Erie SeaWolves chosen to be rebranded by John Oliver’s “Last Week Tonight” – SportsLogos.Net News

Erie SeaWolves mascot C. Wolf with John Oliver. Via MiLB

British-American comedian John Oliver took the Minor League Baseball world by storm earlier this month when his HBO show “Last Week Tonight” delved into the wonders of Minor League Baseball. The 11-minute segment highlighted the Lake County Captains’ Roto Rooter Toilet Row, the El Paso Chihuahuas’ full dog face alternate jerseys, and the mere existence of the Rocket City Trash Pandas. Oliver brought the house down with his promise to devote his show’s creative efforts to rebrand one team.

“We are willing to use all our resources and stupidity to give one Minor League Baseball team a total rebrand,” said Oliver. “We will give you a new team name, a new mascot. We will even throw you a theme night. It will be personalized and it will be bespoke.”

Forty-seven MiLB teams submitted proposals to the show, including justifications for why they should be selected. From that list, Oliver and team picked the Erie SeaWolves, Double-A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers in the Eastern League. Per reports, they beat out the likes of the Lake County Captains, Amarillo Sod Poodles, Quad Cities River Bandits, Eugene Emeralds, and Fredericksburg Nationals.

The most compelling case the SeaWolves made for their submission is that they are called the SeaWolves, but they do not play near the sea.

“That’s a problem, Erie,” Oliver said. “We can help you fix that.”

Another reason the team offered is that the president and CEO of their town’s convention and visitors bureau, VisitErie, is also named John Oliver.

While unique rebrand offer came with strict caveats from Last Week Tonight—“You can’t ask us any questions, give us any notes, and you have to do what we come up with”—Major League Baseball has the final say, so any proposed rebrands would have to meet with league approval.

The SeaWolves have gone by their current name since 1995, though their suite of logos has changed several times. The current iteration, created by Studio Simon, debuted in 2013.

There are a lot of hurdles to clear before the new brand becomes a reality, but if the show, the team, and MLB can navigate this course, John Oliver’s promise will come true: “Congratulations to the SeaWolves, you’re about to be called something else.”