The Chicago Cubs are moving their Class A affiliate from the Kane County Cougars to the South Bend Sliver Hawks. The Low A ball franchise may rename itself to the Cubs. The South Bend franchise will unveil a new name, logo and uniform, Thursday, September 25, during a press conference beginning at 9 a.m. ET at the local St. Joseph County Chamber of Commerce. Officials from both South Bend and the Cubs will be on hand.
With the Chicago Cubs moving their farm team from just beyond the outskirts of the far western suburbs (Geneva, IL) to South Bend…there will be even more of an overlap between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish fan base and the Chicago Cubs fan base.
Maybe.
Probably.
“Today is a turning point,” said South Bend Silver Hawks Owner Andrew Berlin. “I made a promise to the thousands of people and local government officials who welcomed me with open arms three years ago. I promised that I would return the team to its former glory days. And I promised that I’d do everything I could to bring people back downtown and prove that this is a wonderful place to invest in.”
“Now, one of the best and most beloved brands in the history of Major League Baseball is making a bold statement about this place, too,” added Berlin. “The Chicago Cubs are giving this region a big vote of confidence.”
As for the Kane County Cougars, this is nothing short of devastating.
They’ve had affiliations with: Miami, Baltimore, Oakland, Kansas City, the Chicago Cubs and now….?? It’s really a let-down when you consider how perfect a marriage this was for them from a marketing and business standpoint. Their stadium embodies many Cub traditions and it’s adorned with quite a bit of Wrigley Field propaganda. So all of that, which was really working for them from a branding perspective, will now have to be changed.
The Cougars also finished the season with a Midwest League Championship and a franchise record for victories. Yet, their summer ends like this? Sure, Low A Ball is about player development first and foremost, but winning is also nice. This has to hurt them.
The Cubs agreement with South Bend runs until 2018.
“We are excited to partner with South Bend and look forward to a productive relationship with the team, as well as the entire South Bend community,” said Jason McLeod, the Chicago Cubs Senior Vice President, Scouting and Player Development.
“Making the decision to switch minor league affiliates is never an easy one, but we are confident that this agreement will further strengthen our farm system.”
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and sometimes writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partners with Fox Sports and Yahoo. Read his features stories in the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. Listen to him on 1620 The Zone. Follow him on Twitter (@paulmbanks) His work has been featured in hundreds of media outlets including The Washington Post and ESPN2
Leave a Reply