There’s a name for the new Texas-based independent Atlantic League team: the Sugar Land Skeeters, who will begin play at a new $30-million ballpark in the Houston suburb beginning in the 2012 season.
“I think the entry forms said it best. It just sounds like a fun minor league baseball name for this region,” said Matt O’Brien, president of the Sugar Land Skeeters. “With each day moving forward our Sugar Land Skeeter brand will become synonymous with professional baseball and affordable family fun.”
You can view the logosheet here in JPG format.
The new identity honors the community’s rich sugar heritage. A fun, determined Skeeter lancing a baseball is the centerpiece of the identity, which includes Texas and sugar cane imagery. Fans will also enjoy an “SL” cap logo and the team’s official “Skeeters” lettering, both made of sugar cane. The team’s sleeve emblem showcases the Skeeter flying over the state of Texas marking Fort Bend County with its proboscis. The work is by Plan B. Branding.
Rawhide Yellow, Imperial Blue, Refinery Red and Nighttime Black make up the club’s new official colors. The Skeeters are the only professional sports team to have these team colors. The team will unveil their new uniforms for the 2012 season at a later date.
The new ballpark will be built by the city with a $30 million budget (funded by economic-development funds; no general tax revenues will be used to fund the facility) and operated by Opening Day Partners, the same group that already owns and operates several other Atlantic League franchises (Lancaster Barnstormers, York Revolution, Southern Maryland Blue Crabs). The Skeeters will be part of an Atlantic League expansion to Texas.
RELATED STORIES: First look: New Sugar Land ballpark; Three finalists named in Sugar Land name-the-team contest; New Sugar Land franchise launches name-the-team competition ; Atlantic League to expand to Sugar Land; Will Astros relent on affiliated team in Sugar Land?; It’s official: Montgomery County, Ventura Sports release details on new ballpark/retail complex; Ventura Sports, Montgomery County sign MOU for new ballpark; Sugar Land approves MOU with Opening Day Partners; Sugar Land, Opening Day Partners negotiating new-ballpark deal; Sugar Land seeks proposals for ballpark; The latest from Omaha: Stein to rethink Sarpy move; Wolff loves a 24,000-seat ballpark; Today’s big ballot issue: new ballpark in Sugar Land
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