The History of the Baltimore Orioles Logo
The Baltimore Orioles are three-time World Series Champions and, perhaps, champions of having the coolest Major League Baseball logo.
Photos courtesy of sportslogos.net
One of the neatest parts of the Orioles logo is the significance, or, maybe more appropriately, the tie in of the nickname with the city.
Their particular nickname and mascot is, in fact, a "Baltimore Oriole." The Baltimore Oriole is a species of blackbird most common to the Eastern portion of North America. The bird received its name because of its orange and black coloring, which resembled the coloring of Lord Baltimore's coat-of-arms, according to National Geographic.
The city of Baltimore, of course, was named for the Lord Baltimore, himself, Cecil Calvert. According to the Maryland Online Archives, Calvert, among other things, established and managed the province of Maryland in the 1600s.
Adding to the connection, the Baltimore Oriole is the state bird of Maryland, so there is a definite cultural tie native to Baltimore and to the state in which the team resides.
But, let's backtrack, because I think this is so cool. The St. Louis Cardinals, for instance, are nicknamed after a Cardinal...but, not a St. Louis Cardinal. Awesome.
I've always believed the coolest nicknames or logos are the ones with a deeper tie beyond the surface, further representing the region, the city, the state, or whatever geographical area native to the team. This nickname does it as well as any.
And the logo itself is really cool, too.
While I liked the detail of its preceding image, the more realistically manufactured Baltimore Oriole perched on a bat, I also like this version, too, as it pays homage to the history of the franchise without dating itself too much.
The more friendlier, cartoonish bird is very similar to the team's image from 1965 until the late 1980s. The main difference is that this current version utilizes a richer shade or orange and feature's the Oriole cursive "O" on the face of its cap.
While I typically prefer logos to have a neutral or intimidating look, the grin on the bird seems to fit just fine. It is very inviting, I guess you could say, without being too ebullient to where you aren't sure if it is ready to compete. It's got one of those "I know I'm going to beat you and it's going to be fun" type of smiles, perhaps.
Anytime an organization can pay homage to its past is a major plus. I love the addition of the cursive "O," too, as that seems to be a unique element of the franchise, since not too many teams in sports feature its "O."
The coloring is fun and non-traditional, unless you are a fervent fan of Halloween outside of October. The richer, neon-ish shade of orange compared to the old, more subdued version, is a nice change as it helps the logo pop.
Overall, give this logo an A as it compares to other Major League Baseball Logos.
We feel as though we have a couple of Awesome Sports Logos baseball t-shirts that you will give a high grade to.
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