Bowling Green bootleggers
theme night DESIGN
————————Ahead of the 2016 season, the Bowling Green Hot Rods were wanting to bring back a variation of their famous “What Could Have Been Night.” but done in a new way. Instead of using one of the previous names from their brand development, the Hot Rods wanted to pick a name that honored the heritage and history of the local area. Ultimately the name “Bootleggers” was chosen.
The idea for “Bootleggers Night” serves as a tribute to the Hot Rod aiding the bootlegging industry over a century ago as a way to outrun law enforcement. This rich bourbon heritage has since become synonymous with Kentucky, with over 35 distilleries present throughout the state. The success of the promotion in 2016 led to the team winning the MILBY Promo of the Year. Ever since, the team has promoted the one time promotion into a weekly event for the Bowling Green Hot Rods.
The design motif for the Bootleggers brand centers around the bourbon barrel. Traditional bourbon is distilled in wood barrels. Distillers even burn the inside of the barrels before hand to add a certain flavor to the bourbon. The barrel is displayed prominent in the primary and secondary logos as well as the jersey wordmark.
in 2016, The bowling green hot rods became the only team in all of MILB to have won the coveted promo of the year award twice.
