New York Yankees Minor League Baseball Team Has Naming Contest
By Nick Fustor
Have you ever wanted to name a professional team? You’re in luck! The Staten Island Yankees (affiliate of the New York Yankees) are giving fans the chance to decide their next name with a vote among five choices submitted by fans.
The Staten Island Yankees, the short-season Class A affiliate of the New York Yankees in the New York-Penn League, are looking to forge their own path. Rather than continue under the Yankees moniker, Staten Island is letting fans decide their next nickname.
Over the next two weeks, the team will hold a vote with five finalists for their new nickname. Since fans submitted the five names, some are understandably absurd.
The five names up for vote, in alphabetical order, are as follows: Bridge Trolls, Heroes, Killer Bees, Pizza Rats and Rock Pigeons.
In a press release, the team said they are hoping to brand themselves as their own unique part of the Yankees system.
“We are venturing into creative, uncharted territory to create a hometown identity that embodies the kind of fun that Minor League Baseball is known for,” the team said in a press release.
Staten Island president Will Smith said the rebrand will help the team and its fanbase in the long run, via Benjamin Hill of MiLB.com.
"“This is a tremendous opportunity at this stage in the team’s history, to come up with something meaningful, to have an impactful brand in a Minor League landscape full of impactful brands. We want to grab headlines and have this name be the basis for a tremendous brand that could become world famous.”"
Staten Island as an area is currently in the midst of rapid change. The team plays in Richmond County Bank Ballpark, located near the new “Development St. George,” a development expected to drastically improve the area. The 630-ft “New York Wheel” is also expected to be completed by 2017, and will become the world’s largest ferris wheel.
As such, Staten Island’s minor league baseball team needs a proper name to suit the exuberant nature of the area.
Personally, my vote is for the Pizza Rats, although I’m disappointed “Harambes” didn’t make the final cut. Maybe the Cincinnati Reds will make a change soon.
Smith noted that “Heroes” is the most obvious choice, as the Staten Island area is home to an abundance of civil servants in government offices, the NYPD and NYFD.
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“Killer Bees” is a reference to Wu-Tang Clan, while “Bridge Trolls” is a nod to the four bridges that lead to and from Staten Island. Since many in the New York area despise the local pigeon population, it’s hard to see Rock Pigeons winning.
You can vote for the team’s new name here.