The Braves’ High-A affiliate in Rome has a new name.
The minor-league team announced it has changed its nickname from Braves to Emperors.
The change marks the first time in franchise history that the club has not been named the Braves. The South Atlantic League team, established in 1968, played its first season in Rome in 2003 after relocating from Macon.
Rome, as well as the other teams in the system, are owned and operated by Diamond Baseball Holdings, not the Braves organization.
Rome general manager David Lane told MLB.com that the name change was indicative of an industry trend in which “teams distinguish themselves from their parent organizations and give each community the opportunity to create their own unique team identity.”
The team received 5,300 name suggestions from fans, settling on Emperors because of its multi-faceted branding opportunities.
“The seven hills, the three rivers, we have all these unique ties back to Rome, Italy,” said Lane, according to MLB.com. “So then we started looking at ‘what is an Emperor?’ Rome was an empire rich in history and culture, and Roman emperors were known for leading a variety of scientific and technology advances in the world.”
And now they play baseball in Georgia.
