John Oliver is so talented at striking the delicate balance of making you laugh your ass off… as he relays soul-crushing information about the state of our world. Needless to say, there’s been an over abundance of the second part of that equation for him to report on this year. As the purveyor of so much awful news, I think Oliver knew it was time for an impish diversion, so Sunday’s show concluded with a look at minor league baseball. Specifically, the names and mascots of teams, how they’re selected, and related misadventures in merch. Pure, unadulterated laughter — thank you, good sir! But after cataloging the most fantabulous cases (looking at you, Exploding Whales!), Oliver took a critical eye to teams that weren’t aspiring to the same level of ingenuity. And then he pulled a John Oliver and made it into a contest: Last Week Tonight is offering to rebrand a minor league baseball team, all for the negligible price of completely surrendering creative control, no questions asked. And they have to promise to use the material LWT gives them. Batter up!

The most recent episode of the Emmy-winning HBO comedy series “Last Week Tonight With John Oliver” was devoted to its main story about mass deportations from the United States. To close out the show, though, Oliver had an 11-minute section focused on the wild world of minor league baseball.

Most of the segment was spent celebrating the gimmicks and mishaps that give MiLB so much character, but Oliver wasn’t completely satisfied with every team’s efforts.

“My only real criticism is that some minor league teams just aren’t really pulling their weight, as some are just boringly named after their major league affiliate like the Worcester Red Sox or the Iowa Cubs,” Oliver said. “Others are just first-thought choices like the Buffalo Bisons and the St. Paul Saints, which is 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.”

So, as is often the case with Oliver’s show, he swooped in with an over-the-top proposal to remake the minors in his own image.

“We are willing to use all of our resources and stupidity to give one minor league baseball team a total rebrand,” Oliver said. “We will give you a new team name, a new mascot, we will even throw you a theme night. It will be personalized, it will be personalized and it will be bespoke. I promise, we will put just as much time, energy and research into this as we do exposing the dark underbelly of America’s criminal justice system — arguably more. And we will do this in the spirit of your team, city and the league to which you belong.”

Oliver had a few conditions, however. Teams that are interested in his offer are not allowed to ask any questions or give any notes if they agree to a rebrand, and they are required to follow through with what the show gives them.

[From Sports Illustrated]

I LOVE it when this man throws down a challenge! Though nothing could be more delicious than coaxing a bakery to make a well-rumped bear cake with Oliver’s face (in exchange for some new ovens), the creative possibilities are boundless with this latest scheme. As demonstrated by the teams highlighted in the episode, many mascots are steeped in cultural pride for their towns, no matter how obscure the claim to fame (looking at you, Syracuse Devices!). A nerdy look at local history married with character design plus a good helping of Oliver’s usual tomf–kery? Last Week Tonight was positively made for this assignment! And it still follows their altruistic goals as well, since teams are largely dependent on merch sales to keep things running. So it’s not merely a playful exercise for Oliver, but helping a team stay afloat. Every minor league outfit should be applying for this, even if they think they’re already killing it in the name and mascot game! It’s the chance to have Emmy-winning caliber ad work done with massive exposure, all for free. Go on and make your pitch (baseball pun!) in an email to johnoliver@buntstuff.com. To learn the “bunt stuff” reference, you’ll have to watch the episode yourself.

Photos are screenshots of Last Week Tonight on HBO Max