Caps, logos and the aesthetics of baseball

While baseball teams have plenty of crass commercialism in the names of their arenas and stadiums, at least the uniforms aren’t sullied by corporate logos as they are in other countries.

Over at ESPN.com, Jim Caple laments that major league baseball team logos are becoming more corporate, blander and not nearly as much fun as some of the old cartoon logos of yore. Until reading Caple’s piece, I hadn’t looked at logos from that perspective. And I think he’s dead on.

Caple ranks the logos of all 30 Major League teams, with the Mets at the top with their classic blue and orange skyline view of New York encircled by a baseball. Last on Caple’s list is Cleveland’s Chief Wahoo logo for the Indians, which I summoned up the nerve to slam in my first post on this blog nearly three years ago.

He also mentions his ambivalence toward the old Milwaukee Brewers blue and yellow M&B “mitt” logo, which he says was either very clever or too clever. My feeling, exactly. (And I’m not crazy about the shock of wheat on the Brewers’ current cap. In principle I’m fine with a reference to beer for the Brew City’s team, but the shock of wheat is just a bit too specific to Miller Brewing Co. for my tastes.)

Caple also tosses in a delightful of surprise for this central California baseball fan, citing the Modesto Nuts’ logo as something superior to the Houston Astros’ logo.

Baseball is a business, and the teams have the right and the obligation to position their brands in the marketplace. A stylish logo or uniform won’t get a team any extra runs late in the game, but it can help bring a few extra fans through the turnstiles to root for the home team.