Baltimore’s Baseball Uniforms Get Out-of-Town Identity

Our local baseball team, the Baltimore Orioles, has finally done the right thing concerning the name on their away uniforms. For years, the Orioles have been one of the few major league teams that don’t show their city name on their away jerseys. The thinking was, so we were lead to believe, that a sizable portion of the fan base viewed the Orioles as a “regional” team and having “Baltimore” on the front of the baseball uniforms may alienate fans in the surrounding areas who don’t consider themselves from Baltimore.

The Nonsense

This was nonsense of course. A good, quality, well-marketed professional sports franchise will attract fans from hundreds of miles; regardless of the name that’s on the front. It took several years after the Nationals began playing in Washington for Orioles management to realize that they were actually alienating their core fans. In an effort to reinvigorate their once impressive attendance, the Orioles brass is nowfocusing on the little things that the fans seem to care about and having “Baltimore” on the away jerseys is a good first step. Personally, I couldn’t care less what name is on the front of the team’s jerseys. I am much more concerned with the quality of play on the field. From a business point of view however the decision was a no-brainer. Baltimore fans are notoriously paranoid and have a decades old self-esteem problem; especially when it pertains to sports. The overwhelming majority of them seemed sincerely offended that the Orioles did not represent Baltimore when away from home. A simple decision like this can go a long way to restoring the once fervent passion of the fan base.

A New Age

In the early 90’s, with a new ballpark and a competitive team a ticket to Camden Yards was the toughest ticket in town. After a decade of down years however, steps like these are not just good business but necessary steps in reclaiming the place the team once held in the hearts of the fans. Feel free to drop me a line with your take on this positive step forward.