Chicago’s Love of Hot Dogs Inspires New Baseball Team’s Name

Chicago takes its hot dogs seriously and that passion has provided the inspiration for the name for the Chicago Dogs, a new suburban independent league baseball team debuting next year. Officials unveiled the name and logo for the AA team on Friday morning, as the team will play its first season in 2018 and play in a new stadium in suburban Rosemont. The team’s logo isn’t a Chicago-style dog, but it does feature four stars as a tribute to the city’s flag.

A Denver-based graphic design team, Adrenalin Inc., created the logo. The Daily Herald reported that the firm’s clients included basketball’s Harlem Globetrotters, the NHL’s LA Kings, and the United States Olympic Committee. Though it’s a suburban team, they’re colluding with one of Chicago’s most-famous hot dogs stands. The Wiener’s Circle in Lincoln Park will hold a hot dog happy hour from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. today to celebrate the name with $1 dogs. They will be served Chicago style, according to a Wiener’s Circle rep. The stand is already dressed up for the occasion.

The Dogs aren’t the first team to name itself after a city’s signature food item. Fans of the Kansas City T-Bones know this. However, hot dogs play a huge part in the baseball stadium experience. Not only do fans eat them at the game, but cocky players are often referred to as “hot dogs” and baseball announcers compliment strong throws by saying they have “extra mustard” on them them. There aren’t any baseball phrases that use “ketchup” that come immediately to mind. Guess there’s not much room in America’s Pastime or on a Chicago-style hot dog for the condiment.