The New Orleans Zephyrs (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) have taken the next step towards a new identity, as they have announced finalists for their name-the-team contest.
Zephyrs has been the franchise’s nickname going back to 1985, when the team was still located in Denver. The name followed the franchise when it moved to New Orleans in 1993, and it has stuck ever since.
At the time the contest was announced, the Zephyrs made it clear that the new name was intended to better reflect the city. The finalists follow that objective.
“We were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and creativity of our fans,” said Zephyrs Senior Vice President and General Manager Cookie Rojas in a press statement. “This process has proven how passionate New Orleanians are about the city, and the diversity of this community has been reflected in the nicknames we received.”
In alphabetical order, the seven finalists, with descriptions from the Zephyrs, are:
New Orleans Baby Cakes: A tribute to the Mardi Gras king cakes where small plastic babies are sought after, the Baby Cakes celebrates a unique Louisiana tradition.
New Orleans Crawfish: Pays tribute to those lovable and tasty critters we hold festivals for, and who call New Orleans home.
New Orleans King Cakes: The King Cake tradition bring families and community members together to celebrate the joyous season of Mardi Gras, just like Minor League Baseball draws families together.
New Orleans Night Owls: Both a play on words and an alliteration, Night Owls celebrates the New Orleans nightlife and a night out at the ballpark.
New Orleans Po’boys: A tribute to the culinary capital of the Gulf Cost, this fun name falls in line with other wacky names Minor League Baseball is known for.
New Orleans Red Eyes: New Orleans Red Eyes honors Louisiana’s crawfish festivals, and the bright red crawfish New Orleans love.
New Orleans Tailgators: Alligators are synonymous with Louisiana, and tailgating is synonymous with baseball.
Voting begins today on zephyrsbaseball.com, and runs through July 8. The winner will be announced later this year.
The Zephyrs are one of four teams that will rebrand before the 2017 season. The others are the Binghamton Mets, Lynchburg Hillcats, and the Staten Island Yankees.