The Bobcats today unveiled new uniforms and a new color treatment for the team’s logos. The primary and secondary logo marks remain the same, with a new color scheme that includes a darker shade of blue and more lighter gray than before, while also introducing light blue and reducing the amount of orange (Bobcats). In Charlotte, Rick Bonnell in a front-page piece notes the team is “switching to a darker navy blue, adding Carolina blue as an accent, and further de-emphasizing the orange color that dominated their uniforms their first two seasons.” They are also “shortening their nickname on the white home jerseys from ‘Bobcats’ to ‘Cats,’” while the blue road jerseys “will continue to say, ‘Charlotte.’” The Bobcats “can’t directly address the ‘Hornets’ nickname, at least until that team’s new owner, Tom Benson, follows through on plans to discard it for something more Louisiana-centric.” But Bonnell notes team officials “did address … their willingness to change.” Bobcats President & COO Fred Whitfield said, “What this doesn’t do is preclude us from any possibility down the road.” Now the team can “investigate whether such a change -- which could cost several million dollars -- would pay back in improved ticket and merchandise sales and marketing.” Whitfield said that team Owner Michael Jordan “pushed for changes in the look as soon as he bought the team.” Jordan “didn’t like the heavy use of orange and wanted the Carolina blue accent.” While that “could turn off some potential fans who don’t root for the Tar Heels,” Bobcats Exec VP and Chief Marketing & Sales Officer Pete Guelli said that their market research “suggested it would be received well.” Thirty-five percent of those polled by the Bobcats said that, “They’d like Carolina blue in the color mix” (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 6/20).
