METAIRIE, La. (WGNO) – The New Orleans Zephyrs’ “Name the Team” contest has been whittled down to seven finalists, with fan voting beginning online Thursday morning.
The team received more than 2,000 submissions from fans during a campaign last month to rename the franchise for the 2017 season.
“We were overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and creativity of our fans,” said Zephyrs Senior Vice President and General Manager Cookie Rojas. “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 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 Cajun 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.
Starting Thursday, fans are encouraged to go to zephyrsbaseball.com and vote for their preferred choice for the team’s new identity. Voting will continue through July 8, with the winner being announced later in the year.
For more information, contact the Zephyrs at (504) 734-5155 or visit zephyrsbaseball.com.
