The Tampa Tarpons Win Logomania

For the second year in a row, a first-year design has captured Baseball America’s Logomania crown. In 2017, the Brandiose brainchild New Orleans Baby Cakes ran away with the win. This year, the Tampa Tarpons torched the competition in the finals and took home the trophy.

The Tarpons’ logo is a refreshed version of the team’s former identity from 1957 through 1987. To bring that name back to life, Tampa turned to Dan Simon of Studio Simon to bring a new twist to an old favorite.

The Tarpons announced their name change on the first day of the Winter Meetings. Unlike most other rebrands in recent memory—save for the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp—the Tarpons’ news came completely by surprise, without any fan vote or buildup on social media.

That doesn’t mean it was done hastily. In fact, the decision to change from Yankees to Tarpons started around this time last year.

“They chose Tarpons because they felt that it gave them the best opportunity to achieve two things that they wanted,” Simon explained last year after the name was first announced. “Number one, of course, was to give the team its own unique identity. They also wanted to connect with the people and community in Tampa as well as to reconnect with the rich history of baseball in Tampa.”

They also joined a growing list of franchises to divorce themselves from their parent club’s nickname. The Binghamton Mets became the Rumble Ponies. The Reading Phillies became the Fightins. The Gwinnett Braves became the Stripers.

Doing this allows themselves to establish their own identity and, even more important, their own lines of merchandise. If fans want to represent the team, they can’t throw on the parent club’s gear and rock it just the same.

Now, after getting 27,714 votes in their favor, the Tarpons can call themselves by another name: Champions.