Comedian John Oliver is offering to temporarily change the name of the Iowa Cubs and give the Des Moines team a rebrand, with a catch.
To close out the May 4 episode of HBO’s “Last Week Tonight,” Oliver had a segment about minor league baseball teams, and the sometimes outlandish lengths they go to attract fans, such as a team wearing dog-face jerseys or another rebranding its mascot to the “trash pandas.”
While Oliver celebrated these teams’ efforts, he wasn’t too impressed with others like the Iowa Cubs and Worcester Red Sox, whose names originated from their MLB affiliate.
“[They’re] pretty disappointing because in not embracing the glorious eccentricity of the magnificent league they belong to, they’re kind of leaving money on the table,” Oliver said. “That is where we come in.”
What does John Oliver want to do with the Iowa Cubs?
“We are willing to use all of our resources and stupidity to give one minor league baseball team a total rebrand,” he said. “We will give you a new team name, a new mascot — we will even throw you a theme night.”
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Oliver instructed teams interested in his offer to reach out at johnoliver@buntstuff.com. If chosen for the revamp, teams will not be able to ask any questions or give any suggestions, and are required to follow through with whatever the show gives them.
Have the Iowa Cubs rebranded before?
The Des Moines team went by the name “Demonios de Des Moines” for three games in March 2019 as part of Minor League Baseball’s “Copa de la Diversion” initiative to celebrate local Hispanic and Latino culture. The temporary name has returned a few times, including on May 4, 2025.
Later in 2019, the Cubs went by the “Iowa Caucuses” during a game against the Memphis Redbirds, an homage to Iowa’s status as a first-in-the-nation caucus state. Players wore special uniforms and red, white and blue caps with an outline of the state.
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Comedian John Oliver offers to rebrand the Iowa Cubs
