By ALAN SNEL
LVSportsBiz.com
When the owners of the Las Vegas 51s Triple A ballclub talked about moving to Summerlin a few years ago, there was also talk that the team’s 51s name and branding would change, too.
Well, the owners — Howard Hughes Corp., which owns Downtown Summerlin and is the master developer of Summerlin in west valley — made it official Monday.
When Howard Hughes moves the Pacific Coast League team from downtown’s Cashman Field to a site next to the Vegas Golden Knights’ training center in 2019, the team will also have a new name and branding campaign.
There will be a “Name the Team Sweepstakes,” with the team accepting suggestions from fans. The 51s sent out a press release here.
“Our ownership group (Howard Hughes Corporation) wants the transition to be a home run complete with a new name and new logo,” team president/COO Don Logan said in a statement in the press release.
The team will be accepting name ideas from fans. But it does not appear fans will actually decide the new name.
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“Over the next two weeks, the team is taking suggestions and feedback from our fans and community and will take it from there. There is entire process that we have to go through with MiLB licensing, etc.,” team media relations director Jim Gemma wrote in an email.
When a team creates a new name, colors and branding, it typically brings an uptick in licensed logo gear sales.
The Triple A property in Las Vegas will also have a new Major League Baseball parent club because the Mets are ending their relationship with Las Vegas after the 2018 season. Possible teams that have been mentioned as a new parent include the Washington Nationals, Milwaukee Brewers and Oakland Athletics.
But 51s GM Chuck Johnson said formal affiliate talks can’t start until September. The team has been affiliated with the Padres, Dodgers, Blue Jays and now Mets.
The Triple A club was first named the Stars in 1983 and the name stuck for 18 seasons until 2000, when new owners bought the team. The 51s were named for Area 51 about 80 miles from Las Vegas, and the mascot alien Cosmo was created to go with the name.
From the team’s website, here was the rundown on Cosmo — just so you know: “Cosmo is a survivor of a spaceship crash who spent time at “Area 51” and was a baseball phenom on his home planet of Koufaxia.
“PERSONAL: Cosmo loves hot dogs, Cracker Jack and popcorn. His favorite music includes Elton John’s “Rocket Man,” David Bowie’s “Ziggy Stardust,” Styx’s “Mr. Roboto,” and the Space Jazz Trio. His favorite movies and TV shows include Men in Black (I , II & III), all episodes of the Star Wars saga, Lost in Space and Star Trek.”
The new professional soccer team in Las Vegas held a team name contest with the fans choosing the name this year. It turned out to be Las Vegas Lights FC, which shares Cashman Field the 51s in 2018. The division two soccer team takes over Cashman in 2019 as the sole sports tenant when the 51s plant roots in Summerlin with a new ballpark, name and parent MLB team.
Golden Knights owner Bill Foley picked the Las Vegas NHL name to pay homage to his West Point past. He wanted the Black Knights for the hockey team because that’s the U.S. Military Academy’s sport team’s name. But he settled for Golden Knights and the logo gear sales are doing great this season in light of the team’s unexpected success. The U.S. Department of Army has filed an opposition notice with the federal agency overseeing trademarks about the Vegas Golden Knights name because the Army says its parachute team also is called the Golden Knights.
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