Timeless Threads: Toronto Blue Jays at 50
Last week, I found myself in a YouTube wormhole. In the midst of scrolling through old Conan O’Brien bits, hockey fights and cat videos, I came across a Sportsnet video on the origins of the Toronto Blue Jays name. It’s one in a series about the Blue Jays 50th season.
As a noted logo and uniform aficionado, I’ve always been a fan of the Blue Jays look. With the exception of the black and graphite era of the 2000s.
In the above video, the suggestions of “Towers”, “Exhibitionists”, “Beavers”, even “Maple Leafs” (Toronto fans have enough trouble surviving one Leafs season, let alone two in one year?) didn’t cut it. In fact, the idea of Blue Jays was based off former Ontario premier John Robarts looking out his window and seeing the colorful bird. And from there, Toronto got the name for their MLB team.
Growing up in Rochester, NY — my mother would put up numerous bird feeders throughout the backyard. Even today, when I visit my parents, it’s nice to enjoy a morning cup of coffee and look out on a few of the feeders from the patio window. It’s both calming and a way to enjoy the natural beauty afforded people who live in the Finger Lakes.
During my last visit, the Fourth of July weekend, I observed a cardinal and a finch. As both shared space on the feeder, getting a morning bite, they were quickly scared away. Swooping in were three blue jays — scattering all the birds within the area.
The jays would take up both sides and eat their fill. As the younger, small jay tried eating from one side, a larger jay nipped at it’s legs, telling him to back off. It’s rough living even within the blue jay community.
Blue jays are inherently aggressive birds. They’re strong, they’re intelligent enough to use tools, they will even learn to mimic the sounds of hawks to further terrorize other birds. Simply put, blue jays are bullies and are not afraid to put up a fight. I’d say that’s a pretty good bird to name a baseball team after.
The Jays have had a few different looks — be it their uniforms or logos — that I love the look of. With them being the only MLB team in Canada, the blue jay is a great way to symbolize the city’s (and a certain beer company, Labatt’s) love for the color blue. Let’s look at some of my favorite facets of their imagery.
The Blue Jays Logo
As the video mentioned, when the team announced the name, they needed a logo. More importantly, they needed that logo to convey a connection to Canada.
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Looking at the roundel logo from the start of the franchise and the updated one in 2012, I love the balance of colors. With two shades of blue, giving the side profile bird’s head some depth, it’s got the added contrast of the red baseball outline, stitches, and the maple leaf. A good baseball team should have a roundel logo and the Blue Jays nailed it from day one.
The Font
I always loved that split font used for “Blue Jays”, “Toronto”, and the numbers. It really comes off as unique within context of the 1970s where most teams would use a varsity block font or McAuliffe (like the Red Sox or Angels briefly used).
And since the Jays have used this font for a large chunk of their existence, it’s become an iconic element to their uniforms.
Powder Blue
In the early 1970s, as a sign of the times, teams were updating their uniforms. While some went with complete overhauls on logos or color schemes, one thing that took over all uniforms was the introduction of double knit fabrics. Flannel was out, it wasn’t forgiving in summer. Cotton and nylon blends were the wave of the future.
When the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays joined the league in 1977, they took to the field wearing double knit pullover tops with sansabelt pants. Both a commonplace style for the decade.
Like many teams in the league, both squads had powder blue road uniforms. Grey was passé, it belonged to the flannel era.
I always love the added depth powder blue gave the Blue Jays (along with the Royals, Brewers, and Phillies). It gave the logos, numbers, and wordmarks added depth and prominence on the uniforms.
It’s refreshing to see the Blue Jays bring back a powder blue alternate uniform in 2020. It’s a nice nod to the team’s history and still looks cool, even with the updated Jays logos.
For any casual baseball fans who don’t follow the Blue Jays, it’s been fun to see the various Sportsnet “The Blue Jays Way” videos highlighting the Blue Jays 50th celebration. And for Jays fans, it’s a nice comfort view, given how disappointing this season turned out. Hopefully they’ll get it straighten out for 2027.
