Things are about to change for fans of the “grand old game.” There’s a new team in town.
The Salt Lake Bees are, like many minor league teams do, temporarily rebranding as the Utah Dirty Sodas, a nod to Swig, home of the original dirty soda.
The Bees will transform into the Utah Dirty Sodas — and bring out their mascot, Swiggy — for every Wednesday home game this season, making summer nights at The Ballpark at America First Square a little sweeter.
The move makes sense, as the Larry H. Miller Company is the majority owner of both the Bees and Swig.
The first Utah Dirty Sodas game is set for Wednesday, April 1.
Alternate identities a fun minor league strategy
As if the Rocket City Trash Pandas weren’t enough, minor league baseball teams across the country love to shake things up by adopting alternate identities instead of their regular names as a promotional strategy.
Food and drink have become a popular theme, with teams like the Akron RubberDucks briefly turning into the Akron Cream Stick Donuts and the Winston-Salem Dash rebranding as the Carolina Reapers, just to name a few.
The Bees, the state’s well-known Triple-A team, are joining the fun with a new persona inspired by Swig, home of the original dirty soda.
“Great baseball, family fun and a refreshing dirty soda make a great combination,” said the CEO of Swig, Alex Dunn.
Each Utah Dirty Sodas game will include $3 Swig drinks, a free Swig item if the Dirty Sodas score four or more runs, and a special ticket package that comes with exclusive Swig and Utah Dirty Sodas merchandise.
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It’s been an eventful year for the Bees
The Bees, aka the Dirty Sodas, moved to Daybreak last year after spending the last 30 years at Smith’s Ballpark.
The move was initially announced in January 2023.
The Larry H Miller Company acquired Daybreak two years prior in 2021.
After attending the inaugural home opener last April, Jackson Payne said the new venue tops several MLB ballparks he has visited.
And now, the team not only has a new stadium, but a new name to go with it.
Fans can get merch here.