On October 23, PLL co-founder Paul Rabil announced on the popular Barstool podcast Pardon My Take that the PLL would be adding a seventh team in 2020.
The announcement quickly led to speculation on what the league would name the seventh team and plenty of fan art of what the team’s logo should look like. As someone who has always enjoyed creating logos of new expansion teams, the announcement prompted me to revisit some of my old ideas for a PLL expansion team, as well as create some new designs based on fans’ suggestions. The result is my “Seven expansion team designs for the seventh PLL team” series.
Marauders Lacrosse Club
Colors: Buccaneer Black, Pirate Gold, Lagoon Blue
Slogan: Show No Mercy
Description: Out to win the PLL trophy at all costs through physical and aggressive play, Marauders LC causes turnovers all over the field and utilize a run and gun style that thrives on transition.
Inspiration: Marauders LC was a team name I thought of back in June when the PLL first kicked off. I first became interested in the Marauders moniker when researching how it was considered in 1996 for the team that would eventually become the Baltimore Ravens.
A marauder is described as “one who roams from place to place making attacks and raids” so I thought it was a perfect name for a new team in a league that travels to a new city week by week. It turns out quite a few other fans, including former Army lacrosse player Erik Mineo, were also fans of the name. Give us the Maraud Squad, PLL!
Reign Lacrosse Club
Colors: Majestic Purple, Noble Gold, Royal Silver
Slogan: Reign On
Description: Masterful at in-game adjustments, Reign LC is methodical in its execution, dictating the tempo of the game and utilizing numerous offensive/defensive sets to counter opponents every move.
Inspiration: Reign LC was suggested by twitter user @KeatsSVLax
and was one of the finalists in @ThePLLPearl’s expansion team name tournament. I loved the name and jumped on the opportunity to create a logo fit for a king.
With this design, I knew I wanted to incorporate the traditional royal colors of purple and gold, particularly since those colors are barely used by any of the other six PLL teams. As for the logo, I chose to design a lion wearing a crown since lions are typically associated with royalty and it was keeping to the theme of indirectly associating animals with these team names like Redwoods LC and Chaos LC did with their logos.
Altitude Lacrosse Club
Colors: Slate Gray, Mountain Brown, Sunset Gold
Slogan: Elevate The Game
Description: Always playing at the highest level, Altitude LC consists of players that are relentless on groundballs, immovable on defense, and continue to elevate their game when it matters most.
Inspiration: This was another name I thought of early on and my initial thought process was it would be great to see former Denver University players like Trevor Baptiste, Eric Law and Wes Berg on a mile high-inspired team. I also wanted to really showcase some colors not present in any of the other six teams’ logos and that’s why I chose to go with a dark brown, blueish gray and yellow gold.
Hive Lacrosse Club
Colors: Bumblebee Black, Hornet Yellow, Wasp Red
Slogan: Defend the Hive
Description: Known for creativity on offense, Hive LC plays a fast and fluid style that thrives on odd-man opportunities. Hive LC players are lethal shooters, stinging corners on time and room looks.
Inspiration: The idea for Hive LC initially came from Jack Goods and Joe Keegan ranked it at the top of his list of names he wanted to be considered. The color scheme of black and yellow was an obvious choice, but a perfect one nonetheless since currently the only team to use yellow in any capacity is Redwoods LC, and it’s just used as an accent color.
I knew I wanted to incorporate the honeycomb shape in this design. As I was using that as my main shape I realized I could also fit in an abstract outline of a lacrosse head (much like how the Whipsnakes logo does). From there I got even more creative and put the word “hive” in the bee logo itself with the “H” serving as the bee’s arms, the “I” and “V” in its body and “E” as the striped stinger.
Surge Lacrosse Club
Colors: Optic Yellow, Midnight Purple, Electric Blue
Slogan: Shock the World
Description: Known for having the most electric players, the “Bolts” boast an offense that strikes fast and often. They get up the field quickly and their passing/shooting is the most precise in the PLL.
Inspiration: Surge was another name I had thought of earlier this summer, and when the name “bolts” was suggested on Pardon My Take, I figured it was a good opportunity to tackle the concept again.
When I first created the logo, it was very generic, so I decided to spruce up the typical lightning bolt by taking inspiration from the triangular “Caution: High Voltage” signs. As far as colors go, I again wanted to incorporate a dark purple, and rather than going with the typical yellow, I opted for the optic yellow that the PLL uses for its game balls. Add some bright blue to the logo and you have a color scheme as electrifying as its name.
Samurai Lacrosse Club
Colors: Samurai Scarlet, Katana Black
Slogan: Fight As One
Description: As the most disciplined team in the PLL, Samurai LC is known for its stalwart defense that plays as a unit. On offense, Samurai LC is methodical, preferring to lull opponents to sleep and only strike when the matchup is right.
Inspiration: I wanted to come up with a name that would tie into the expansion team being the seventh to join the league. When I was brainstorming, I thought of the classic “Seven Samurai” film. Then just days after I had started the design, the PLL announced that it would be traveling to Japan for exhibition games, which reaffirmed my inspiration for the concept.
In order to pay homage to the Japanese roots, I incorporated the red dot behind the Samurai mask. I also snuck an “S” for seven and samurai in the helmet of the samurai warrior.
Legion Lacrosse Club
Colors: Roman Maroon, Empire Gold, Centurion Gray
Slogan: Defend and Conquer
Description: Known for its impenetrable defense and physicality, Legion LC earns victories by dominating its matchups and creating turnovers that lead to goals at the other end of the field.
Inspiration: The name “Legion” was suggested by a fan on Reddit and has become my favorite for the expansion team. It’s easy to say, intimidating and has a lot of potential to stand out from the other teams.
As for the design, I had the hardest time with this logo since there are so many similar “spartan” and “trojan” logos currently in sports. I wanted to differentiate it somehow so I went for the full-body approach and made sure to add a lacrosse stick in place of spear to tie it back to the sport.
What do you think of these names and logos? What other names would you like to see be considered for the seventh PLL team? Let us know in the comments below!
