May 19, 2013

Indians Double Affiliate in Akron Ready to Re-Brand?

June 27, 2011 by 50 Comments

We told you a few weeks back that the Akron Aeros were considering changing the name of the team. They ran a contest over at the Akron Beacon Journal asking fans to vote on keeping ‘Aeros’ or suggesting a new monicker.

The results of the original poll are being kept confidential, but the club has released a new contest page with 15 names, including Aeros, for fans to vote on. Names will be eliminated in fives throughout the season until the final five are voted on and a winning name announced after the season has concluded.

Dan Foust said that the team was “Gauging the interest and affinity for the Aeros brand.”

Before the Aeros played in Akron, they were of course the Canton-Akron Indians. The team moved to Akron in 1997, and adopted the name Aeros after fans voted for that name over the ‘Quest’ and the ‘Spirit’. The vote only came to pass because the team’s original name, the ‘Blast’ was deemed inappropriate.

So the name of the franchise is again in the hands of the fans. Here are your choices-

Aeros

Bulkers

Canal Diggers

Canal Rats

Devil Strips

Gum Dippers

Hoggies

Oats

Rubber Burners

Rubber Ducks

Rubber Scrubbers

Skippers

Tire Jacks

Vulcans

White Walls

Yep. That’s the list. The names selected represented the most popular choices in the original poll, along with several that the team felt accented the history of the area.

This is where any semblance of fair and balanced reporting takes the rest of the piece off.

Are you kidding me? These new choices are horrible. The Oats? Can’t wait to see that mascot. Gum Dippers? Apparently this was a position in the rubber industry, or forestry. It’s hard to tell. Regardless, is that a name for a minor league baseball team?

The Aeros have won 3 Eastern League championships in Akron. They have won 6 division titles. Maybe there is a little bit of a winning history to this team. Do we really have to re-brand it? Are you that excited to run out and purchase a Canal Diggers jersey? No thanks. I’ll be voting to keep the Aeros name.

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Filed Under: Akron Aeros
  • Kunal

    Wow…. I’m going to have to agree with you Rick, those are just awful. Man I hope they stay the Aeros

  • Elizabeth

    How many teams have actually benefitted from a new moniker?

    When the top men in Akron come up with that answer, I’ll be here waiting for a good reason, but until then, just keep Aeros and find something else to draw in the fans. They’ve got a beautiful park.

  • Andy

    Actually, I remember that one of the original name choices back in the day was the Zeppelins. That was exactly the name I was hoping for. I voted for it this time, but I guess no one else loves the blimp. I never liked the name “Aeros,” so I voted for another name that was on the original list: “Vulcans.” To me Zeppelins or Vulcans would’ve been infinitely better than Aeros.

  • stin4u

    Devil Strips sounds suggestive and we all know what happened to the last team with ‘devil’ in the name. Keep Aeros and rebrand using a new logo and color scheme!

  • JNeids

    Holy awful options, Batman. Some of those names are just begging to be turned inappropriate.

  • Jake

    The Akron Rubber Ducks? You can’t be serious

  • lstavole13

    If it was Rubber Duckies I’d be in.

  • Labbe

    Devil Strips is funny. I almost submitted that one, mostly as a joke. If you don’t know what it is, it’s what people in Akron call the strip of grass between the sidewalk and road that most other places call a tree lawn. Having grown up in an Akron suburb, I was very confused when people called it anything but the devil strip. Still doesn’t seem like a good choice for a team name, though.

  • Jake

    Not even the Akron Ducks. The Akron RUBBER Ducks. Why don’t we just name them the North East Ohio Insurance Agents? I mean, we are trying to add local flavor. Don’t change anything, just more awesome promotions and more “Three Dog Night” specials.

  • Andy

    I suppose if nothing else I’d be fine with a logo and color scheme change. I think I’m in the minority here, but whereas I love the park, I’ve really disliked the name, colors, and logo from the very beginning. They want to add local flavor? To me Zeppelins would’ve been best for that. It’s not inappropriately suggestive, it could lead to great uniforms and logos, to me that would’ve been a great name. Sigh.

  • http://www.fromoutofnowhere.com Reggie Ruckus

    Agree with you Rick 100 percent. I voted for Aeros and will continue to do so. Could you imagine a team nicknamed the Vulcans? Sure I know that its tied into the city’s connection with rubber but it makes me think all the players would have pointed ears. It’s clearing to me that changing the team nickname would be highly illogical.

  • Dan

    Actually I kinda like the Vulcans…rubber history, and Roman god (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulcan_(mythology)). Unfortunate association with Star Trek though.

  • Dennison

    I actually submitted the ‘Polymers’ as a team name. Apparently it wasn’t corny/lousy enough to be selected. FYI, Goodyear has quite a few polymer institutes in Arkon, hence my submission.

  • Dan

    Don’t know if Akron ever built Zeppelins (I think the name would work well), but can you imagine the Akron Blimps?

  • Scotty

    I thought this was a family friendly site, I can’t believe you wrote a term as offensive as “The Blast” in the article. I’m hurt. And shocked…and offended…and hurt.

  • C

    The Devil Strips? We’re gonna be named after the colloquial term for a tree lawn? These are all completely terrible…and this is coming from a guy who’s never had a particular affinity for the Aeros name either. The Vulcans? Will the new unis look like Star Trek? The rubber ducks certainly strikes fear in the hearts of all opponents. Might as well let LeBron buy them out and call them the Akron LeBrons!

  • Mark

    Is the ‘Isotopes’ taken?

  • Nate_4

    I never really liked the team being called the Aeros and I was excited to have a new name, but now I feel like this was some kind of marketing technique or a way to get a bunch of people’s names, addresses, and emails. These names are absolutely awful. It would be pathetic and embarrassing to have our team named any of these.

    Yes, we all know Akron is the Rubber City, but do we really want to be named after a tire?

    I’d love to see them attempt to make a logo for all of these so I can be entertained. The Oats logo would probably be sweet.

    Am I missing something with the Akron Bulkers? What does that mean? That we buy in bulk from the grocery store?

  • Andy

    Actually, the USS Akron and the USS Macon were both zeppelins, since they were made by a joint venture between Goodyear and the Zeppelin Airship Construction Company. I will shut up about zeppelins now. As for Vulcans, I’m neither her nor there on Star Trek, but I think a little campiness fits with minor league baseball. So you’d have the Akron connection and a good sense of campy. What’s wrong with that?

  • bk8718

    I’m pulling for the Vulcans in the hopes of a celebrity appearance by Leonard Nimoy.

  • kdev

    Hilarious! If they were singular, they would be great for racehorse names, right? “Gum Dripper within a half length of Devil Strip, but wait, HERE COMES CANAL DIGGER!!!!”

    But seriously…who came up with those??? I’ll vote for Aeros.

  • Harv 21

    The Akron Hostile Witnesses

  • Paul

    I like the Vulcans. The process of making rubber is called “vulcanization”…and according to wikipedia, the process is named after Vulcan, Roman god of fire. I think the team could do some sweet promotions with a Roman god of fire theme…plus, you could work in a’high heat’ theme for pitchers. If fans wanted to go real crazy, they could wear the Spock ears from Star Trek since Spock was a Vulcan…

  • mgbode

    “Hoggies”

    did they just misspell Hoagies? because now that would be a hat i’d have to own :)

  • mgbode

    also, if “tire jacks” wins, will the logo end up being a car up on blocks without wheels?

    have to say that they are really trying to build up the national thoughts of the area with that one.

  • SwingAndADrive

    I wouldn’t mind Vulcans. But if they keep “Aeros” they need to change the colors up.

  • BillableSean

    @17 : The “isotopes” are taken by the Albuquerque Isotopes.

  • CLESportsFan

    Reading that list of possible names = Best. Laugh. Today.

    I’m imagining the poor players saying “I play for the Gum Dippers” or “I play for the Tire Jacks”

    I agree with trotting out some new color scheme and logo for the Aeros and be done with it.

  • Kevin

    Let me get back to you, will ya, Charlie? I got a guy on the other line asking about the White Walls.

  • CTOWNDAWGPOUND

    I submitted Akron Arrows I thought may help linking them to their Major league team the Indians without changing the names just spelling

  • BuckeyeDawg

    Kevin just beat me…LOL

    The Vulcans would be the best on that list, but I guess I would just leave it alone…

  • Ben

    Keep Aeros. Kill Orbit the space cat.

  • RPM

    They could change “Aeroes” to “Arrows” and better stress the Indians affiliation.

    Or, the “Akron Quitnesses”

  • NJ

    I like the Zeppelins (The Akron Zeps). My guess: soulless group think prohibits us from naming the team after something that was once used as a weapon of war.

    Not surprising though. Even with Aeros they avoided a fighter or a bomber or something, and opted for a bland, cutesy, inoffensive cartoon.

    And now there’s this sad selection of names. Notice that none of them could be construed as violent or dangerous.

    Heck, if the term Blast is deemed inapproriate then you’re relegating yourself to the realm of 1.) Generic Animal Mascot or 2.) Goofy Ironic Team Name.

    Just name them the Akron Daffodills and get it over with already.

  • christopher

    Okay some of these are terrible BUT let’s not forget that this is double a baseball; not a major league team. Half the fun of the farm system are the outlandish names and mascots.

    That being said compare the list to some already existing double a teams:
    Chatanooga Lookouts
    Corpus Christi Hooks
    Montgomery Biscuits
    Richmond Flying Squirrels
    Tulsa Drillers

    That being said I actually would take Canal Rats over the Aeros.

  • christopher

    Oh and no thanks on the Zeppelin….couldn’t take the “Hindenburg” references everytime we blow an out, an inning, a game, a series, or ANY chance they get at throwing it out there.

  • Nick B.

    @Christopher: YOU TAKE THAT BACK THE BISCUITS AND FLYING SQUIRRELS RULE

  • bayrocket

    Can’t really see the Aero connection to Akron, since there’s another sports franchise with that name in Houston.

    Vulcans is a much better marketing option.

  • Bob X

    If I’m not mistaken, the reason the original name Blast was deemed inappropriate, was because the naming of the team was about the time that the space shuttle blew up just after lift off and one of the astronauts was from Akron Ohio. Many people thought that it was awful to name the team Blast at this period of time. So they changed it. And I think the mascot’s name was suppose to be Kaboom.

  • Sam B

    @Chris I am with you on the Hindenburg references, that would be terrible. The Chattanooga Lookouts is a reference to Lookout Mountains that forms the border between Chattanooga, TN and Georgia, so that makes a bit more sense.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/ Rick

    @Bob, it did remind people of that disaster, but the Challenger blew up in ’86. A good 10 years before the team moved.

  • Nick

    Aeros-yes, Orbit-no.

    I could rock the Rubber Duck hat, tho.

  • Du

    Clearly, with choices such as these, they want to keep the Aeros team name.

    Otherwise, they would have picked my suggestion: Akron Fire Stones

  • Alex Mathews

    I keep forgetting how campy minor league team names are.

  • Andy

    Exactly, Alex! Campiness is what makes minor league baseball great! That’s why Zeppelins would be a great minor league name, with Vulcans a close second. But, I know, my names won’t fly. But I’d totally buy a Zeppelins jersey, or a Vulcans hat.

  • MallaLubba

    I still can’t believe that The All-Americans wasn’t brought out as an option. Maybe I should have suggested it in the original submission instead of just thinking it.

  • jeff

    http://www.ohioverticals.com/contest/aeros2/index_new.html check out the symbolism and reasonings behind the top 5 names on the list. Rubber Ducks gets my vote! It’s family- friendly, and the fans of all ages would love the Duck mascot. Rubber Ducks truely has great symbolism and love for the city! Go Rubber Ducks!

  • Susan

    I agree with Jeff. After browsing through the meanings behind the team names, ‘Rubber Ducks’ will have my vote as well because it makes the most sense and has historical significance tied with the city of Akron. The Akron Rubber Ducks 2012! I love it! I’m sure the young fans will enjoy the Rubber Duck mascot too!

  • MallaLubba

    I still say they’re horrible. I’ve seen this “promotion” played out before in other markets. People are asked to submit names, voting ensues, and in the end the original name is “reselected.” I’m pre-calling BS on this one. …lots of false fan involvement if you ask me.

  • Foghorn Leghorn

    test. sorry