r/Cardinals • u/NS_8099 • 8d ago
Ozarks Springbirds
The Springfield Cardinals are officially being rebranded as the Ozarks Springbirds. I love this logo but it seems so similar to the Cardinals that I figured it would be more distinct and different. What are your thoughts?
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u/lonespaz 8d ago
I was thinking they would go with something intentionally goofy and/or weird (like many minor league teams in recent years.)
Somehow, it's unintentionally goofy and weird.
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u/Civil-Shopping7191 IDC McGwire Roided 8d ago
Something on par with the "Sod Poodles" which I always thought was a clever name
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u/mstun3107 8d ago
Ozarks Springbirds does not exactly roll off the tongue
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u/firematika 8d ago
Just “Ozark” would make this so much better
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u/Remarkable_Net8145 8d ago
But then it would get confused with the nearby town of Ozark which the Springbirds don't play
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u/RonnieRizzat 8d ago
Yeah why did they include the "s"??
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u/Triangular_Prisms 8d ago
Ozark is a suburb ten minutes south of Springfield, I have to assume to avoid confusion there.
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u/JoeMcKim 6d ago
And Ozarks allows them to market to the whole region. People going on vacation to Branson can spend one of the days going to a baseball gsme. Springfield is only 45 minutes from Branson.
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u/orthogonian_ 8d ago
Creating and solving a problem that never existed
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u/tangokilo13 masyn winn spell check 8d ago
I think it was a contract/licensing issue that required the change
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u/JoeMcKim 8d ago
They couldn't have the same name as the parent team?
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u/awsomehog Got AAA? 8d ago
Several teams have moved away from copying the parent clubs in recent years. Idk if it’s the latest idea for branding or a league decision or what
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u/Few-Shop-9229 7d ago
I believe it has to do with private companies buying up all these minor league teams. Presumably they’d have to pay the Cardinals to license the name and logo and don’t want to spend
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u/BlueSpotBingo 7d ago
This ☝️☝️ The Louisville Bats were recently purchased by a private company. If that purchase is anything like the Cardinals’, expect more change and likely not for the better.
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u/dhrisc 7d ago
Yeah something like 49 minor league teams (including the Springbirds) are all owned by Diamond Holdings. They are maximizing profits.
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u/BlueSpotBingo 7d ago
49?!?! Oh that's not good. That's not good at all.
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u/awsomehog Got AAA? 7d ago
If it makes you feel better, Diamond Baseball Holdings is at or nearing the limit on teams they can own. MILB is smart enough to have a rule in place that no one entity can own more than X number of teams. Still means almost half the teams in minor league baseball are owned by private equity and that’s scary
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u/BlueSpotBingo 7d ago
When will this country learn that any one entity owning too much of anything is not good?
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u/dedwards024 8d ago
Spring Chickens was right there
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u/JoeMcKim 8d ago
Spring Cashew Chickens
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u/Impossible_Poem9787 8d ago
Pass. What was wrong with the Springfield Cardinals in the first place?
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u/mike_rotch22 7d ago
It's not just Springfield doing this.
Diamond Baseball Holdings now owns like 50 minor league teams and they're rebranding pretty much all of the minor league teams who are named after their parent club. The speculation is so they can have their own merchandise to sell
Salem Red Sox became the Salem RidgeYaks.
Oklahoma City Dodgers are now the Comets.
Syracuse Mets are rebranding as well.
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u/SGT_Apone they don't boo nobodies 7d ago
the private equity firm that bought it doesn't want to pay the Cardinals for licensing fees. i hate it here.
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u/Finrad-Felagund head over heels in Love with Tommy Edman 8d ago
Minor league teams named after major league teams sucks balls, imo. Springbirds is pretty terrible but I would've preferred them to just go in a completely other direction
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u/Chewiesmahdog 8d ago
Not a great sign when the guy doing the announcement says he’s glad he didn’t hear booing after the reveal
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u/Captain_Norris 8d ago
Okay, Springbirds is waaay better than some of the other potential options. I was worried of the 66ers...
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u/nevsollee 8d ago
I really wanted the Cashew Chickens 🫤
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u/SuperCheese1701 7d ago
Love me some Springfield cashew chicken lol. Just looked up the recipe to make it myself.
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u/vacant_refrigerator 7d ago
Honestly this is bad. “(Insert player) got called up to ozarks” just doesn’t sound right. It’s not even different enough from “Springfield Cardinals” to be worth the rebrand.
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u/letmesleep 8d ago
I will not call them the Ozarks Springbirds.
Ozark Springbirds, sure.
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u/0-spacecowboy-0 8d ago
I couldn't call them that if I wanted to. I tried to read it out loud to my wife and it was a real tongue twister.
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u/ProfessorSucc Jedd Gyorko is my Father Figure 8d ago
I get the locale, but why not just the Springfield Ozarks and call it a day
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u/scobbysnacks1439 Bird Law (Kaw Kaw) 7d ago
Then throw some cryptid as the mascot and call it a day. I can not fathom the fact that they actually paid a consultant to come up with this garbage.
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u/BaronvonJobi 7d ago
Thanks, I hate it.
OTOH, I always have to remind myself Springfield is the Missouri one so I understand the Ozarks branding.
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u/Practical-Shape7453 8d ago
That’s pretty bad. I was hopeful for something fun. And this is just not good.
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u/urnialbologna 7d ago
These ho's fucking with my hometown team. They will forever be the Springfield Cardinals to me and I will never call them by their dumb ass new name.
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u/PatMyHolmes 7d ago
Springbirds indicates they'll be done come summer. I want a ball team that will still be good in the fall.
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u/liburIL 8d ago
Ozark makes a ton of sense. Not sure about the Springbirds. Is that some kind of local slang or am I just dense and missing something obvious?
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u/TurnedTheLightsOff 8d ago
nope, it’s just a word they made up because they still wanted springfield in the name and decided springbirds was the best idea they had
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u/cbremer1184 8d ago
Their long time radio broadcaster would routinely refer to the team as the Springbirds. That’s where it’s coming from
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u/RoosterzRevenge 8d ago
Cardfields would have some how been better
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u/JoeMcKim 8d ago
At least the nickname is staying within the theme of the Cardinals brand so you can still instantly recognize it as a Cardinals affiliate.
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u/PBR_ItWonAnAward 7d ago
Unless you’re Peoria. Then you’re the Chiefs with a fire dog mascot. (Although I’m not going to complain because my fun fact is that my grandfather won the contest to name them back in the day. lol)
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u/JoeMcKim 7d ago
Peoria has changed affiliations a few times though. California Angels (1983-1984), Chicago Cubs (1985-1994), St. Louis Cardinals (1995-2004), Chicago Cubs (2005-2012), St. Louis Cardinals (2013-present). So it makes sense for them to not be on the same brand as the parent team.
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u/PBR_ItWonAnAward 7d ago
Yup, and they were the Suns the one year with the Angels. Their manager that one year was actually Joe Maddon as well.
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u/Kitchen_Union7726 6d ago
No it isn't. Springbirds denotes a variety of types of birds, not just Cardinals. It's as bad of a mascot name as the Trash Pandas.
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u/Total_Ordinary_8736 8d ago
I’ve heard them referred to as Springbirds but it’s not like, widely used
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u/NS_8099 8d ago
I’ve never referred to them as that.
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u/melbourne3k 8d ago
I was really hoping for the Springfield Cashew Chickens.
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u/NS_8099 8d ago
That’s the one I’m glad it’s not to be honest.
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u/JoeMcKim 8d ago
Yeah Cashew Chickens is fine as a once a week gimmick for say Friday games. Similar to Palm Springs Cardinals going occasionally as the Frozen Iguanas.
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u/wherethestreet 8d ago
Ozarks is a mouthful. Should have at least made that singular.
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u/Skatchbro 8d ago
Should have gone with The Isotopes.
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u/Dependent_North_4766 8d ago
There is already a minor league team named the isotopes.
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u/Skatchbro 8d ago
Pacific Coast League vs Texas League. Also one is in Albuquerque the other would be in Springfield. Plus, how many college teams are the Tigers? Over 20 by a quick Google search.
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u/Responsible_Fox_5274 8d ago
Hate that ditched the Cardinals name but its not bad. Ozarks for regional, spring(field) for city and Birds for obviously the cardinals
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u/snorlaxatives_69 F The Cubs&Royals 8d ago
The green really threw me off. Thought it was green clouds at first and then I saw the river and figured out it's trees. Could have just left the green out completely.
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u/stlcardinalsfan10 7d ago
A rebrand for rebrand’s sake. So silly. Thought it was April for a moment.
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u/Spiritual-Taste-5524 7d ago
Terrible. Falls off the tongue like that Welsh word no one can pronounce.
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u/Full_Secretary 3d ago
What is a Springbird? I grew up in Springfield and this is not a thing. And the bird logo is just obviously a Cardinal. Are we being Punk’d?
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u/fushigi13 8d ago
Nope. Try again. This is just derpy and other fanbases will let us hear it. I wish we weren’t so uptight and went with Hellbenders.
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u/SuperCheese1701 7d ago
At least they aren't the Ozark Hillbillies or Rednecks
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u/RazorEE 7d ago
Ozark Hillbillies was already taken by Ozark, AR. The Rednecks, however...
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u/Gloomy_Mulberry7834 Number 51 7d ago
Hey, we got the Thrillbillies down in my neck of the woods. I accept the portmanteau compromise.
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u/mindbullet House Divided - KC | STL 8d ago
Springfield Isotopes! It's right there!
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u/DiscoJer 8d ago
The Ozarks part seems unwieldy. Why not just Ozark?
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u/Connect_Orange7140 8d ago
For the region, not the town
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u/DiscoJer 8d ago
Yeah, but it's an adjective in this case. Ozark Mountains. Ozark region. Ozark Mountain Daredevils. Ozark Trail. Ozark Howler.
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u/Gloomy_Mulberry7834 Number 51 7d ago
"Ozark Howler". I checked urban dictionary and was disappointed.
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u/SuperCheese1701 7d ago
Seems to more resemble the logo of the NFLs Arizona Cardinals than the MLB Cardinals.
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u/NakedGoose President of the Ivan Hererra fan club 7d ago
It's fine. Could have been cooler. The logo is actually great tho.
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u/Revolutionary-Rip426 7d ago
I like they kept it “Cardinal-ish” but I would’ve rather just kept Springfield Cardinals and updated the logo/uniforms. I might get one of those hats tho they look clean
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u/jjabramssucks 7d ago
Terrible name. I like the Ozark part, but "Springbirds" does not roll off the tongue. I assume they chose it as a homage to Springfield, but it's a swing and a miss.
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u/RiKuStAr Sell the Team DeWitt 7d ago
terrible tacky high school level logo. terrible name, heehaw ass location of hillbillies. color me surprised
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u/Evo_Shandor 7d ago
Horrible. Just wait. In 2-3 years they will change again so they can cash in on merch sales.
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u/Difficult_Bet3767 6d ago
The marketing team needed to be told NO on this one. They were trying to be clever by tying the whole team name to the city, region, season, and parent club in hopes of letting the team name do the heavy lifting to that end. Instead, the name becomes the buttocks of many-a-joke.
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u/n_LiTn 6d ago
Ozark sounds a lot better than Ozarks with a plural name behind it. Nobody is gonna call them the ozarks springboards. It takes effort to end with and s and begin with another.
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u/TheSocraticGadfly Glenn Brummer 5d ago
The "Springboards" instead of "Springbirds" does sound good.
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u/First_Ad_6664 6d ago
Lex Luther should have left it alone will always call them Springfield Cardinals springbirds what a joke
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u/IsTheBlackBoxLying 8d ago
Ozarks Springbirds is a pretty terrible name, that's a fugly ass logo and this is not a good idea at all.
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u/BurnesWhenIP 8d ago
Call me underwhelmed at the name