[分享] 小聯盟球隊興起改名革命、發現大商機$$$

The Big Money Behind Minor League Baseball’s Renaming Revolution

小聯盟球隊改名革命背後的商機

https://reurl.cc/z5OxVp

Minor league teams are increasingly doubling down on their regional flare, and it’s leading to huge revenue opportunities. Some teams make millions from the start.

越來越多小聯盟球隊加強在地特色，而這帶來了龐大的商機$$$，有些球隊從一開始就能賺進數百萬美元

The Salem Red Sox and Syracuse Mets don’t have much in common. One is a Low-A team in a 25,000-person town nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of southwesternVirginia. The other is in Triple-A, one step below a major league team in playoff contention, located in a booming college town in upstate New York.

紅襪低A隊伍Salem Red Sox和大都會3A隊伍Syracuse Mets

並沒有很多的共通點

But the franchises face the same issue. Many of their local fans are New York Yankees loyalists who refuse to wear Red Sox or Mets gear. “There’s that rivalry, and they’re not going to be caught dead in a Red Sox shirt,” Salem GM AllenLawrence tells Front Office Sports.

但他們都遇到一樣的問題，就是它們所屬地區都有大量的洋基球迷

所以會對於他們隊名敏感XDDD

直接導致影響球隊周邊販售

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畢竟幾乎一模一樣

The solution: Salem and Syracuse are rebranding so that, in Lawrence’s words, fans “can proudly wear a T-shirt from their hometown team.”

解決方法就是它們都要改名啦

讓這些球迷能驕傲地穿所屬地區球隊的衣服

Like many minor league clubs, Salem and Syracuse are planning names that pay tribute to their local history and culture. Both teams’ GMs say they’ve benefited from having the major league affiliation in their team branding, but now want their fans to have an identity that speaks to their organization specifically.

像許多小聯盟球隊一樣，他們正計劃以隊名向當地的歷史與文化致敬

兩支球隊的總管表示，雖然在隊伍品牌與所屬大聯盟球隊的聯繫有帶來了好處

但他們現在希望球迷能擁有一個更能代表他們球隊本身特色的認同

“We love being affiliated with the Red Sox. It’s one of the biggest brands inthe world,” Lawrence says. “But we felt like it was time for our club to havea new name that’s both unique and distinctive to baseball here in this market,in Salem, Virginia, and southwestern Virginia. … Quite honestly, we probably should’ve done this years ago.”

「我們很喜歡能與紅襪隊有合作關係，畢竟那是全世界最具影響力的品牌之一」

「但我們覺得，是時候讓我們的球隊擁有一個全新的名字了──一個既獨特又能代表Salem、維吉尼亞州西南部，還有這個棒球市場的名字，說實話，我們或許早在好幾年前就該這麼做了」

The increasing quest for hyperlocal branding has led to some outrageous team names. In the mid-2000s through late 2010s, sports-branding firm Brandiose came upwith identities including the Rocket City Trash Pandas, a nod to northern Alabama’s space industry and raccoon population; the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp, highlighting the Floridian fare; and the Akron RubberDucks, honoring the city’s rubber-making history.

對「超在地品牌化」（hyperlocal branding）的追求日益增加，也催生出一些相當誇張的球隊名稱

從2000年代中期到2010年代末，體育品牌公司Brandiose創造出一系列具有地域特色的隊名

包括「火箭城浣熊」（Rocket City Trash Pandas），這名稱致敬北阿拉巴馬州的太空
產業與浣熊數量

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「傑克森維爾巨蝦」（Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp），突顯佛羅里達當地的海鮮文化

https://i.imgur.com/F9Z6kGu.jpeg

還有「阿克倫橡膠鴨」（Akron RubberDucks），紀念該城市的橡膠製造歷史

https://i.imgur.com/EUI8Wmy.jpeg

Behind the fun of regional team names is a real business opportunity. Many of the rebranded teams made at least $1 million in retail sales in the first year after their name changes, Brandiose cofounder Jason Klein tells FOS. The Trash Pandas, initially slated to debut in 2020, raked in $4 million in merchandise salesbefore ever playing a game (their inaugural season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

在這些充滿趣味的隊名背後，隱藏著一個真正的商機，Brandiose的共同創辦人Jason Klein告訴《FOS》

「許多重新命名的球隊，在更名後的第一年，周邊銷售額就突破了100萬美元」

其中垃圾浣熊隊雖然原定於2020年首度亮相，但在尚未打一場比賽之前，就已經創下了400萬美元的商品銷售額（雖然該隊的首個球季因COVID-19疫情被取消）

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While Salem and Syracuse aren’t banking on replicating the runaway success of the Trash Pandas, they’re excited for the boost a new name could provide. “Thehope is that it does generate great revenue and excitement through merchandise and other opportunities, that’s all part and parcel of this rebrand,” SyracuseGM Jason Smorol tells FOS.

儘管這兩隊並不指望能複製「垃圾浣熊」那樣的爆紅成功，但他們仍對新隊名可能帶來的推動力感到興奮

「我們希望這次更名能透過商品銷售及其他機會，帶來可觀的收益與話題，這些都是品牌重塑的一部分，」

Many organizations choose to work with a firm such as Brandiose; Salem used Collegiate Licensing Company. The team first sourced ideas from its staff and key community members before shipping them off to CLC. A common theme was the region’s outdoor lifestyle, Lawrence says. The organization will unveil its new name in November ahead of the 2026 season.

許多球隊會選擇與專業品牌公司合作，例如 Brandiose；而紅襪低A則與 Collegiate Licensing Company（CLC）合作

該球隊首先從內部員工與當地重要社群成員那裡徵集創意

然後交由 CLC進行後續設計

球隊預計將在2025年11月，也就是 2026球季開始前，公布新隊名

Syracuse took online submissions from fans in August, and it will put out two separate ballots in September with the top-10 and then top-5 names. Smorol says he’s received submissions about the salt industry, Syracuse’s inventions including the serrated knife, and the city’s upside-down traffic light.

大都會3A則在8月透過網路向球迷徵求新隊名提案

並將在9月推出兩輪票選活動，先公布前十名候選名稱

接著再從中選出前五名

球隊方面表示，已經收到不少關於當地鹽業的提案，以及與雪城發明相關的名稱──像是鋸齒刀（serrated knife）──還有城市著名的「上下顛倒紅綠燈」

Still, his team has seen a glimpse into what’s possible from having a fun, hyperlocal name on Thursday nights. That’s when the Sox play as the Salem BeerMongers, a tribute to the local craft beer industry first introduced in 2019.

他們也已經看見使用有趣且超在地隊名所帶來的潛力

每逢週四，紅襪低A會以「塞勒姆啤酒商」（Salem BeerMongers）的名義出賽

這是向當地精釀啤酒產業致敬的另類隊名，最早在 2019 年推出

https://i.imgur.com/mNDA0VV.jpeg

“I think we sold merchandise in 40-some states within the first 48 hours, and I said, ‘Wow, this is what having your own identity can lead to,’” Lawrence says. “Being the Red Sox, we just haven’t had a taste of that, because the factof the matter is, if somebody wants to buy Red Sox merchandise, they can go to Fanatics or Walmart or Amazon.”

「我記得當時在推出後短短48小時內，我們就賣出了商品到超過 40 個州」

「那時我心想：『哇，這就是擁有自己品牌身分能帶來的影響力』作為紅襪隊的附屬隊，我們過去根本沒有這樣的機會，事實上，如果有人想買紅襪隊的商品，他們大可以去 Fanatics、沃爾瑪或亞馬遜」

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These mini-rebrands can drive significant revenue for teams across the country,and Klein says the majority of Brandiose’s business is now focused on minor league theme nights with a goal of teams making at least $100,000 in merchandise sales every year from these efforts alone.

這類的「迷你品牌重塑」行動，已為全美各地的小聯盟球隊創造可觀收益

像是Brandiose現在的主要業務重心已轉向這類小聯盟主題之夜

目標是讓球隊光靠這些主題活動的商品銷售，每年至少進帳10萬美元

One team hit the theme night jackpot this summer, albeit in an unusual way. Last Week Tonight With John Oliver offered in May to design a theme night for any minor league team, and chose the Erie SeaWolves among 47 teams who applied for a makeover. On an expedited timeline for a July 19 debut, the HBO show rebranded the team as the Moon Mammoths, after the mammoth bones discovered in Erie County’s Lake Pleasant by resident George Moon in 1991.

今年夏天，有一支球隊在主題之夜活動中意外中了大獎

《上周今夜秀》於今年 5月公開表示，願意為任何一支小聯盟球隊設計一場主題之夜

結果從47支申請隊伍中選中了老虎2A球隊伊利海狼隊（Erie SeaWolves），為其進行大改造

https://i.imgur.com/dMmBugl.jpeg

該節目在短時間內完成準備，並於 7月19日正式亮相，將球隊重新命名為「月亮猛瑪象隊」（Moon Mammoths）──名稱靈感來自 1991 年當地居民George Moon在伊利郡的愉湖（Lake Pleasant）發現的猛瑪象化石

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The SeaWolves received more online orders in July than in the past five years combined. (Disclosure: I also bought gear for my dad’s birthday.) “We’re processing every day what used to be three to four months‘ worth of work, in terms of fulfilling orders,” GM Greg Coleman tells FOS. “I don’t know if I’ll ever e
xperience anything like it in my career ever again.”

伊利海狼隊在7月所收到的線上商品訂單數量，超過過去五年的總和。

「我們現在每天處理的訂單量，相當於過去三到四個月的工作量，」球隊總管Greg Coleman告訴《FOS》

「老實說，我不知道我的職業生涯中是否還會再遇到這樣的時刻」

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Ahead of next summer, several other teams are hoping to build a home run identity like the IronPigs. On top of the Salem rebrand, the Carolina Mudcats are moving 25 miles east to become the Wilson Warbirds. The Modesto Nuts will be replaced by a yet-unnamed team in Ontario, Calif., through a shift in affiliation amongthree different teams. And two other teams are expected to announce new names or logos for 2026 in the coming months, a source tells FOS.

隨著明年夏季臨近，還有多支球隊想要這樣搞

「卡羅來納泥鯰」（Carolina Mudcats）將向東遷移 25 英里

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變身為「威爾遜戰鳥隊」（Wilson Warbirds）

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另外由於三支球隊之間的附屬關係調整，「莫德斯托堅果隊」（Modesto Nuts）將被加州安大略市的一支尚未命名的新球隊取代，據《FOS》消息來源透露，還有另外兩支球隊預計在接下來幾個月內宣布將於 2026 年推出新隊名或新標誌

Landes’s advice to teams taking on a new identity: Be willing to laugh at yourself, don’t get cold feet, and keep it local. “It still needs to be something that’s very unique to your community that they feel a pride in,” he says, “otherwise I think it would be very short-lived.”

「這個名字仍然必須是非常獨特且能讓社區感到驕傲的」

「否則它可能只是曇花一現」

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09/03 09:48