Birmingham Barons add ‘Magic’ uniform for next year
The new Birmingham Barons uniforms play up the team's connection to the Magic City. (Marc Rice / Alabama NewsCenter)
On deck for the Birmingham Barons: a new look for the 2018 season.
Birmingham, the AA Southern League affiliate of baseball’s Chicago White Sox, on Thursday unveiled a new solid black jersey featuring a white script “Magic City” logo that the team will add to its lineup of uniforms beginning next year. The Barons also introduced a new cap – black with a red bill and a white block “B” – to go along with the jersey.
The team is retaining its traditional white with black pinstripe jersey as the main uniform and also its current red alternate jersey. Players will wear the new uniform for Thursday home games at Regions Field, said Barons President and General Manager Jonathan Nelson.
“We’ve been so proud that the ballpark has been a focal point for the resurgence of downtown Birmingham, and all the magic that it has brought to our great city,” Nelson said. “We want to continue the magic in upcoming seasons, and this new uniform is the perfect way to pay homage to our vibrant, booming city.”
The uniform design, while modern in appearance, evokes the spirit of both old-time baseball and Birmingham’s civic history.
The uniform’s theme, including a depiction of the downtown Magic City sign on the sleeve, is a nod to Birmingham’s early days when its rapid growth as an industrial town earned it the Magic City nickname. The cap design was inspired in part by that of the Negro Leagues’ Birmingham Black Barons.
“Both the jersey and the cap not only pay homage to traditional baseball attire and typography, but also to Birmingham and it’s iconic Terminal – which is what the Rotary Trail sign now embodies,” said Matt Harris, associate creative director at Big Communications, which created the uniform design.
Birmingham Barons General Manager Jonathan Nelson talks about the team’s new uniforms from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.
Both professional and college sports teams in recent years have increasingly turned to alternate and special occasion uniform designs to spark fan interest as well as merchandise sales.
“We always want to try something new and implement something fun for everyone each season,” Nelson said. “By adding a new uniform scheme, something that captures the city’s sense of civic pride and enthusiasm … we think this is a good thing to do and we think people are going to appreciate it.”
