Though the Pawtucket Red Sox (Class AAA; International League) have not finalized branding that will take effect with an upcoming move to Worcester, three trademarked names could represent potential options.
The PawSox will spend the 2019 and 2020 seasons at Pawtucket’s McCoy Stadium, before moving to Worcester and opening the city’s Polar Park in 2021. It has not been uncommon to see references to the Worcester Red Sox, or WooSox, since the team’s plans to move were announced last summer, but it has never been assured that the team will formally adopt that name. The team announced last fall that it would begin accepting suggestions for a new Worcester name, and the Worcester Business Journal reported Wednesday that the organized filed trademarks in February.
Those trademarks were for the names Worcesters, Ruby Legs, and Wicked Worms. Two names–Worcesters and Ruby Legs–have links to Worcester’s baseball past, and all three could be intriguing options for the soon-to-be rebranded and relocated franchise. However, the PawSox are emphasizing that no final decision on a Worcester name has been made. More from the Worcester Business Journal:
Trademarks for those three names for clothing branding and “entertainment services in the nature of baseball games and exhibitions” were filed with the U.S. Parent and Trademark Office by the team in February.
At least two of the possible names, Worcesters and Ruby Legs, refer to late 1800s baseball teams from Worcester….
Dan Rea, the team’s executive vice president of real estate development and business affairs, said the team is still considering different options for the team nickname after soliciting suggestions from baseball fans in Central Massachusetts.
“We have made no final determinations of any kind, but have been looking at different options that have resonated to some degree in fan plan sessions, meetings with various members of the community, and informal conversations,” he said.
In theory, all three or some combination of those identities could be included in a future name-the-team contest. Construction on Worcester’s upcoming Polar Park, named as the result of naming rights from Worcester’s Polar Beverages, is constructed to begin this summer in anticipation of a 2021 opening. The ballpark is envisioned as the anchor a larger redevelopment initiative in the city’s Kelley Square/Canal District area.
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