, featuring a classy drink in a tuxedo, and will now be the slightly-less-upscale Frozen Pizzas.

Food is a key part of alternate identities. There have been the Peoria Pork Tenderloins, the Maine Whoopie Pies, the Reading Flapjacks, Rochester Plates—it’s a regional delicacy, not just a plate—Round Rock Briskets, Nashville Hot Chickens, Memphis Dry Rubs/Wet Ribs, Springfield Cashew Chicken, Wichita Chili Buns, Wisconsin Brats and Omaha Runzas just to name a few.

This year, Fayetteville will honor the nearby Army base with the Fayetteville Black Ops and the Eighty Deuces, which is an homage to the 82nd Airborne Division.

There are opportunities to honor Negro League teams, like the Durham Black Sox, Akron Black Tyrites and Dallas Black Giants. And there are alternate identities for the 95 teams participating in Copa de la Diversión.

And then there are the one-offs that probably wouldn’t work for a full season but are perfect for one night. The Pensacola Mullets, Hickory Dickory Docks and Eugene Exploding Whales are probably best in limited exposure, but you will see mullet hats all around the country.

It’s also something that teams can sell. Last year, Oatly sponsored an alternate identity for every team in the minors, as the Malmo Oat Milkers were the alt identity of each and every full-season club at some point in 2024.

Not all alternate identities work. DeAngelis thought he had a winner when Winston-Salem rolled out the Flights—a nod to the “First In Flight” motto of North Carolina as well as a chance to tie in flights of beer—but it fell flat.

If its had been a rebrand of the team, it would have been disastrous. As a temporary alternate identity, it just meant it was time to go back to the drawing board, which led to the Winston-Salem Hype Hens.

The door has been flung wide open. Minor league teams get to flaunt their creativity with alternate identities in a way never before possible. And at this point, they are unlikely to ever go back.