The Miami Marlins unveiled a new logo and color scheme utilizing Miami Blue, Caliente Red, Midnight Black, and Slate Grey to mimic Miami’s vibrant nightlife.
The Marlins got a face lift. Say goodbye to the bright orange uniforms that the team sported since moving into their new ballpark in 2012.
“It differentiates the past, the present and the future,” said Derek Jeter, chief executive officer of the Marlins. “It’s reflective of the Miami culture. We tried to capture the energy and diversity of Miami.”
In this next chapter- looking ahead. #OurColores pic.twitter.com/v9DIrqp94o
— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) November 15, 2018
Miami Blue Cool
Team owners Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter are looking to distance themselves from the past. The losing past. The Marlins have not made the postseason since 2003. Instead of opening the pocketbook to lure free agents, the Marlins opted for a clever marketing promotion and rebranded the team’s logo and colors to reflect more of the local scene.
According to the official statement, “The logo and colors aim to capture the rich baseball history, diversity, and energy of the area. The pairing of Miami Blue and Caliente Red pop off of the base color of Midnight Black, energizing the script and giving the logo an electric and vibrant look emblematic of the Miami energy and nightlife.”
“These are Miami’s colors,” Jeter said in the press conference. “Go around and look at the skyline, you look at some of the cultural flags, and these are the colors that are in it. So we think we did a great job of capturing that.”
Teal was considered in the reconfiguration because fans preferred the color from their original uniform.
“We thought about it but we wanted to move forward as an organization and not necessarily look back. We know how special it is,” said Jeter. “There’s a lot of winning history with those colors. But we wanted to move forward.”
This is our town
This is our team
And these are #OurColores pic.twitter.com/vCDxCeSOpY— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) November 15, 2018
Four Uniforms
If you don’t have a marquee player with a popular jersey to sell, you might as well revamp the entire uniform. It’s a popular tactic among teams that struggle to win consistently.
The team revealed four different sets of uniforms: white, black, grey and blue. All four are currently available for sale online and at merchandise shops in Miami. Depending on the color, the word “Miami” is featured across the chest for two uniforms. The grey road uniform features “Marlins” in script. The fourth, Miami Blue version, sports the new logo over the heart.
The Marlins began as an expansion club in 1993, but under the moniker the Florida Marlins, even though the team was house in the Miami area. The team colors were predominately teal, much like the Miami Dolphins.
In 2012, the team moved into a new stadium, Marlins Park, and rebranded as the Miami Marlins. The updated logo at the time featured an M (for Miami) and a marlin.
Jeter Era in SoFla
Derek Jeter and hedge fund manager Bruce Sherman purchased the Marlins in August 2017. Jeter only owns 4% of the actual team, while Sherman owns the rest. Sherman installed Jeter as CEO and head of day-to-day operations of the ball club.
Jeter was not at his new job very long before he made instant headlines when he arranged a trade with his old team, shipping out all-star slugger Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees. Although Stanton needed to be traded, many critical fans thought Jeter gifted Stanton to his old team.
Jeter played his entire career with the Yankees and won the World Series five times over his storied 20-year career. In the history of the Yankees, their iconic uniform have never changed from its white uniforms with thin blue pinstripes and simple road grays.
Worst Attendance in MLB
The Miami Marlins went into this past season as the consensus worst team in the National League. With a bad team, the Marlins suffered with the lowest attendance in major league baseball last season with approximately 811,000 total attendees. Attendance dramatically dropped off 50% from the previous season when they had with home run champ Giancarlo Stanton.
The Marlins always struggled to bring fans to the park. In 2003 during their World Series championship season, the Marlins barely cracked 1.3 million in attendance.
The rebranding of the logo and introduction of “Miami colors” is designed to attract a new wave of fans, while trying to appeal to long-time Miami residents.
The new logo and marketing campaign is specifically targeted to Miami’s Hispanic community. The hashtag #OurColores has been prominent on Marlins’ social media since the news broke. The Miami Marlins tweeted, “This is our town. This is our team. And these are #OurColores.”
“We want this to represent a new beginning,” Jeter said.
