The Salt Lake Bees turned a beloved regional soda habit into a nationally recognized baseball brand, and this week Minor League Baseball made it official: the team's Utah Dirty Sodas alter ego is the 2026 Best New Alternate Identity, edging out six other nominees in a fan vote that came down to a matter of percentage points.
A Tight National Vote
The Utah Dirty Sodas captured 25% of the online fan vote, narrowly beating the Columbus Scrambled Dogs at 24% and the Louisville Humidity at 23%, according to MLB.com. Minor League Baseball officially presented the award during the annual MiLB Awards Show, which aired live on MLB Network on Monday night, the outlet reported. Other nominees in the running included the Las Vegas Headliners, the Palm Beach Frozen Iguanas, the Reading Iced Coffees and the Tulsa Ranch Dippers, per KSL.com, which noted the seven nominees were culled from dozens of submitted alternate identities.
The Bees first unveiled the Utah Dirty Sodas concept in February and debuted it on the field on April 1, playing under the alter ego during every Wednesday home game throughout the 2026 season at the Ballpark at America First Square in South Jordan, according to KSL. Ashley Havili, vice president of marketing for Miller Sports + Entertainment, said the recognition reflects creativity, collaboration and passion, per the same report.
Built With Swig and a Mississippi Design Firm
The identity was created through a partnership between the Bees and Swig, the drive-thru soda chain founded in Utah in 2010 that helped popularize soda mixed with cream, flavored syrups and creative add-ins, according to KSL. Swig now operates more than 140 locations across the country, the outlet reported, and provided $3 drinks at Utah Dirty Sodas games. To build the visual identity, the Bees partnered with Mississippi-based design agency RARE Design, which selected a cola-brown and cream color palette inspired by soft drinks and creamer, according to MLB.com.
The look showed up head to toe. Players wore cream-colored jerseys with red sleeves, a Dirty Sodas script in brown lettering, and brown numbers, per KSL, while the sleeves carried both the Utah Dirty Sodas and Salt Lake Bees logos. Caps featured a brown crown, a red bill and the Dirty Sodas logo up front, the outlet reported. Minor League Baseball credited the collaboration among the Bees, Swig, RARE Design and fans in recognizing the identity, according to KSL.
Sponsor Synergy, Baked Into the Ballpark
The gameday experience leaned hard into the sponsor tie-in. Utah Dirty Sodas games included custom branding, themed entertainment, in-game promotions and appearances from the mascot Swiggy, KSL reported, along with a large inflatable Swig cup planted in right-center field. During Wednesday home games, any home run ball struck into that inflatable cup triggered free drinks for every fan in attendance, according to KSL.com.
The promotional fit is not a coincidence. The Salt Lake Bees and Swig share corporate ownership under the Larry H. Miller Company, which operates Miller Sports + Entertainment and acquired a majority stake in Swig in 2022, according to Wikipedia. That same ownership group privately funded the Bees' new ballpark, the entry notes, meaning the Dirty Sodas campaign doubled as a coordinated push to elevate two brands under one corporate roof.
A Fresh Identity for a New Ballpark
The timing also lines up with a bigger transition for the franchise. The Bees opened the privately funded, 8,000-capacity Ballpark at America First Square in South Jordan in April 2025, ending a 30-season run at Smith's Ballpark in Salt Lake City, according to World Baseball Network. The venue anchors the 200-acre Downtown Daybreak district, per the same report, giving the Dirty Sodas identity a brand-new stage during the team's first full seasons in its suburban home. The Bees play in the Pacific Coast League and have served as the Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Angels since 2001, per MLB.com.
Utah's dirty soda tradition itself has deep local roots. The phenomenon originated in St. George in 2010 to cater to the state's large Latter-day Saints population, whose health guidelines prohibit hot beverages like coffee and tea but permit cold carbonated drinks, according to a Wright State Guardian report. Swig founder Nicole Tanner trademarked the term Dirty Soda in 2013 and grew the chain into a national player, with plans to enter Greater Boston by 2027, as Hoodline previously reported.
The Bees weren't the only club leaning on food and drink culture for a rebrand. Second-place finisher Columbus Scrambled Dogs was created this year as the food-themed alter ego of the Columbus Clingstones, the Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves, according to MLB.com. Whether the Utah Dirty Sodas identity becomes a permanent weekly fixture in future seasons, or expands into new merchandise and beverage tie-ins, remains an open question for the franchise going forward.
