Zephyrs unveil new 'Fleur de Z' logo
The New Orleans Zephyrs unveiled their new logo on Tuesday morning, marking the first time in six years that the club has significantly altered its appearance. Whereas the previous logo prominently featured mascot Boudreaux the nutria, the new look emphasizes what has long been New Orleans' most recognizable symbol -- the fleur de lis.
The Zephyrs are calling the primary logo the "Fleur de Z," as it features the word Zephyrs and a stylized baseball bat.
For the record, nutrias are orange-toothed, semi-aquatic rodents that are prevalent in the city of New Orleans.
"[Boudreaux] is still our mascot. He's well-loved and we don't want people to get upset, because we'll never get rid of him," said Jessica De Oro, the Zephyrs director of promotions and merchandise. "But at the same time, he doesn't travel well. A lot of people in other cities don't know what a nutria is, and we wanted something that will immediately let everyone know that we're from New Orleans."
And perhaps no symbol is more emblematic of New Orleans than the Fleur de Lis, which was widely adopted as a symbol of regional pride in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
"[The logo] signifies that we're committed to New Orleans and proud to represent the area," said De Oro. "Katrina might have slowed us down, but we're still here and still going strong."
The Zephyrs hope that the new logo gives fans a better outlet in which to express this never-say-die mentality.
"One of the things unique to Louisiana is that the people here are very proud to wear their team colors," said De Oro. "At an LSU game, everyone is purple and gold. And when you go in that dome for a Saints game, everyone has on the black and gold. We want people to feel the same way about the Zephyrs, and that shouldn't be a problem given how strong the city is in supporting its teams."
Navy Blue remains the Zephyrs' primary color, but a metallic silver hue is replacing the hunter green that was prevalent in the previous logo.
"New Orleans is known for its opulence, with Mardi Gras and Jazz Fest, to name a few, and we felt silver was an appropriate representation of that," said De Oro in a press release.
The new logo, which was designed by Ohio-based Rickabaugh Graphics, will be phased in over the ensuing months of the offseason. The home jersey will read "Zephyrs" in navy blue and silver script, while the navy blue road unis -- which were introduced last year -- will feature "NOLA" in white script.
Benjamin Hill is a reporter for MLB.com.