Staten Island Yankees “Name the Team” Contest Causing Controversy

Several local officials have spoken out against the potential new nicknames for the Staten Island Yankees of the New York-Penn League.

Back in June, the New York Yankees short season A affiliate, the Staten Island Yankees announced they would be re-branding their franchise and solicited submissions from fans to help select their new name.

Three months and over 2,000 submissions later, the Staten Island Yankees revealed the five finalists for their club’s new moniker, all of which were meant to represent Staten Island in some capacity. Fans were then asked to vote on which of the five would be chosen. The five finalists were:

The Staten Island Bridge Trolls

The Staten Island Pizza Rats

The Staten Island Killer Bees

The Staten Island Heroes

The Staten Island Rock Pigeons

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You can’t fault them for creativity. “Pizza Rats” refers to a viral video and “Killer Bees” refers to the Wu Tang Clans connection to the area, so the team clearly has a sense of humor about the whole process. However, some local officials in Staten Island are less than thrilled with the potential choices because of the negative connotations they evoke about their borough.

Reporter Amanda Farinacci of Spectrum News NY1 spoke to a number of those who were alarmed about the proposed change. City Councilwoman Debi Rose told her, “Honestly, I just really hate the idea that one of those five names could represent Staten Island.” Rose is not alone in that. Borough president James Oddo also thought the tongue in cheek approach to re-naming the club was a mistake, telling Farinacci:

If you’re going to walk away from the Yankee brand, then walk away from it as far as you can and be on the cutting edge. To me, this isn’t the cutting edge. This is like a self-inflicted wound.

Voting has already closed for the “Name the Team” contest, and the Staten Island Yankees say a winner has been chosen and they will honor the results of the online voting. An official announcement is expected to be made by the end of 2016.

When it comes to minor league team names, I say the goofier the better. The organization’s brand has always taken itself a little too seriously. It’s boring to have seven affiliates all named the Yankees. Is anyone going to think less of Staten Island if they are called the Pizza Rats? Honestly, I think it helps them stand out and make a few headlines along the way. It’s not hurting anybody.