Atlanta's High-A affiliate, Rome Braves, announce they're changing their name for the 2024 season

We've seen a concentrated effort to change the names of minor league teams to better differentiate them from their major league parents, and Rome is the next team to do so

The Rome Braves, High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, has announced they are beginning the process of renaming the team, with a goal to have the new name in place for the 2024 season. 

For over 20 years, the Rome Braves have been in Rome, Georgia, where they moved for the 2003 season from Macon, GA. The team was originally founded in Greenwood, South Carolina as the Braves in 1968, and has, with the exception of the three year span from 1981-1983, always been an affiliate of the Atlanta Braves and always called the Braves.

The affiliation is continuing, but the name is not. 

Like many minor league teams before them (including several in Atlanta's farm system), Rome is undertaking a re-naming process to have an unique identity that is separate from their parent organization. 

In 2018, AAA Gwinnett rebranded from the Braves to the Stripers, a nod to the prominence of striped bass in nearby Lake Lanier. 

It is unknown if either the Gwinnett or the Rome renaming is related to recent efforts to remove Native American branding from professional sports. Both the Cleveland Indians (now Guardians) and Washington Redskins (not Commanders) have changed their names in the last few years, but Braves officials have been adamant that the team will not change names. The team has made some efforts to reduce Native American imagery, however - the chop is played at games, but usually not accompanied by any video imagery, just a drumbeat played over the PA. Foam tomahawks, once a popular giveaway, are no longer passed out by the team in the stadium.  

Rome Professional Baseball is soliciting suggestions for a new team name from fans of the team and organization - submissions are open for one week and can be submitted at milb.com/rome. 

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