Review: Portland Stags (MLU)

Part of the series critiquing the professional Ultimate team logos and nicknames.

Team: Portland Stags

Web: http://portland.stags.mlultimate.com // twitter: @PortlandStags

Representation: City // League: MLU

Disc within logo?: No. // Ultimate element in team name?: No.

Background: A stag is a male deer, and an animal - especially a pig - castrated after reaching sexual maturity. "Stag" is also a term meant for going solo to a social event; as in: 'I'm going stag to the Portland Stags pro ultimate game.'

The Chicago Stags were a National Basketball Association team from 1946-50. For what it's worth, there are a number of Elk Lodges in the Portland area, and a Mule Deer Initiative in Oregon.

First impression(s):  Oh, deer! If there's not a Speed Dating event at Stags games, then we have all failed. Very outdoorsy, in a hunting kind of way. The iconic "Dodgers" script is totally throwback.

Eli's Eval: Angry animals! The logo is reminiscent of the Milwaukee Bucks jerseys from the early 2000's (not a bad thing). Stumptown has a reputation for being a hipster epicenter, and their retro Schlitz-like typography does nothing to change this. The script is lovingly drawn, and throwing the city name into the bottom banner completes it, although the "Portland" is weirdly skewed to a different plane for some reason.

Unlike a lot of the other pro Ultimate team logo designs, I can imagine the type without the logo and the logo without the type, but they do go well together, too.

No Mas would approve this logo.

:Eli's Grades:
Grade: A-
On Logo: B+
On Typography: A

Thoughts on this MLU's team name & logo?