For two months, Baltimore’s new Arena Football League has been making moves without having a name, colors or uniforms. All of that changes today. Introducing: the Baltimore Brigade.
The franchise unveiled its name, uniforms and logo at a press conference at Royal Farms Arena downtown this morning. The team represents “the city of Baltimore’s rich military history,” according to a release.
The light blue, navy and silver colors are notably much more subdued than the Orioles’ black, white and orange and the Ravens’ purple, white, black and gold combinations. The primary logo features a large “B” sitting atop a “flowing wave,” while the alternate logos show a star superimposed on a pentagon, a football and a another pentagon resembling a shield. The pentagons and star reference the shape of Fort McHenry.
Here are a couple shots of the uniforms:
The team is noticeably missing a helmet design. WJZ’s Amy Yensi reports that’s “still in the works.”
It’s worth noting the Brigade aren’t the first to adopt their name in Baltimore. That would be the city’s chapter of the American Outlaws, a national group that feverishly supports the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team. They made sure to point this out via social media.
Pretty sure there’s already a Baltimore Brigade… https://t.co/x2Ttbg7HLY
— AO BaltimoreBrigade (@bmore_brigade) January 25, 2017
Regardless, Maryland agencies are already buying into the team’s hype. The Maryland Transit Administration today unveiled electric blue-colored buses sporting the Brigade logo.
MTA has partnered with Baltimore’s new Arena Football League team the Baltimore Brigade @BaltimoreAFL @RoFoArena @MDOTNews #WeAreYourMTA pic.twitter.com/vngzQYVj9E
— MTA Maryland (@mtamaryland) January 25, 2017
“Today is an exciting day for the team as we can officially become known as the Baltimore Brigade,” said head coach Omarr Smith in a statement. “Our players and coaches are proud to be able to represent the city of Baltimore and having our official team name, colors and uniforms announced for the world to see is exhilarating. We can’t wait to begin our inaugural season.”
The Brigade signed Smith as their head coach in December and signed their first five players earlier this month. The franchise still needs to sign 16 other players to fill out its active roster.
The Brigade’s season begins on April 7 when they take on the Washington Valor, who are notably owned by the same parent company, Ted Leonsis’ Monumental Sports and Entertainment. The Brigade will play the Valor and the league’s four other teams several times throughout the 14-game season. They’ll play home games in Royal Farms Arena.
If you love arena football, you can buy season tickets here.
