Anaheim Advocates for Angels Name Change Amid Ownership Transition

The Los Angeles Angels are at a crossroads. With a rich history in Anaheim, the team faces a potential identity shift with its new ownership. Although many baseball fans may not be concerned with the details of these semantics, for those in Southern California, the name carries significant weight.

On September 1st, it was announced that Arte Moreno agreed to sell the Angels to Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. This new direction provides the opportunity for change. The city of Anaheim, home to Angel Stadium since 1966, is likely to request that the team reinstate ‘Anaheim’ in its name.

“I feel like it’s my birthday,” shared Ashleigh Aitken, mayor of Anaheim, with The Athletic. “As a life-long Angels fan, I am optimistic about the future of Anaheim Angels baseball.”

Anaheim City Council member Natalie Rubalcava expressed similar enthusiasm. “This news honestly made my year,” she stated to the Los Angeles Times. “Excited to move past controversy and embrace a new era of Anaheim baseball.”

The reported sale price of the Angels stands at $4 billion, setting a new record following the San Diego Padres’ $3.9 billion sale in August. While Moreno benefits financially, the benefits have not extended to Anaheim as expected.

Nearly 20 years ago, Anaheim initiated a legal dispute against Moreno. The city claimed it would lose out on hundreds of millions of dollars by renaming the team the ‘Los Angeles Angels.’ A marketing expert cited by The Times estimated Anaheim’s loss at $26.5 million per year, totaling over $500 million in 20 years.

Originally, Disney incorporated ‘Anaheim’ into the Angels’ name after acquiring the franchise from Gene Autry in 1997. Decades earlier, Autry had shifted the name to ‘California’ to expand the team’s marketing reach.

The state of California does not currently apply pressure for a name change; nor does Los Angeles. Anaheim, however, is actively pursuing the change. Mayor Aitken even wrote an open letter to the Angels in 2025 as an attempt to mend relations and encourage a return to the Anaheim identity.

If successful, the Angels might soon move back under the ‘Anaheim’ banner, a symbolic homecoming without the need for relocation.