Thursday in Rome, Ga., Minor League Baseball (MILB) announced a name change and unveiled new branding for its local High-A team. 

The Rome Braves franchise, previously the Macon Braves until it moved northward in 2003, is now called the Rome Emperors. The Emperors were owned by the Atlanta Braves until 2022 and are now owned and operated by Diamond Baseball Holdings.

Rome general manager David Lane told MILB the team received 5,300 name suggestions from fans, settling on Emperors because of its multi-faceted branding opportunities.

“The seven hills, the three rivers, we have all these unique ties back to Rome, Italy,” Lane said. “So then we started looking at ‘What is an Emperor?’ Rome was an empire rich in history and culture, and Roman emperors were known for leading a variety of scientific and technology advances in the world.”

The new team branding is "in keeping" with quirky names across Minor League Baseball, a statement from Major League Baseball said.

The logo contains a cartoon of an emperor penguin, with "MMIII" beneath the character, which represents the year the franchise arrived in town. The graphic border is comprised of an uppercase "G" and lowercase "a," in a nod to the state of Georgia.

The Rome Emperors will make their on-field debut on April 5, opening the season at home against the Hickory Crawdads.

Tags: baseball  minor league baseball  Atlanta Braves  Rome  Rome Emperors