Spartanburg baseball team’s new name pays homage to city’s railroad roots

The Spartanburg Professional Baseball Club has unveiled its name and logo.

The name Hub City Spartanburgers pays homage to the city’s historic role as a major railroad hub from the early 1850s until 1936, a pivotal period that shaped the growth and identity of Spartanburg, according to a news release. The logo and branding incorporate these elements, serving as a bridge between the city’s past and its vibrant future.

“It was extremely important to us that when choosing a name for the club, we not only referenced a piece of Spartanburg’s history, but we also captured the fun personality and energetic spirit that fans can look forward to at Fifth Third Park,” said Tyson Jeffers, general manager of the Hub City Spartanburgers, who introduced the brand to the community Saturday. “Hub City Spartanburgers is a nod to our heritage while also signaling the start of an exciting new era in Spartanburg baseball. We can’t wait to see the community rally around this team.”

The evening culminated with a fireworks display that illuminated the sky over the site of the future Fifth Third Park, which is slated to be the team’s new home in 2025, the release stated.

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Hub City, one of the most recognized nicknames for Spartanburg, is a reference to the shape of the city limits revealing a circle with rail lines flowing into Union Station at city center, positioning Spartanburg as the hub of a wheel and highlighting its role as a hub of commerce and travel, the release stated. The team chose to incorporate Hub City into its name not only to illustrate an important piece of Spartanburg’s history as a railroad mecca, but also its resurgence as the hub of industry, commerce and growth that is happening today.

The name Spartanburgers references a sense of community pride in the people that live, work and play in the City of Spartanburg and Spartanburg County someone who hails from Spartanburg is called a Spartanburger, the release stated. The visual of a burger in the primary logo also highlights the community’s rich food history one of the largest fast-food holding companies planted its roots in Spartanburg, and the iconic American diner, Denny’s, is headquartered downtown.

The primary Hub City Spartanburgers Logo is a visual representation of the full name featuring a diner-themed neon sign with the words “Hub City” wrapping around the word “Spartanburgers.” Above Spartanburgers is a burger character sporting a train conductor’s hat, a nod to Hub City history, and holding a baseball bat over his shoulder.

The Hub City Spartanburgers’ debut season will come in 2025, and the team is planning more events to engage the community and build anticipation for the upcoming games.

“This is an exciting day for our club but also the Spartanburg community, whose support has been tremendous since we first announced affiliated baseball was returning to The ‘Burg nearly a year ago,” said Pat Battle and Peter Freund, executive chairman and CEO of ownership group Diamond Baseball Holdings , respectively. “Working closely with Dan Simon at Studio Simon, and the Johnson family who, in addition to other members of the community, played a critical role in developing the new brand, made this process fun and rewarding. We’re thrilled to debut an identity that celebrates Spartanburg and engages fans locally, but we think the Hub City Spartanburgers will also attract fans nationwide and help put Spartanburg baseball on the map.”

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