Atlanta Braves Logo: History, Meaning, Best Branding Practices

atlanta braves logo
Image source: SpotsLogos

The Boston Red Stockings, a professional baseball team from the United States, were founded in 1871. Many years later, the team relocated to Atlanta and adopted the moniker “Atlanta Braves.” Currently, Liberty Media owns the Major League Baseball franchise, which plays in that league. The Milwaukee Braves baseball team was replaced by the Atlanta Braves after they relocated to Atlanta in 1966. The Atlanta Braves utilized a very similar logo in the beginning, but over time they created their own brand identity. The Atlanta Braves may have one of the most passionate histories of any baseball team in the world. This is reflected in their logo, which has changed more than 20 times over the years to reflect each important change in the team’s history.

Read further for more information about the Atlanta Braves.

This club’s logo has changed 29 times, making it extremely unclear. The team’s relocation, the franchise’s renaming, the resolution of racial disputes, the change in ownership, modernization, revitalization, etc. are the causes. The club was founded in 1883, so this process took a long time and involved many different factors. Additionally, there are a variety of choices for thematic blocks, including variants with a letter designation, text, an image of a member of America’s indigenous population, and a prehistoric ax. They came in the form of round signs, brass knuckles, portraits, monograms, and arched inscriptions. The logo was then given some dramatic alterations. As a result, a red tomahawk tied with a yellow thread first appeared in the 1990s. This rendition is still valid.

In 1987, the text’s color scheme and font were updated. The word “Braves” appears in handwritten form on the contemporary logo. The branded “e,” whose design deviates from the norm, is noteworthy. The capital “B” is separated from the other characters by a small amount, and the other characters are related to one another and written in a convoluted manner. A tomahawk, a representation of America’s original people, is displayed beneath them. Its upward-pointing tip resembles the letter “s” in shape. Strong ties to earlier generations are shown by the yellow thread. On a white backdrop, each component is painted red and surrounded by a dark blue border slightly wider than the tomahawk.

The iconic part is the prehistoric hammerhead. The right side of the logo is located beneath the word “Braves” and consists of three parts. The first is the handle. It is flat with an oval-shaped rounding at the end and a yellow base stripe. The second kind of blade features a cutting part and a tip made of stone. She has carved features that are distinctive and resemble quick strokes. The third thing is the cord that connects these parts. Every turn follows a particular pattern.

The text is another crucial element of the emblem. The word “Braves” at the top of the emblem takes up half of its space. It seems handwritten and features streamlined lines and curved transitions. All the letters are connected, with the exception of the initial capital. One distinctive feature of the typeface is the lack of an upper clearance at the “s.” In other words, there is no obvious loop. Also quite inventive is the “e,” which, despite being lowercase, is spelled as a capital “E.” The logo’s primary colors are white, navy blue, and deep crimson.

Atlanta Braves Logo History

The MLB includes the professional baseball franchise known as the Atlanta Braves. The team is based in Atlanta, Georgia, and represents the NL’s East Division. The group was established in 1883. The club was started even earlier, in 1871, when most of its members were playing for the Cincinnati Red Stockings, which no longer exists. Arthur Soden is its original owner.

Up until 1909 inclusive, he was in charge until selling George and John Dovey. Up until 1910, their family ran the franchise. She then transitioned quickly between owners, not remaining for a lengthy time. The team belonged to William Hepburn Russell from 1911 to 1912, James Gaffney from 1912 to 1915, Percy Haughton from 1915 to 1918, and George Grant from 1919 to 1922. Around the middle of the 20th century, more important businesspeople like Emil Fuchs, Bob Quinn, and Lou Perini, who ran the club until 1962, showed up.

More Detail

A Chicago-based team headed by William Bartholomay purchased it from Perini. Mayor Ivan Allen Jr. erected a new stadium in Atlanta in an effort to draw Premier League players. The then-Milwaukee-based Atlanta Braves team instantly expressed interest. She was given permission to move in 1966. Ted Turner, the owner of the WTBS radio station, purchased the franchise in 1976. He proved to be very astute, using athletes to advertise his cable network. The billionaire declared the team will be sold in December 2005, and the Braves Liberty Media Group bought it in February 2007. She is now her property.

The team underwent multiple changes before becoming the Atlanta Braves. He was first the Boston Beaneaters, then the Doves, and finally the Rustlers. Before the team relocated to Milwaukee, the word “Braves” first appeared in the name in 1912. The franchise changed its name once more after moving to Atlanta. This time, at last. The group experimented with the representation of an Indian from 1966 to 1989.

Atlanta Braves Logo Evolution

1883 – 1888

“Boston Beaneaters” was the team’s initial moniker. The emblem was merely the symbol of Boston, like other clubs up until the turn of the 20th century.

1889 – 1896

The team’s name now uses dark blue instead of red.

1897 – 1899

The huge Old English letter “B” in the new logo is now blue and represents Boston as a city.

1900-1906

The 1897 logo, this time in red, sits at the center of the 1900 logo. The club used the 1889 emblem bearing the name of Boston for the following five years.

1907-1908

The club’s new name is “Boston Doves,” and the Old English-styled giant red letter “B” now serves as the club’s logo. The red letter “B,” created this time in a different font, serves as the foundation for the entire design.

1909-1911

The baseball-shaped black circle with the traditional red block letter “B” inside it. The Boston Dawz returns to the logo, where the only red text is the word Boston. In 1911, the team is renamed the Boston Rustlers. The huge Old English letter “B” in dark blue that appears as Boston in the logo represents the city.

1912 – 1915

The franchise changes its name once more after a year, to Boston Braves. The emblem featured a Native American artwork of an Indian for the first time, unfolding in profile and wearing a feathered headdress. Red and white are the main hues in the image.

1916 – 1920

The prior Indian drawing was updated three years later to include a background that is roughly dark blue.

Boston Braves add the letter “B” back to their emblem between 1921 and 1924. Dark blue makes up the majority of the logo.

1925 – 1928

This logo utilized the same huge, dark blue letter “B,” but in a different font.

1929 – 1935

The squad uses the picture of an Indian on its fifteenth logo once more, but this time it is bright and cartoonish. The Native American wears a headdress made of red, green, yellow, and blue feathers and has black hair and bronze skin.

1936 – 1937

The Boston Braves are now known as the Boston Bees. As a result, the club adopts yellow as its primary color, and its logo is a huge letter “B” with a white and black outline.

1938

There were no significant alterations made to the logo for the 1938 campaign. The city of Boston is also represented by the yellow letter “B.”

1939

The team’s primary color switches from yellow to red after another season. As a result, the letter “B” turns crimson and has a dark blue outline added to it.

1940

The classic English navy blue letter “B” is the final Boston Bees emblem.

1941 – 1944

The dark blue letter “B” in the Boston Braves’ logo continues to be used in font experiments.

1945 – 1952

Once more, the logo features an image of an Indian. It resembles its previous forms in that it has dark hair, a bronze complexion, and a crown with crimson feathers. The pattern itself has a tiny black outline around it.

1953 – 1955

The team moves to Milwaukee and changes its name to the Milwaukee Braves. The 1945 logo is a perfect reproduction of the Indian-themed one. By 1953, it was no longer necessary for two teams to call Boston home, so the Braves went to Milwaukee. As a result, the white B on the cap was changed to an M, and the front of the jersey received uniform numbers. Atlanta was also given its debut appearance on the away jerseys. The MLB logo is surrounded by the numbers “150” in red and “MLB” in black on the patch, which will be worn on the right sleeves of jerseys.

1956 – 1965

The laughing redhead Indian with a mohawk and a white feather in his hair was chosen as one of the club’s 23 logos. This picture served as the model for several logos over the following 35 years. The enduring Braves logo was unveiled in 1957. It was a 34-sized portrait of an Iroquois Indian man. Four out of the five Braves uniforms have undergone alterations in total. The alternate blues jersey receives the most visible modification, which is fair to say isn’t a very significant one. The alternate white jersey adds a single blue stripe to the sleeve. Inspiration for the current logo and its influences The Atlanta Braves logo hasn’t changed since 1990.

The team’s history is referenced in its design, but the inappropriate iconography (Native American stereotypes) has been erased. Instead, they substituted a tomahawk, a Native American weapon that stands for both force and accuracy in throwing. For MLB’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Day, fans are wearing yellow ribbons and gold bracelets to show their support for the fight against this disease.

1966 – 1967

The only aesthetic difference in the primary logo, despite the fact that the team moved to Atlanta and took on the name Atlanta Braves, is the Indian’s skin tone, which changed from red to light brown. Tidbits like the feather and Iroquois were also edited.

1968 – 1971

The image of an Indian, which was identical to the logo from 1966, had the word “Braves” added in dark blue. The drawing has been scaled down to fit a thin red outline that is added to the word.

1972 – 1984

The year 1972 saw the most significant changes to the Braves logo. White served as the image’s base color, but red was used for the mohawk and feathers. The same name as the squad has now been purchased. Now the head of the Indian was on a square of vivid blue.

1985 – 1986

The previous club logo had a few alterations in 1985. The Indian’s head grew larger and the name was raised somewhat against a blue background.

1987 – 1989

The Atlanta Braves logo still has the team name and a picture of an Indian dressed in red and white. The only change was the fading of the dark blue background.

The team name, which is based on the club’s logo, will be used from 1990 to 2017. The word “Braves” in red with a dark blue outline takes up the majority of the logo. The old crimson hatchet buried beneath it is a symbol of the team’s strength and tenacity.

2018 – today

The modern mark of personal identification continues the prior iconography, which was adopted in 1990. Text and visuals are the only two elements that are the same. The first one is a large “Braves” written diagonally in italics where the word’s end rises. The second displays a photo of an antique implement that our ancestors previously employed. The emblem stands for strength and determination in the pursuit of challenging objectives. Such a graphic illustration is meant to convey the sense that everything is given grudgingly, “carved” out of banal material, and then changed into a useful attribute.

Each time the club hits the field this season, the Braves will wear caps embroidered with the jersey numbers of Hank Aaron and Phil Niekro, 44 and 35, respectively. On January 22, Aaron, Sutton, and Niekro passed away. The league has promoted children’s cancer awareness by having players wear wristbands and gold ribbons during games for the sixth straight year. When the Milwaukee Braves moved to Atlanta for the 1966 season, they employed the exact same logo, uniforms, and color scheme as the Atlanta Braves, who had previously inherited their name from Boston. The block ‘M’ was simply replaced with the ‘A,’ which the Braves continue to wear.

The Atlanta Braves contentious logo, chosen in 2018, is still in use as of 2021. Even though people have said bad things about it, it still uses a caricature of the red tomahawk, which is a symbol of the Indians’ history and culture. The handwritten name of the club is added to the battle axe. Executives with the Atlanta Braves said they were aware of the possibility of a logo change and that the idea was still being thought about. But they proved to be more traditional in terms of the name. The president of the baseball team, Terry McGuirk, stated that “Braves” will not be replaced with any other term. The Atlanta Braves have registered their logo as a trademark and given it copyright protection, just like a lot of other professional sports teams.

What Is the Symbol on the Braves Sleeve?

The Atlanta Braves logo from 1990 features an axe beneath the wordmark “Braves.” The entire logo is angled diagonally to the right. The axe represents the force and the team’s tenacious efforts to improve their performance. The blue color was only slightly darkened in this emblem in 1987.

Why Did the Braves Change Their Mascot?

For utilizing the Native American head insignia on their spring training headgear, the team faced criticism in the winter of 2013. The Braves updated the cap with a revised design that omitted the previous Native American mascot after two months of debate. The Atlanta Braves team name came under scrutiny in July 2020 when the Washington Redskins and Cleveland Indians declared they were reviewing their Native American mascots. The Braves declared in a statement that although talks over the chop were still in progress, the team name would remain the same.

Richard Sneed made a statement about the tribe’s talks with the Braves in July 2020. According to the statement, the EBCI believes that “honest, intelligent talks are vital to educating leaders and bringing about positive change.” The EBCI praised “the Braves’ commitment to participate in this attempt and hopes to continue to strengthen the bond the EBCI shares with them, to portray a model for how other teams in professional sports can work with Native Nations in a courteous and productive way,” according to the EBCI statement. Just before the 2021 World Series, the NCAI attacked MLB chairman Manfred for defending the team’s mascot and “chop,” and NCAI director Fawn Sharp reaffirmed the Native Americans’ position that any stereotype depiction is detrimental.

Why Did the Braves Leave Atlanta?

The Atlanta Braves relocated from Turner Field to Cobb County in 2017 in order to build a new baseball stadium and mixed-use area. The Battery Atlanta, a mixed-use development next to Truist Park, the Braves’ home stadium, is booming. But new buildings have sprung up next to the old Turner Field, which is now where Georgia State University plays football. The Braves shocked the community in 2013 by announcing they were leaving Atlanta for Cobb County, where they had secretly negotiated a deal to buy property on what was then open space surrounding a lake. This was just a few days after then-Mayor Kasim Reed handily won his second term. They intended to construct a ballpark and a mixed-use neighborhood there.

The mayor even mentioned that he was excited to watch a Braves game in Cobb County in a ballpark that would be constructed in a fan-friendly environment. Everyone seems to have been caught off guard by the bombshell announcement, which was made by team president John Schuerholz in an awkward video statement. This includes the locals of Turner Field, where the Braves currently play, as well as the hordes of local and national reporters assigned to cover professional sports. Even the mayor, who this year worked out a deal to keep the Atlanta Falcons from moving to the suburbs, didn’t know much about the plans. According to a press conference with Braves officials that was held in the early hours of the morning, Kasim Reed found out about the plans last Thursday, which was only 48 hours after the citywide elections.

John Schuerholz to Reporters

The Braves undoubtedly put some thought into the announcement, even though it caught everyone in the city off guard. With the goal of providing “entertainment alternatives, green space, and a place to go 365 days a year,” they launched a website called homeofthebraves.com to promote their plans for a new stadium. The Braves assert that their new home is closer to the white, middle-class suburbanites who make up the “geographic center” of their fan base. Even though the county doesn’t support MARTA, the team at the Cobb site talks about “a lot of different ways to get around.”

On the day the relocation was announced, John Schuerholz, the then-Braves president, told reporters, “They will have a great mixed-use development that they can utilize during and after games.” Which, as it happens, is what is already forming all around the former Turner Field.

Do the Braves Have a Lot of Fans?

The Braves are on pace to exceed 2.3 million fans after becoming the second MLB team over the weekend to surpass 2 million.

The Braves have drawn 2,057,671 spectators, an average of 28,981 per home game, with nine regular-season home games remaining, including a three-game series against the Colorado Rockies that begins Tuesday night.

The Atlanta Braves are second only to the Los Angeles Dodgers in attendance among the 30 MLB teams. 2,375,963 people have seen a Dodgers game at home, or 32,999 people on average.

The fact that the Braves reopened their stadium to its full capacity earlier than all but one other team contributed to their strong standing in terms of attendance. The COVID-19 pandemic caused Truist Park’s attendance to be restricted to 33% and then 50% of its capacity in April before going back to 100% beginning with the first homestand in May. Only the Texas Rangers’ stadium had a full reopening sooner.

The Overall Attendance

The Braves overall attendance will be the lowest since they moved to Truist Park in 2017. The only time it was lower was in 2020, when the season was cut short and no one came to watch. This is largely due to the sparse attendance in April. 2019 saw the Braves draw 2.655 million spectators, or 32,779 on the average per game, which was their biggest attendance since 2007. 2.51 million people watched them in 2017 and 2.56 million in 2018. This year, they are anticipated to draw 2.32 million people. The MLB considers ticket sales to be attendance.

With the tomahawk chop as its leader, the Braves once had one of the best fan bases in all of the sports. But given the delayed response from Atlanta Braves supporters during their most recent playoff run, that is now ancient history. The Braves have only sold out five of their previous 13 NLDS games at Turner Field, and their supporters are known for being disinterested. They had a sold-out crowd for one postseason game but only 89.5 percent for the other. The Braves have a very high bandwagon factor. Expect a significant decline in attendance if the Braves’ Fredi Gonzalez era gets off to a bad start.

Conclusion

The Atlanta Braves logo hasn’t changed since 1990. The design makes a nod to the team’s history, but the offensive symbols, which were based on Native American stereotypes, have been taken out. Instead, they substituted a tomahawk, a Native American weapon that stands for both force and accuracy in throwing. This honors the group’s talent and athleticism.

Finally, they maintained the script typeface to preserve some of its nostalgia. However, you might not be aware that they have altered their logo a number of times. This was due to the insulting Native American imagery present in earlier iterations. All told, they went through an incredible 29 logo changes before settling on the one we are all familiar with today. Has it sufficiently blown your mind? Over the years, the team’s logo has seen a number of changes. In addition to changing the symbols, they also altered the typeface, color, and form. Even though it might not seem important, as you will see, the devil is in the details.

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FAQs

What does a tomahawk symbolize?

The tomahawk became a sign of both peace and war. During a war council, if a red-painted tomahawk was put in front of the chief, he would think about it and raise it to get the warriors ready to go to war.

Is the logo for the Braves a tomahawk?

The symbol on the Atlanta Braves’ uniforms is a stylized red tomahawk, which is a Native American cultural symbol.

Why do the Braves have a number 4 on their sleeve?

The Roman numeral “IV” in gold above a star on the left sleeve of the jersey shows that the team has won four World Series titles (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 4/7).

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