It's kind of a pig deal: Kannapolis becomes the Q's

When Kannapolis rebranded at the end of 2019, the club was presented with a myriad of options for a new name. Cannon Ballers was always the top choice, but there was another name that caught the attention of personnel.

The Q’s.

Just the letter, not short for anything, like the A’s or the O’s or the M’s. Its meaning is two-fold: “Q” could be short for “barbecue,” and it represents the shape of a pig’s curly tail. Both of those things are what Kannapolis are paying homage to when they take the field as the Kannapolis Q’s on May 5-7.

“North Carolinians take a lot of pride in their barbecue,” Kannapolis general manager Matt Millward said. “We’ve got a lot of barbecue themes -- pig promotions, pig puns, barbecue throughout the ballpark. We’re selling rubber pig noses. Just a lot of random, fun stuff.”

The reason Kannapolis chose this weekend for their alternate identity has to do with the annual “Jiggy With The Piggy” festival held downtown -- literally right across the street from Atrium Health Ballpark. In the three years since building its new ballpark, the club is playing at home on the same weekend as the festival for the first time, opening the door for a perfect pig-filled weekend.

Introducing the Kannapolis Q's!

In conjunction with today being “National Pig Day,” the Ballers revealed a change from their iconic name to one that pays homage to NC barbecue. The team will become the Kannapolis Q’s for their three-game weekend series beginning Friday, May 5. pic.twitter.com/CnczWRqW7e

— Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (@Kcannonballers) March 1, 2023

On Friday, the club shifted its game time back so that fans could go to nighttime festival activities after the game. On Saturday, the game will begin after the festival ends, concluding with fireworks set to music made by local musicians. On Sunday, the team is doing a piggy bank giveaway.

“There’s not a cooler way to pay homage to our city and really release this brand than to really go in synergy with this Jiggy With The Piggy festival,” Millward said. “We’ve kept it in our back pocket up to this point, but we knew that when we played at the same time as the festival, this is something we have to do.”

The logo design features a smiling pig swinging a big fork as a bat. The tail of the Q is curled to look like a pig’s tail, and the pig dons a forest green cap -- a nod to the Cannon Baller’s accent color and the primary color of the local high school.

“The city has been our biggest supporter. Our relationship is incredible,” Millward said. “I knew this was our chance to really say thank you.”

Millward has cooked up plenty of pig puns for the weekend, but one of his favorites has been telling people, “it’s kind of a pig deal.” It’s a pig deal indeed, as the club plans to continue using this identity in the future.

“I’m sure in future years we’ll really take it larger and larger,” Millward said. “Pigs are special animals. They’re more than just barbecue.”