Jeff Jarrett wears a lot of hats in pro wrestling, but “The Chosen One” will be donning a new baseball cap this June. It was revealed on 2/17 at 2:17 CT that the former team known as the Springfield Sliders will now be going by the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes. Springfield, IL is the birthplace of former grappler and president Abraham Lincoln and there is plenty of homage paid to the “Honest One” as one of the alternate logos is a penny variant holding a baseball bat.
Introducing… the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes!
This is the new identity of the team formerly known as the Springfield Sliders. @RealJeffJarrett is part of the ownership group.
CC: @sportslogosnet https://t.co/dNLexeWhUt
— WrestleZone (@WRESTLEZONEcom) February 17, 2022
Springfield is also known for it’s signature horseshoe sandwich so the franchise tips its cap to that as well.
“We were delighted to see that Springfield fans took our call-to-action to heart, and chose a name that represents this wonderful city,” sadi Jarrett, who is part owner of the independent ball club. “With the launch of this new brand, we can turn our focus to making Robin Roberts Stadium the premier entertainment destination in Central Illinois.”
You can watch the video unveiling of the new look and name below:
Your town, your team.
Welcome to a New Era of Springfield Baseball! pic.twitter.com/r61AefmakM
— Springfield Lucky Horseshoes (@ShoesBaseball) February 17, 2022
Further details behind the logo and name are courtesy of SportsLogos.net:
The team’s new nickname derives from a combination of factors, including the town’s association with Abraham Lincoln, a tradition of rubbing the nose on a bronze bust of the 16th president for good luck, and a calorie-laden sandwich that is particular to the area. The suite of logos, created by Ryan Foose of Fooser Sports Design, features a variety of marks that combine to create a larger narrative.
Taken as a whole, the nickname requires a bit of unpacking. First up, the word “Lucky.”
“The concept behind ‘Lucky’ was, hey how do you tip your hat to Lincoln in a way that’s more unique than the Abes or the Lucky Abes,” said Jamie Toole, who co-owns the team with wrestling Hall of Famer Jeff Jarrett. “The concept behind ‘Lucky’ came from what a cool tradition it is here for folks to rub the nose at Lincoln’s tomb. Tourists from all over the world and local residents will go to the Lincoln tomb and there’s a statue there, and the nose is a different color than the rest of the statue because so many people have come and rubbed his nose.”
The luck associated with rubbing Lincoln’s nose and the anthropomorphized lucky horseshoe featured in the logo are complemented by another lucky charm in the suite of logos: A tertiary logo featuring a stylized Lincoln holding a baseball bat on a penny (heads-up, of course) is the only direct reference to the president in the suite. But it was important to the team that he be included.
