Prior to the 2000 season, Knoxville¡¯s Double-A Southern League franchise relocated 20 miles east, to the town of Kodak, and christened themselves the Tennessee Smokies. Twenty-five years later, the team is going back to its roots.

The Smokies return to Knoxville in 2025, operating out of brand-new Covenant Health Ballpark in the city¡¯s downtown. On Thursday, the Chicago Cubs' Double-A affiliate tweaked its name and unveiled updated logos and uniforms reflecting this change.

¡°It was the worst-kept secret in town that we were going from the Tennessee Smokies to the Knoxville Smokies,¡± said team president Chris Allen. ¡°It¡¯s something that¡¯s been a long time coming. We¡¯re happy. We¡¯re ready to do it. We¡¯re excited about getting our new swag out there.¡±

The Smokies moniker, referencing the nearby Smoky Mountains, has a long history. Knoxville¡¯s Minor League team employed that moniker from 1925-67 and returned to it in 1993 before utilizing it for the entirety of its run in Kodak. The red, white and blue color scheme and bat-wielding grizzly bear primary logo, designed by Studio Simon and introduced in 2015, remains largely the same going forward.

The biggest change, of course, is the switch from "Tennessee" to "Knoxville." Knoxville, in cursive, replaces the Tennessee block script in the primary logo. The home caps read KS instead of TS, with the road version simply going from T to K.

¡°Dan Simon [of Studio Simon] did a great job with the original logo, and we were torn in the office about changing it,¡± said Allen. ¡°We decided to be real subtle with the changes.¡±

The Smokies also released a ¡°Return to Knoxville¡± inaugural season logo, as well as tertiary logos featuring a pair of city landmarks -- the Henley Bridge and the Sunsphere (originally constructed for the 1982 World¡¯s Fair). Allen said that 65 percent of the team¡¯s fans had been driving from Knoxville County to attend the games in Kodak, so the move back to the city should result in a ¡°tremendous uptick in ticket sales.¡±

Covenant Health Ballpark, a year-round multiuse facility that the Smokies will share with the One Knox SC soccer team, is located in Knoxville¡¯s Old City neighborhood. It will be a central node of a larger project, one which Smokies owner Randy Boyd is heavily invested in.

¡°It¡¯s going to be core to the redevelopment of an area that really needs development,¡± said Allen. ¡°Our owner already has a lot of land down there. We¡¯ve got four retail spaces facing on the outside [of the ballpark] that we¡¯ll rent out to various businesses and restaurants. There¡¯s a condo building that¡¯s right up against the stadium. ¡­ There¡¯s office space, and there¡¯s rental space down below for more restaurants and retail outlets. And then there¡¯s a 144-apartment complex in left field.

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"We're a Cubs affiliate, and when you're here at the ballpark it'll give you that Wrigley Field vibe. It feels like a Major League park because you've got all these buildings surrounding you."

After a nine-game road trip to start the season, the Knoxville Smokies will make their debut at Covenant Health Ballpark on April 15. But first, fans will have a final chance to say goodbye to the team¡¯s former home. On Friday evening at Kodak¡¯s Smokies Stadium, the University of Tennessee Volunteers baseball team will play their annual ¡°Orange and White Fall World Series¡± game.

¡°We¡¯ve got, probably, a sellout crowd, which is amazing,¡± said Allen. ¡°There¡¯ll be plenty of opportunities for folks to buy the new logo and the new images. So, perfect timing for us.¡±