More than 100 people gathered Tuesday night at the Ninkasi Brewing tasting room to see the Eugene Emeralds unveil their new logo and color scheme.
The Emeralds, who have called Eugene home since 1969, released a new logo that takes the shape of a neon-green Sasquatch carrying a tree in his right hand.
“We kind of wanted to get away from what the past was and do a completely new rebranding and have our own new identity,” Tyler Tostenson said, director of operations for the Emeralds.
In addition to attendees receiving special-edition pint glasses with the new logo on it, new merchandise ranging from hats to sweatshirts to stickers was also available for purchase.
In order to successfully rebrand the club the Emeralds hired Brandiose, a marketing company specializing in minor-league logos. The first step Brandiose took was to stay in Eugene for five days, attend several Emeralds games and travel around the city getting a feel for what the area was all about.
“They threw around all these ideas from a lawn gnome to all different kinds of stuff, and as soon as they said Sasquatch it kind of stuck with us… We felt like it grasped what Eugene is, it has a very Northwest feel,” Tostenson went on to say.
The new logo and scheme seemed to have an overall positive reception from the fans that came out to enjoy the unveiling in the cold conditions.
When asked about her feelings on the transition, Melissa Nel, a fan of the team said, “I think it’s great, I think it’s new and fresh; I love it.”
The Emeralds play a short-season, single-A year and are an affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Their season goes from mid-June to the first week of September and they play 39 games, half of which are played at PK Park where the team has played since 2010.