Branding for Joplin, MO’s club in the upcoming independent Southwest League has been unveiled, as the team will be known as the Joplin Miners.
On March 21, team officials narrowed the submissions down to six finalists; Tornadoes, Twisters, Miners, Jacks, Phoenix and 66ers. The name “Miners” received a majority of the votes from over 700 submissions.
The name ties into Joplin’s baseball past, as the Joplin Miners played for 49 seasons between 1902 and 1954. Baseball Hall of inductees Mickey Mantle and White Herzog played for Joplin. Mantle played for the Miners in 1950 at the age of 18 years old. In April 1920, Baseball Hall of Fame inductee Ty Cobb and his Detroit Tigers played an exhibition game against the Miners at Joe Becker Stadium.
After early Joplin teams played in 1887 and 1891, the Miners began play in 1902 and were a consistent franchise for the next 50 years. The Miners played in the Western Association (1934–1954, 1922–1932, 1905–1911, 1914), the Western League (1917–21, 1933) and the Missouri Valley League (1902-04).
The Miners were long time affiliates of the New York Yankees (1946–1953; 1935–1942). They were also affiliates of the St. Louis Browns (1933), Boston Red Sox (1934) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1954).
The Southwest League Miners will play at Joe Becker Stadium which underwent a $4.7 million reconstruction in September, 2014 which saw the installation of new lighting and fixed seating for 2,400, renovation of restrooms, locker rooms, and team dugouts, plus the addition of concession stands, merchandise sales space, luxury suites and modern ticket booths.
Since the Miners name was submitted by multiple people, team personnel drew one name from all of those submitted and drew one winner. The winning name was submitted by Lee Ann Koehler who won season tickets for life from the Miners. “I am just so thrilled that Joplin Miners will be playing at Joe Becker again”, stated Ms. Koehler. “Joe Becker is a historic ballpark and I think we should stick with the historic name. It is associated with great players like Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford among others and I think it would get more people enthused to attend the games with that association. I was fortunate enough to see Mickey Mantle hit a home run out of that park and I know I would be excited to see a team with the same name playing there again”, stated Ms. Koehler.
“We love the name and the logo”, stated Mark Schuster, SWL President. “It was clear from the first time I visited the market that people wanted the Miners name for their team. We’re thrilled to have the community so engaged in the process of choosing the name.”
The new franchise’s color scheme is anchored by Navy Blue. This hue reflects the primary color of the original franchise’s parent team – the New York Yankees. This main color is complimented by (Vegas) Gold – the color of championship rings and trophies – and Silver – the color of Zinc, which was the prominent element that miners excavated for in the early days of the Joplin community.
An athletic-looking, left-handed-swinging player is the focal point for the brand of the Southwest Missouri ball club. This moon-shot-launching team representative doubles as a mine worker within the conceptual theme – with his pickaxe bat and illuminated, protective helmet.
The custom, stenciled “Miners” letterset, and coordinating numbers, serve as a blue-color reminder to represent the hard-working people of the Tri-State area, while giving the identity a fresh, clean look that builds on the athletic font of the original ball club.
The Miners will be known as the Joplin Jacks on Sunday games. The term “Jack” is slang for zinc that was mined in Joplin. The name “Jacks” received the second highest number of votes during the contest.
Route 66 plays a definitive roll in the set of franchise graphics. This important visual element in the Joplin team identity reflects the location of the organization as it rests along the most famous stretch of highway in our great country. A backdrop element for the ball club’s Primary Mark, and the conceptual theme for the squad’s Batting Practice cap and jersey, the well-known shape is used to drive-home the connection between the famous roadway and Miners’ Baseball.
The team coloring and branding was created by Beam Team Design and its creator, Alan Beam. Beam Team Design is a Dallas-Fort Worth-based design firm that specializes in branding, logos, and graphic design. BTD has worked with many corporate, educational and athletic clients – supplying them with customized designs that were created via complete, thorough creative process.
The Miners join the Waco BlueCats and the Royse City Griffins in the Southwest League of Professional Baseball which will play a 112 game schedule with 56 home games and 56 games on the road. The remaining three inaugural members of the SWL will be announced by July 1, 2018.
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