After 21 years of baseball under the Hillcats moniker, Lynchburg is asking fans to help decide the team name for the 2017 season.
With the help of Brandiose, a San Diego-based sports marketing company which has overseen rebranding efforts for more than 50 minor league teams, Lynchburg has created an online “Name the Team” campaign. The process begins Wednesday, May 25.
Fans are encouraged to go to www.lynchburg-hillcats.com to submit their nomination for the team’s new identity, along with an explanation of why they feel their suggestion perfectly embodies Lynchburg professional baseball. The top six choices will be entered into a contest to vote for the new team name.
One fan who submits an entry will win two full season tickets for life.
“The Hillcats as well as other team names have been a big part of this franchise, and they will continue to be,” said team president Chris Jones. “We are excited to see what fans suggest as possible names for the team. We have a very loyal and passionate fanbase. We hope they will tap into their creative side to suggest some unique and imaginative names that will be associated with Lynchburg baseball for years to come. We want an identity that captures the rich history of this community and its great baseball tradition. I am confident our fans will generate some original and clever names that convey that to all of Minor League Baseball.”
After using the name of its current affiliate for its first 30 seasons in the Carolina League, Lynchburg changed its name to the Hillcats in 1995 when it switched its affiliation to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Lynchburg has remained the Hillcats for the past 21 years, spanning affiliations with the Cincinnati Reds, Atlanta Braves and Cleveland Indians.
The top six submissions, as chosen by a selection committee, will be listed on the team website for fan voting after the initial round of submissions concludes.
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Chris Graham
