The Philadelphia Wings, the city's indoor lacrosse team, are officially back. And in a dramatic rebranding, the team will now be called ... never mind. They will still be the Wings.
The announcement was made on Preston & Steve on Wednesday morning. The Wings' Twitter account revealed a new logo, featuring a deviation from the old color scheme.
The Wings played in the National Lacrosse League with Philly as their hometown for nearly two decades before relocating to Connecticut in 2014. The move was made to improve the team's financial stability, and team president Michael French cited New England's market for lacrosse as the reason for heading up north.
But in September of this year, it was announced that Philly would once again be getting an NLL franchise, and that the team's name would be decided by a fan vote. Well, Philly fans apparently wanted to keep the city's indoor lacrosse heritage intact. Per a press release:
“The Wings are clearly the favorite, and we’re happy to give the fans what they want,” said Lindsey Masciangelo, Executive Director of Business Operations. “Respecting the fans’ desire for the Wings name, we wanted the look to feel fresh, but also pay homage to the history of indoor lacrosse in Philadelphia.”
The Wings logo features a throwback to the previous team’s mark with a familiar “W,” but slightly refreshed. The color scheme features red, gold and charcoal; a combination that no other team in the NLL possesses. The “P” on the side of the uniform, representing Philadelphia, will serve as a secondary logo. It is also a connection to Comcast Spectacor’s other Philadelphia-area professional sports team, the Philadelphia Flyers, of the National Hockey League.
Fans will have to wait a year to see the Wings, who won six league titles during their previous tenure in Philly. They're set to begin play at the Wells Fargo Center for the 2018/19 season. Information on tickets, merchandise and more can be found here.