• Loading stock data...
Friday, October 31, 2025
Want a chance to win $250 and free FOS gear? Take our quick reader survey. Take the survey here

The Total Takeovers That Transform Minor League Teams for a Night

Lumberjacks, steamed cheeseburgers, thunder chickens: How teams build outrageous alternate-identity nights.

Rich Paul
Exclusive

Rich Paul, Max Kellerman in Talks for Show With The Ringer

"The Ringer" sold to Spotify in 2020.
Read Now
October 31, 2025 |

For back-to-back home games in early April, the Cleveland Monsters will turn into the Cleveland Pierogies Hockey Club. 

When the team, which is the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets, hits the ice at Rocket Arena, players will don jerseys featuring a skate-wearing, stick-wielding, anthropomorphized pierogi. Digital arena signage will be updated with a new team logo, a half-eaten pierogi in the shape of a C. Instead of the Monsters’ usual black and blue, the primary colors of the Pierogies will be the red and white of the Polish flag.

“We went as far as creating a mascot,” Monsters CMO Ben Adams tells Front Office Sports. “We’re working on finding a good pierogi suit.”

For minor league outfits across several sports, the calendar is reliably crammed with run-of-the-mill theme nights celebrating local heritages, raising awareness for social causes, offering sponsored giveaways—whatever puts more butts in seats and helps bring in precious revenue. The Monsters, for instance, held a promotional “Pucks and Pierogies Night” in 2024 in tribute of the city’s historic Polish population, offering special ticket packages that came with a limited edition T-shirt declaring “PUCKS & PIEROGIES: That’s what Cleveland does!” and selling freshly fried batches of the doughy Polish dumpling at concession stands during the game.

But teams are increasingly going bigger with “alternate identity nights,” as Adams calls them, defined by a total (albeit temporary) rebrand that demands an all-hands-on-deck effort from the front office. “It’ll touch ticket sales, merchandise, game presentation, every area of the business,” Adams says. “It’s one of those nights that’ll take a couple months to develop.”

In Double-A baseball, the Erie SeaWolves have doubled as the Erie Pepperoni Balls, the Akron RubberDucks as the Akron Sauerkraut Balls, the Wichita Wind Surge as the Wichita Chili Buns, and the Somerset Patriots as the Jersey Diners. Last year, the G League’s Cleveland Charge were recast as the Cleveland Rocks, complete with a pet rock mascot. Earlier this month, nodding to the Springfield Isotopes baseball squad from the fictional city of Springfield in The Simpsons, the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds morphed into the Ice-O-Topes for a fifth straight season.

While an eye-catching logo or a funny name can lead to fleeting internet fame, the point of these alternate identity nights isn’t to go viral—rather, as with minor league sports in general, it’s all about the live experience. “We want you to walk in and know that you’re at a Cleveland Pierogies game that feels different than anything else we’ll do for the rest of the season,” Adams says.

Fans can’t seem to get enough. In addition to this season’s Pierogies turn, the Monsters have annually played as the Cleveland Lumberjacks since 2023, teleporting back in time to adopt the identity of the city’s former International Hockey League franchise, which ran from 1992 to 2000. During the most recent “Lumberjacks Weekend,” held Jan. 31 to Feb. 1, the team’s per-night attendance was 15,569—up 42.3% from its current season average. 

“Whenever we go all in on theme nights,” Adams says, “we see it pay off across the board.”


For clubs adopting a new identity, the transformation often starts with settling on a name and creating a logo.

In 2017, the Double-A Reading Fightin Phils played a game as the Reading Whoopies in showcase of the whoopie pie dessert, which reputedly hails from Pennsylvania’s Americana region. The event caught the attention of a fellow Eastern League team, the Hartford Yard Goats, whose business and marketing staff soon began conceiving their own version of a locally inspired food moniker.

“The first thing that came up was pizza, the second was lobster rolls, the third was the steamed cheeseburger,” Yard Goats president Tim Restall tells FOS. And so, the following year, the Yard Goats took the diamond as the Steamed Cheeseburgers, representing the Connecticut invention—a meat patty that’s steamed instead of grilled—with an image of a steaming-mad burger mascot on their jerseys and hats with a wraparound design that made it look like players were sporting buns on their heads.

“Alternate identity is the catchphrase, but really it’s a chance to highlight something from the community that the team’s going to play for,” Restall says. 

This baseball season, as the result of another staff-wide “brainstorming session,” Restall says, the Yard Goats will adopt two interim identities: the Thunder Chickens (a nickname for wild turkeys, of which there are tens of thousands in Connecticut, owing to the thunderous gobbling sound they make), and the Leaf Peepers (after the countless foliage-gawking tourists who flood the state every fall). For the latter, Restall adds, “We probably went through 10 different versions of the logo before we found the one that we like.” 

But the work behind staging a successful short-term rebrand extends far beyond figuring out the look and lettering of what fans will see on the field. “From that point, you go into merchandise, social media planning, how you’re going to market the team,” Restall says. “Then all the other things that can go around the experience at the ballpark.” Along those lines, as the Yard Goats drew inspiration from an old state blue law—banning the sale of pickles that don’t bounce—to become the Hartford Bouncing Pickles in 2023, stadium vendors offered, among other briny snacks, pickle-flavored cotton candy.

It all adds up to a process that is far from business as usual. Then again minor league sports is anything but a usual business. On one hand, budgets and staff sizes are significantly smaller than those of their major league counterparts. On the other, despite these limited resources, the creative freedom to stretch the limits with offbeat marketing campaigns is often much greater.

“When you have 69 home games and you’re trying to create smiles on fans’ faces every single night, this is just another unique way to do it,” Restall says. “We all play baseball, but in the major leagues, there’s a different emphasis. For us, it’s more about the fan experience.”


Embracing local eccentricities is one way to engage potential ticket-buyers. The Huntsville Havoc of the independent Southern Professional Hockey League took things further in 2022, letting fans vote on the team’s name for a game. The winner was the Madison County Mystery Booms, a reference to the explosive sounds often heard coming from the Alabama region’s U.S. Army base.

Today the Havoc continue to schedule numerous promo nights for which players wear specialty jerseys—including, among others this season, ones highlighting Peter Pan, the Grateful Dead, and outer space. But the team hasn’t executed a wholesale identity change since then.

Cleveland Monsters
Cleveland Monsters

“I wouldn’t say we’ll never do it again, but it’s just something that we haven’t felt the need or desire to do recently,” VP of marketing Clay Gully says. “We still change it up, like giving our [wolf] logo a badge and a bandana for ‘Scout Night.’ There’s definitely pros and cons, and we just see more pros from keeping our current brand in there and having fun with it.”

Because the change lasts for only a night or two, alternate identities typically don’t run the risk of incurring fan blowback—or, in the case of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Single-A affiliate last year, finding out that the team’s new name carried a sexually racy double-meaning—the way permanent rebrands can. Rather, the biggest realistic downside is that the new concept simply fails to resonate with fans, that the limited-edition juice isn’t worth the months-long squeeze.

Not every idea goes over well internally, either, especially with those whose identity is actually changing. “There’s times when players and coaches will be like, ‘This is the most hideous shirt I’ve ever worn,’” Restall says. “I think the steamed cheeseburger was the least popular. The Leaf Peepers jersey is busy, all different-colored leaves. I’m looking forward to hearing what they think of that.” 

Best-case scenario, though, the concept catches fire, strong ticket sales follow, and special-run merchandise flies off the virtual shelves at the internet team store, altogether strengthening the club’s actual brand. Game-worn theme uniforms are typically auctioned off for charity, another key indicator of a successful alternate identity night. “If we have a jersey we’re auctioning, I can tell how good it is because players will ask if their parents can bid on it, or if they can keep it,” Restall says.

Monsters skaters will soon receive their dumpling-clad Cleveland Pierogies game attire, at which point Adams expects an uptick in fan and media attention focusing on the transformation. “People really start to engage with the night once you start to see the jerseys,” the CMO says. 

But that is merely one of many details that need to be finalized before early April. To that end, Adams reports that “our retail team just found some pierogi foam hats, which I’m really excited about. It’s trending towards being a big weekend for us.”

He adds, “Makes it easier to justify all the time spent on changing your identity when you get a couple games out of it, too.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

Oct 13, 2024; Chicago, IL, USA; Susanna Sullivan of the United States of America finishes seventh in the Chicago Marathon at Grant Park

More Races, More Money: The New Calculus for Pro Marathoners

More races per year mean more money—but the math isn’t simple.

LSU Officials Vow Stability: ‘Not Broken’ With Coach and AD Gone

Officials announced a search committee and tried to correct the record.

Frozen Frenzy Ratings Climb 20% Despite Scheduling Complaints

The hockey event posts a 20% viewership bump, despite World Series competition.
Oct 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) pitches during the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game four of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium.

Shohei Ohtani Card Market Is Surging—With No Signs of Slowing

Cards have spiked hundreds of thousands of dollars from their initial value.

Featured Today

September 21, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium

NFL Fall Meeting: 7 Big Topics Among Team Owners 

Media, facilities, and labor highlight some of the key areas of concern.
Ohio State Buckeyes running back Isaiah West (32) runs the ball in the second half at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025 in Madison, Wisconsin
October 25, 2025

NIL Has Birthed a Third-Party Cottage Industry—and It’s a Mess

There’s no limit to how much players can make from NIL deals.
Christie's
October 21, 2025

Lou Gehrig’s $4M Jersey and the Exploding Sports Memorabilia Market

An ultra-rare sports collection is about to hit the auction block.
@chef__tezz/Instagram
October 19, 2025

Inside the NFL’s Private Chef Network

Private chefs are the unsung architects of player performance.
Oct 30, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) walks off the field after a win over Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium.

NFL Fines Ravens $100K Over Lamar Jackson Injury Violation

Jackson missed Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury.
Oct 23, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Utah Mammoth center Logan Cooley (92) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against the St. Louis Blues during the first period at Enterprise Center
October 29, 2025

Cooley Signing Adds to Utah’s Pursuit of Early NHL Success

In its second season, Utah is committed to winning as fast as possible.
Oct 29, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter looks on in the eighth inning between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium.
October 30, 2025

NBA Approves Mark Walter As New Lakers Owner

Walter has turned the Dodgers into a powerhouse.
Sponsored

How HOKA is Reimagining the NIL Relationship

On Location is redefining the Olympic experience by creating lasting connections beyond the Games.
October 27, 2025

Dodgers Depth, Blue Jays Glue Guys Are Defining the World Series

Yamamoto, Smith, and Glasnow are playing key roles for MLB’s top spenders.
October 26, 2025

Blue Jays’ World Series Run Is Just Part of Rogers’ Big Sports..

Buying more MLSE equity and a recapitalization of sports assets are planned.
Fred Warner
October 25, 2025

Most of the 49ers’ Record Cap Number Isn’t on the Field

The 49ers are winning despite ranking 31st on spending on active players.
Oct 23, 2025; Toronto, ON, Canada; Signage in place on the dug out before game one of the World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
October 24, 2025

World Series Viewership Will Be Different This Year

The Canadian presence in the World Series creates a unique viewership situation.