We already have one New York–based minor league baseball team ditching its parent club’s brand—the Binghamton Mets will go by a new name next year. Now the Staten Island Yankees have announced that they’ll make a go of it with their own identity.
The team, which plays in the short-season Single-A New York-Penn League, will remain in the Yankees farm system, but after 17 years with the big league moniker, they’ll have a new name next season. They’re taking suggestions on their website until July 5, then they’ll have fans vote on six finalists. The team will work with Brandiose to develop the identity for the new team.
And what might the new name be? Given the trend towards identities unique to a specific area, it could be something to do with Staten Island’s famous ferry, something to do with the team’s location right on New York Bay, or something related to the impressive bridges that connect the borough of Staten Island to the outside world. Or they could go the animal route with any number of species found on the island, like red-eared slider turtles, newts, spring peeperfrogs, or opossums, to name a few.
If they go that route, I’d love to see the team embrace the animal that symbolizes that part of the mid-Atlantic coast to me, and become the Staten Island Horseshoe Crabs. I’d buy a hat.
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