Logo

A logo is a graphic that serves as a visual identifier for a team or event. Logos can be used on a cap, a uniform, on promotional items and materials, but also on baseball cards. They are usually registered trademarks and cannot be freely used by outside entities without being licensed by the rights owners. Leagues and companies associated with baseball also have their own logos, and logos are created for special events as well, for example each edition of the All-Star Game.

The earliest logos consisted only of one or many letters identifying a city. Sometimes a special font was used, or a particular interlocking design if there was more than one letter (for example, the letters N and Y in New York), but more elaborate designs did not appear until the early 20th century when teams began integrating graphic elements related to the team's nickname. Early examples include the head of a tiger for the Detroit Tigers, a stylized bear cub for the Chicago Cubs, or an Indian head for the Boston Braves. Logos have grown more sophisticated over the years, although baseball tends to be more conservative then other sports, with logos on uniforms often consisting of the name of the team in a particular font with only a few added flourishes (the logo of the Los Angeles Dodgers is a classic example of that style).

Famous and immediately identifiable logos include the New York Yankees' Uncle Sam hat on a bat, the pair of red socks used by the Boston Red Sox, the cartoon oriole bird of the Baltimore Orioles, or the stylized New York City skyline superimposed on the outline of a baseball, used by the New York Mets. Other teams have changed their logos regularly, for example the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels (the evolution of their logos can be seen on these teams' pages). Minor league teams tend to have more outlandish logos, to go along with more creative names.