Tacos are a beloved, culturally appropriated icon of American cuisine, nearly unanimously beloved by all. So it only makes sense to combine the taco love with our nation’s pastime—baseball.
On Tuesday General Manager Derek Franks announced the Fresno Grizzlies triple-A minor league team (affiliated with the Houston Astros) would be rebranding as the Fresno Tacos. The decision was an instant hit.
I will also give my soul for a Fresno Tacos hat.
— Trace Levos (@tracelevos) July 22, 2015
"You don’t understand, it’s a taco. On a baseball cap." – Me, explaining why I need this Fresno Tacos hat to non-Californians
— Britt (@abrittoutside) July 22, 2015
Don't care how much it costs. Gonna need some @tonykemp @FresnoGrizzlies Fresno Tacos gear.
— Dan (@VandyDanR) July 22, 2015
The catch? It’s only for one night. The Fresno Tacos will take the field on Thursday, Aug. 6. It’s part of a promotion for the 5th annual “Taco Truck Throwdown,” in which taco trucks from the area gather outside the team’s stadium and compete.
One guy was so desperate to get his hands on a Fresno Tacos hat, that he set up a GoFundMe page to make it happen. He met his goal, thanks to a few people who deemed it a worthy cause.
Sure, it’s a pretty shameless publicity stunt. Ryan Young, Grizzlies communications and marketing manager, even said “The true baseball fans, they think that the Taco Truck Throwdown takes too much of a shine off of the baseball game.”
But ultimately, the team decided it was a great way to get fans in the stands—and to momentarily become the Internet’s favorite team.
H/T and photo via MiLB