Philadelphia Phillies’ Double-A Affiliate Announces Stunning Name Change

The Reading Phillies have been the Philadelphia Phillies’ Double-A affiliate since 1967. That’s why the minor league team’s name change announcement comes as a stunning surprise. However, history has shown that this organization isn’t afraid of risk.

The old ballpark

Reading Municipal Stadium, originally built in 1950, was home to the Cleveland Indians’ Double-A affiliate until 1966. After a year without a minor league team, the Phillies established their long-standing connection with the Pennsylvanian town that is approximately one hour west of Philadelphia.

This particular baseball venue, which was renamed First Energy Stadium a number of years ago, is rightly considered to be one of the best minor league facilities in the country. Anyone who attends a game instantly understands how effective marketing has enabled deep brand loyalty.

The brand known as the “Reading Phillies” includes many famous alumni, ranging from Mike Schmidt to Ryan Howard.

Baseball strength

Many family members, friends and I have attended countless Reading Phillies’ games over the years. This summer we were proud to see a potentially emerging star rise in the form of Darin Ruf.

However, the marketing brilliance of some (including everyone who has been part of this particular organization) has shifted many minor league team’s efforts away from a player-focused atmosphere. Instead, the experience itself is king.

Teams can rise and fall from year-to-year. Creating a steady “brand”, that is a based upon the ballpark and not the players, ensures a more consistent business model. That’s the direction that Reading’s minor league franchise moved in after Craig Stein purchased the team in 1986. (In 2008, he sold a majority ownership stake in the team to the Philadelphia Phillies.)

The strategic short- and long-term decisions that he made transformed a sleepy baseball team into a thriving brand that eventually became known as Baseballtown.

Later this month

While the team’s new moniker has yet to be announced, November 17 is the official date when the “Reading Phillies” will fade into history and be replaced by a new nickname.

Of course this move is a gamble. But, past bold efforts created exceedingly positive results. So, it’s fair to assume that this decision has a solid chance of being embraced by all Reading baseball loyalists.

Sean O’Brien is based in the Philadelphia region. He began his professional career in the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons’ front office (the Philadelphia Phillies former Triple-A affiliate), later worked as a freelance sports writer and is currently a Featured Contributor in Sports for the Yahoo Contributor Network! You can follow him on Twitter @SeanyOB and also read his daily Sports Blog: Insight.

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