The National League’s San Francisco Giants are one of the most successful teams to have played in two different home cities. The Giants began their conquest of greatness in 1883 as the New York Gothams. Two seasons later, the Gothams switched the team name to the Giants – a fresh start for National League domination. Under their new title, the team would go on to earn five World Series Championships and seventeen league pennants. In the late 1950’s the Giants management was approached by the mayor of San Francisco to begin relocation negotiations – the rest was history. The newly transitioned team made their debut in San Francisco in 1958, eventually earning three World Series Championships and six league pennants.
The short-lived “New York Gothams” alias quickly changed after adopting the nickname from then-team manager Jim Mutrie referring to his players as “My giants!” The team maintained the name even after their transition over to the west coast. The Giants have also made use of different shades of black, orange and cream.
AT&T Park – the home of the Giants since April 11th, 2000 – is settled on the edge of downtown, overlooking the San Francisco Bay. After being the first privately owned ballpark in the MLB since the opening of Dodger Stadium in 1962, AT&T Park comes equipped with everything a true fanatic needs to enjoy the ballgame! Peter Magowan, former managing partner, spearheaded the construction of the ballpark and went with a classic urban design that encompasses all of the latest amenities of modern day stadiums. If you’re heading to a game, be sure to snap a photo next to the nine-foot statue of legendary Giants center fielder, Willie Mays.
Crafting a team logo takes many factors into consideration, and modifications are constantly made to keep up the times. We took a look at the #SFGiants logo to see how the team’s emblem has changed since their debut in 1958.
Notable Logo Changes
Since their inception into the National league in 1883, the Giants have utilized many emblems, a lot of which were a product of the organization’s time in the big apple, New York. After the transition from one coast to the other, the San Francisco Giants have continued to make changes while maintaining consistency, using the team’s name in every update.
1958–1967:
The initial logo unveiled in San Francisco features the text “Giants” placed diagonally in script on top of a white baseball with orange trim.
1968–1972:
Similar to their inaugural logo but the color of the baseball is changed to a lighter shade of orange.
1973–1982:
Maintaining loyalty to the logo they started with, the Northern Californian team opts for another minimal change by darkening the shade of the background baseball to a darker orange tone.
1983–1993:
Sticking to a similar color pattern; the team redesigns the logo with the text “Giants” written in a bold block-style font with an orange trim. The team name is centered over a baseball with black trim.
1994–1999:
The logo remains largely the same after the redesign. Modifications are made to have the text “Giant” appear in a more block-like fashion.
2000–Present:
A subtle increase in spacing between the letters of the team name is implemented. The baseball in the background changes colors to look as if it was rubbed in dirt; light-brown shading trails around the perimeter.
Heading out for a memory-filled night at AT&T Park? Support the #WeAreGiant herd by rockin’ the latest San Francisco essentials. Look no further than Fanatics.com for all of your Giants merchandise and memorabilia!
Sources
- http://www.sportslogos.net/logos/list_by_team/74/San_Francisco_Giants/
- http://sportsteamhistory.com/san-francisco-giants-logo-history
- http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/SFG/
- http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2013/07/how-each-mlb-team-got-its-name-national-league/
- http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/sf/ballpark/information/index.jsp?content=history
- http://www.sfgate.com/giants/article/Magowan-ready-to-exit-Giants-managerial-team-3284058.php
