In this All Sports History video, we'll take a look back to the late 1970's when the Milwaukee Brewers in one of the greatest sports moments of all time, introduced the iconic “Ball-In-Glove” logo. The design quickly became a modern classic and a symbol for the Brewers, the community, and baseball fans alike. So why after almost two decades was the logo replaced, and why did it take the team so long to bring the logo back? In today’s video we’ll take a look back at how the legendary Milwaukee Brewers logo came to be and why it has remained so popular to this day.
What this "Milwaukee Brewers documentary" video includes:
The Milwaukee Brewers history actually begins in Seattle, when in 1969 Major League Baseball expanded and added four new teams to the league. The San Diego Padres and Montreal Expos joined the National League, while the Kansas City Royals and Seattle Pilots joined the American League. After only one season, the Seattle Pilots found themselves in deep financial trouble and were heading for bankruptcy. Immediately following the conclusion of their first season, Pilots owner Dewy Soriano met with car salesman and former Milwaukee Braves minority owner Bud Selig about selling the team to Selig. Both sides met over the course of several weeks, and during game one of the 1969 World Series, the two men agreed on a deal for $10.8 million dollars.
On April 1, 1970, the Seattle Pilots officially relocated to Milwaukee and changed their name to the Brewers. The team decided on the name “Brewers” as a homage to the defunct minor league baseball team, the Milwaukee Brewers. Originally, Bud Selig wanted the Brewers to wear blue and red Milwaukee Brewers jerseys, much like the Braves did when they were in Milwaukee. But due to the time constraints, the Brewers were forced to use the same blue and gold jerseys that the Pilots wore the season before (just with updated naming). As for the logo, the Brewers opted for a simple “M” logo on their caps, which was also a nod to the block M logo that the Milwaukee Braves used. During this time, the Brewers also introduced the “Barrel man” logo which was inspired by a similar Barrel man logo that the minor league Brewers had also used. These logos would remain as the primary branding for the Brewers for eight seasons.
By the late 1970’s, the Brewers were looking to update their branding and phase out their older logos. During this time, the team also held a design contest for a new logo. A college student named Tom Meindel submitted what would become the winning sports logo design. In Meindel’s original concept, the now iconic, “Ball-In-Glove'' logo had brown and yellow colors and featured hidden elements. The fingers on the baseball glove portion of the logo, when isolated, makes an “M” shape for Milwaukee. The thumb and pocket area of the glove form the letter “B” for Brewers, with a baseball in the middle. When all put together, it forms the letters “M-B” for Milwaukee Brewers. The new branding proved to be a hit, and the Brewers also improved their play on the field. They finished the 1978 season with a 93-69 record, which earned Bud Selig the MLB executive of the year award. The Brewers new found success would carry on into the following seasons with Milwaukee Brewers playoffs appearances. The team clinching the 1982 ALCS, earning the first ever Milwaukee Brewers World Series appearance. With that, the club continued to use the Ball-In-Glove logo for the rest of the 1980’s and into the early 1990’s highlighting some of the brewers best moments.
Despite the Milwaukee Brewers highlights of the 80's, a new logo in 1994 for the 25th anniversary of the team. They'd used it for the rest of the 1990’s, until the year 2000, when they introduced an updated logo to mark the final season of the club playing at Milwaukee Brewers Stadium (County Stadium). The new logo featured the word “Brewers” in front of a baseball, with two stems of barley underneath (as barley being a key ingredient to beer making). The team would use this logo, and a simplified letter “M” version of it introduced in 2017, during most of the Milwaukee Brewers Ryan Braun era. As with the 25th anniversary, the team wanted to celebrate the major milestone of 50 years in Milwaukee by rebranding with new logos. A new design was introduced that updated the classic "Ball-In-Glove" look, that thrilled Brewers fans. In 2011, Bleacher Report ranked the 50 best baseball logos of all time and placed the Brewers’ Ball-In-Glove logo number 8 on their list, while surprisingly placing the Barrel man logo at number 2.
So what did you guys think about the Brewers logo ranked number 8 on BR's all time baseball logos list? Would you place it higher or lower on the list? Let me know in the comments below!
What Makes This Logo Great? The Story Behind the Milwaukee Brewers' Classic 'Ball In Glove' Logo