# Explain the Montreal Expos logo **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 19, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090 "2005-07-19T02:35:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DaveRaver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daveraver/32/1078_2.png) [@DaveRaver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DaveRaver)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/1 "2005-07-19T02:35:39Z")
I know the Montreal Expos are now the Washington Nationals, but I still wonder about their old logo. It looks like, overall, it is in the shape of an “M”, but the red, white and blue letter shapes look like “elb”. What does that mean? Or is there a different way of looking at it? Please help! Here is the logo in case you’ve forgotten… [http://www.highlandmint.com/ProductPics/ExposLogo.jpg](http://www.highlandmint.com/ProductPics/ExposLogo.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![El\_Cheapo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8e7dd6/32.png) [@El\_Cheapo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Cheapo)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/2 "2005-07-19T02:39:33Z")
I believe the “l” is just leftovers from the “e” for expos and “b” for baseball formed inside overall shape which vaguely resembles an M. ---
**Author:** ![Soylent\_Gene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecae2f/32.png) [@Soylent\_Gene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Soylent_Gene)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/3 "2005-07-19T04:53:25Z")
this site claims its an e, b, and m. representing Montreal, Expos, and Baseball. [link](http://experts.about.com/q/256/2789081.htm) ---
**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 7:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/4 "2005-07-19T07:31:46Z")
The team had to move to avoid this sort of questioning. > **[FaqFarm.com is available at DomainMarket.com](https://www.domainmarket.com/buynow/faqfarm.com)** > > Domain for Sale. FaqFarm.com. Request Price. What Are the > Advantages of a Super Premium .Com Domain? Increased Traffic. Search Engine Ranking. Brand Recognition. > Immediate Presence. Higher Profits. Great Investment. #1 in Premium Domains. 300,000 of... ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/5 "2005-07-19T10:32:40Z")
Just as the Canadiens have been called “les Habs” for so long, Expos fans could easily have called them “les elbs.” [sub]If there had ever been any Expos fans.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/6 "2005-07-19T12:37:19Z")
> [@BobT](#): > > The team had to move to avoid this sort of questioning. > > [FaqFarm.com is available at DomainMarket.com. Call 888-694-6735](http://www.faqfarm.com/Q/What_does_the_Montreal_Expos_logo_mean) You know, it never occurred to me to look at it as anything but a stylized “M.” ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/7 "2005-07-19T13:07:02Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > You know, it never occurred to me to look at it as anything but a stylized “M.” Amazing how the brain works. I knew so many people who looked at me like a chicken without a head when I said I only saw the “elb”. To me the “e” really sticks out. I never saw the “M”. I can’t think of any logo (sports or corporate) where the logo consists of 1 letter that has another stylized letter within its borders. Anyone know of any ? ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/8 "2005-07-19T13:46:58Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > I can’t think of any logo (sports or corporate) where the logo consists of 1 letter that has another stylized letter within its borders. > > Anyone know of any ? Not sure that these logos are exactly what you’re looking for, but they’re in the ballpark: [Sun](http://www.goodlogo.com/top250/?interval=10) [Toyota](http://www.goodlogo.com/top250/?interval=10) (there was a past thread about this one in which some posters mentioned that all the letters in “TOYOTA” can be made out in the logo) [Volkswagen](http://www.goodlogo.com/top250/?interval=18) [Sergio Tacchini](http://www.goodlogo.com/top250/?interval=36) [Glock](http://www.goodlogo.com/top250/?interval=44) [Metroplitan Life](http://www.goodlogo.com/top250/?interval=50) ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/9 "2005-07-19T14:16:44Z")
The Expos logo was a sort of Rorschact (sp?) test for sports fans; it could be taken to mean almost anything. As a public service, the Expos were just trying to provide you with a mind-expanding test. It’s an M, for Montreal. There’s an E for Expos, a B for Baseball. Or maybe the E is a C, and the CB means Charles Bronfman. Perhaps it’s a J and a B, Jeu Baseball, “the game of baseball.” (My eyes always saw the logo as JB. I know it’s an M, but I found that difficult to perceive.) Or is it in fact "Expos Le Baseball, with the white vertical stripe being an L? “Expos Le Baseball” doesn’t actually make any sense in French, but it’s all about what YOU perceive. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/10 "2005-07-19T14:18:32Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > Not sure that these logos are exactly what you’re looking for, but they’re in the ballpark: > > [Sun](http://www.goodlogo.com/top250/?interval=10) > > [Toyota](http://www.goodlogo.com/top250/?interval=10) (there was a past thread about this one in which some posters mentioned that all the letters in “TOYOTA” can be made out in the logo) > > [Volkswagen](http://www.goodlogo.com/top250/?interval=18) > > [Sergio Tacchini](http://www.goodlogo.com/top250/?interval=36) > > [Glock](http://www.goodlogo.com/top250/?interval=44) > > [Metroplitan Life](http://www.goodlogo.com/top250/?interval=50) Of these, only the Sergio Taccini logo qualifies as “letters within letters.” (And Toyota. But I honestly think it’s just a stylized “T” and was not designed with any intent to represent all of the letters of ‘Toyota.’ But that was discussed in the other thread.) ---
**Author:** ![Crandolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7cd45c/32.png) [@Crandolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crandolph)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/11 "2005-07-19T14:22:45Z")
I thoughts Habs was short for _les Habitants_ , whereas “elbs” …? ---
**Author:** ![RM\_Mentock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e274bd/32.png) [@RM\_Mentock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RM_Mentock)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/12 "2005-07-19T14:26:37Z")
> [@BwanaBob](#): > > I can’t think of any logo (sports or corporate) where the logo consists of 1 letter that has another stylized letter within its borders. > > Anyone know of any ? Yes and no. 🙂 I believe [this](http://mentock.home.mindspring.com/denbears.gif) is a fair reproduction of the [Denver Bears](http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/milb/history/top100.jsp?idx=37) logo in 1980. The “M” stands for their major leagure affiliate. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/13 "2005-07-19T14:33:48Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > You know, it never occurred to me to look at it as anything but a stylized “M.” Those desgners in the seventies were clever. There was also the Milwaukee Brewers logo ([photo](http://www.photofile.com/Photos/Albums/2004Halloffameinductions/MolitorPaul/Images/MolitorPaul-Brewers-78-001.jpg), [graphic](http://www.ssur.org/articles/images/MilwaukeeBrewers_01.jpg)), which ostensibly was a baseball glove. A closer look reveals that the image of the glove is made with the letters “M” and “B.” ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/14 "2005-07-19T14:39:35Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Of these, only the Sergio Taccini logo qualifies as “letters within letters.” What about the Sun Microsystems logo linked above? Look at one f the “S’s” sideways. There’s your “u” and “n”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/15 "2005-07-19T14:43:10Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > What about the Sun Microsystems logo linked above? Look at one f the “S’s” sideways. There’s your “u” and “n”. Ah, of course. My bad. I do love that logo though. Is it a Paul Rand? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/explain-the-montreal-expos-logo/313090/16 "2005-07-19T14:46:02Z")
> [@anson2995](#): > > Those desgners in the seventies were clever. There was also the Milwaukee Brewers logo ([photo](http://www.photofile.com/Photos/Albums/2004Halloffameinductions/MolitorPaul/Images/MolitorPaul-Brewers-78-001.jpg), [graphic](http://www.ssur.org/articles/images/MilwaukeeBrewers_01.jpg)), which ostensibly was a baseball glove. A closer look reveals that the image of the glove is made with the letters “M” and “B.” That one is pretty clever and well done. I mean, I do believe that the Expos logo could stand for individual letters like “e,” “l,” and “b.” It’s seems a bit silly and arbitrary, but I contend it’s possible. If this is the case, I think it does an ineffective job as a logo as nobody seems to know exactly what letters to see in the logo, and what the hell they stand for.