“Baseball’s never been hotter than the Jacksonville Suns.” That catchy tune you’d hear on the radio would make you want to stroll down to the baseball grounds. Well Jacksonville, those days are behind us now. The Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp are ready to take the field in April 2017.
Minor League baseball has been going through somewhat of a marketing renaissance the last few years. Name and logo changes have shaped the industry as of late. In just the last two years, Minor League Baseball has welcomed teams such as the Akron Rubberducks, Hartford Yard Goats, Florida Fire Frogs, Binghamton Rumble Ponies, and the Down East Wood Ducks.
Now, these names didn’t come out of nowhere. They all have a local tie-in to the community. For instance, the Rubberducks are located in Akron, home of one of the largest rubber plants in the country. The Rumble Ponies highlight Binghamton as the carousel capitol of the world. The Jumbo Shrimp though? How does that tie-in with First Coast? Marco LaNave, media and public relations coordinator for the Jumbo Shrimp, was able to help us out with the meaning.
“We have asked fans, partners, community leaders and residents about Jacksonville’s identity and heritage and what is important to people who live here,” LaNave said. “We wanted to embrace the heart of Jacksonville’s identity and heritage. The Jumbo Shrimp emerged from input by the Jacksonville community itself.”
It should be noted that Mayport is home to one of the largest shrimping industries in the Southeast. You could say it’s a “Jumbo” industry.
Around Jacksonville though, some fans were confused and even upset at the name change. They had been around the Suns their whole lives. Jacksonville is a town that prides itself on tradition, and changing a storied name wasn’t going to be easy.
Owner Ken Babby bought the team in 2015, eventually taking full control of the team in 2016. After one year of the Suns moniker under his belt, he decided to make a drastic change, just like he did in 2013 with his Akron team.
It wasn’t Babby’s first go-around with a name change. He’s the owner who changed the name from the Akron Aeros to the Akron Rubberducks. After seeing the effects of the name change in Akron, including monumental increases in attendance and merchandise sales, he decided to take the dip with his second team. Now, he’s brought his magic to Jacksonville to grace the city with a Jumbo presence in the Minor League Baseball landscape.
Here we are nearly one month after the team released its name change, and the team might be more popular than it’s ever been. LaNave has seen the change firsthand.
“Within just a week, the name ‘Jumbo Shrimp’ became widely discussed throughout the region,” LaNave said. “It is remarkable how quickly the name and logo became recognizable, even during the climax of a historic World Series and the local visits of the President and now President-elect in the final week before the election.”
With the name change comes new uniforms and merchandise. And that merchandise? It’s a hot product not just around Jacksonville, but all over the country.
“Attention surged among media outlets and social media,” LaNave said. “The merchandise department has handled orders almost nonstop since the announcement.”
Come April the city might see the baseball grounds filled like never seen before. A new chapter of baseball is unfolding in Jacksonville. So grab your new Jumbo Shrimp gear and help make #CrustaceanNation one of the best atmospheres in all of Minor League Baseball.
Jumbo Change in Jacksonville’s Sports Landscape
Written by: Ryan Hutchins
