By Sally Tippett Rains
The decision to change the name of the Cardinals’ Double A affiliate in Springfield, Mo., announced last week, had actually been in the works for the last two years.
The team will now be known as the Ozarks Springbirds.
With this comes new on-field jerseys and caps as well as new logos and a color refresh. After general manager Dan Reiter made the announcement, he looked around the stadium and smiled as he said, “I’m glad you didn’t boo.”
The crowd at Route 66 Stadium was being entertained by a fun, carnival atmosphere with music, face painting, food, and fireworks and they seemed OK with the announcement, but social media heated up with comments of whether people liked the new name or not.
Some fans felt it all happened so quickly, but actually the decision took about two years, according to Reiter.
The franchise had been owned by the major-league Cardinals until 2023, when it was sold to Diamond Baseball Holdings, which owns multiple minor-league franchises.
That had created some issues with trademarks and merchandising rights for the Springfield team, and was a factor in renaming the team. Earlier this summer the name of the team’s stadium was changed from Hammons Field to Route 66 Stadium.
The Springfield fans have always enjoyed their team being called the Cardinals, the same name as the major-league club, but even though the name will be different, that strong relationship between the two clubs is expected to continue.
The name change can be traced back to the sale of the team in 2023. The St. Louis Cardinals owned their Double-A team, and when they first bought it they made changes to become more identified with the major league team’s branding.
Diamond Baseball Holdings also purchased the stadium, which had been owned by the city of Springfield after it was purchased from John Q. Hammons Charitable Trust, following Hammons’ death in 2013.
The major-league Cardinals will continue its control over all baseball operations for the Double A team, including the player roster and player development staff. Diamond Baseball is responsible for all of the business operations of the team, including the front office staff.
Reiter was asked if there was a condition in the sale of the team to Diamond that required the franchise to change its name from the Cardinals to a new nickname because of trademark issues.
“We can not disclose terms of the sale,” Reiter said in an email.
Many of the past promotional items at the stadium in recent years were the same or similar to some of the giveaways and promotions for the major-league team.
Reiter said the team faced limitations in some of their marketing efforts.
“Yes, limitations have increased since the creation of the PDL arrangement for minor league teams,” he said.
Between the new licensing agreement and changes in the minor leagues in general, the name change became more important, Reiter said.
“The name change came about because the minor league landscape has changed over the years with a focus on names to better connect with their fanbases,” said Reiter.
Diamond Baseball Holdings owns 49 of the 120 affiliated minor-league team, 41 percent, and only four of those affiliates have the same name as their major-league franchise – the Iowa Cubs, the Syracuse Mets, the San Jose Giants and the Worcester Red Sox.
“When we began play in 2005 there were 22 teams using the MLB names,” said Reiter, “Going into 2027, that number is down to eight clubs using it as their primary mark. Of those eight clubs, four are owned by MLB owners.
“Secondarily, in a world of trademarks and licensing, it’s crucial to the success of a healthy business to fully control your marks. This change (the name change) gives us an opportunity to both connect better to our community and have the ability to provide great giveaways, promotions and merchandise.”
Understanding the background involved may help fans who felt helpless when they first heard about the name change.
We asked Reiter if he thought the reaction to the name change would have been different if the fans had known from the beginning that they were changing the name at least in part because of the trademark issues.
“Any change to the messaging would also change the reaction,” said Reiter. “But we are comfortable with our messaging and timing.”
He has also said they welcome fans who want to wear their Springfield Cardinals jerseys to games and they are proud of what the team has done under the name Cardinals and look forward to more success in the future.
“We will continue to have a great working relationship with the St. Louis Cardinals across many departments,” he said. “It’s important for every affiliate to have a positive relationship with their parent club and we are thankful we have that.”
Understanding the reasons behind the name change, let’s examine the actual name of “Springbirds.” How did they actually arrive at that name?
“The overall project was guided by nationally recognized Studio Simon, but the name itself was picked by our local working group,” said Reiter. “The name Springbirds has been said by fans and media alike, with Ned (Reynolds, a longtime local sportscaster and team broadcaster) being a very early adopter and probably the community member who has said it the most.”
Some positive comments about the name included that Springbird sounds like springboard and that the Double A level could be seen as a “springboard” to the Triple A Memphis Redbirds and then on to the St. Louis Cardinals.
Others pointed to the use of “Ozarks” as a way to open up to the many small towns in the area to feel more of a relationship with the team.
The locals will be happy to know the team will still be using the (also newly announced) Ozark Snipe Hunters and the Cashew Chickens in 2027 as alternate jerseys Anyone from the Springfield area knows it is famous for its “cashew chicken” which was originated by the Leong family, which now owns Leong’s Asian Diner and sponsors the Cashew Chickens promotions.
With any identity change comes marketing opportunities and a chance to sell new merchandise. Reiter said he prefers to let the fans wait until closer to the start of the season to find out what is planned for next season.
“We are not ready to release details,” he said.
“I think the most important (promotion) will be April 2, 2027, which is our Opening Day and the first game as the Ozarks Springbirds.”
This could be a huge year for the team if there is a work stoppage at the major league level while the owners and players try to work out a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Minor-league teams like Springfield will still be playing no matter what happens at the major-league level because their players are on a different CBA. The only minor-league players affected by a lockout would be those on the 40-man roster.
Fans who can’t bear to be without Cardinals baseball may choose to head to the minor league ballparks to get their fill. The talk around all of that could prove to be very beneficial to the newly named Ozarks Springbirds as next spring approaches.
“We are deep in planning for the most robust special event season we’ve ever had,” Reiter said.
Author
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Sally Tippett Rains started her sports media career at KMOX Radio Sports (writing/producing for Bob Costas, Jack Buck, Bill Wilkerson) in the late 1970′s, early ’80′s then switched to book writing and charity work while raising their children.
She also wrote "Choose Happy; Find Contentment in Any Situation," which comes in Black & White or Color versions.
