The name was obvious.

So San Diego.

The Seals are coming.

“Surfacing Soon” is how they put it.


A little more than a year from now, the San Diego Seals of the National Lacrosse League will begin their inaugural season at Valley View Casino Center.

The team announced its name and unveiled its purple, black, gold and gray logo Tuesday in a ceremony on the rooftop of the La Jolla Cove Hotel & Suites.

“We wanted a name that was inherent to San Diego,” said team President Steve Govett. “The Seals name acknowledges the marine mammals that live along our coastline, and it pays tribute to the brave men and women who help keep us safe and protect our freedom.”

The logo, which features a seal that is both ferocious and adorable wearing a trident as a crown, also owes to lacrosse’s history, of which many of us in San Diego have much to learn.


These guys went deep.

They didn’t toss a bunch of names in a hat, didn’t settle on colors and design elements by random mix and match.

The shield background is reminiscent of a lacrosse stick. The gold brings to mind the sunshine of San Diego. Purple is the primary color of the Iroquois, a nod to lacrosse’s Native American roots.

The name was chosen by team owner Joe Tsai. The logo was commissioned by Adrenalin, Inc., which has created logos for several professional and collegiate teams.


The Seals have also unveiled a slogan – Surfacing Soon.

In fact, that is how the logo was unveiled.

Shortly after 2 p.m., Govett invited the media several dozen guests, which included Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Valley View Casino Center general manager Ernie Hahn and representatives of the Padres and Gulls — to the railing overlooking the Pacific Ocean to look out beyond the rocks of the cove, where a dive team was unfurling a 50-foot-by-50-foot banner in the water.

“Oh, this is a top-notch group,” Faulconer said. “San Diego has some good team ownership here.”


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kevin.acee@sduniontribune.com