ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., March 20, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Minor League Baseball® (MiLB™) today revealed the on-field identities of the 33 teams participating in its new “Copa de la Diversión™” (“Fun Cup™”) season-long event series this season. “Copa de la Diversión” serves as a key component of MiLB’s “Es Divertido Ser Un Fan®” (“It’s Fun to be A Fan®”) Hispanic fan engagement initiative.
To distinctively launch this new initiative and visually celebrate the diversity that defines MiLB communities nationwide, MiLB and each participating team created culturally-relevant on-field personas that honor their respective U.S. Hispanic/Latino communities that are building, shaping and leading MiLB markets today. All “Copa” teams will adopt these new personas via on-field jerseys and caps during designated “Copa de la Diversión” games during the 2018 season. MiLB also introduced a new, “Copa”-specific website – MiLB.com/Copa – featuring each participating team’s unique identity and the story behind its selected on-field persona, and links for fans to purchase and pre-order any of the on-field caps, branded apparel and tickets to the “Copa” ballpark events.
Teams unveiling Hispanic/Latino identities as part of the “Copa de la Diversión” competition are listed below.
| Minor League Baseball Team | Spanish-Language Name | Translation |
| Albuquerque Isotopes | Mariachis de Nuevo México | New Mexico Mariachis |
| Bowie Baysox | Cangrejos Fantasmas de Chesapeake | Ghost Crabs |
| Brooklyn Cyclones | Brooklyn Jefes | Bosses |
| Charlotte Knights | Charlotte Caballeros | Knights |
| Corpus Christi Hooks | Corpus Christi Raspas | Snow Cones |
| Daytona Tortugas | Tortugas de Daytona | Turtles |
| Durham Bulls | Toros de Durham | Bulls |
| El Paso Chihuahuas | El Paso Chihuahuas | - |
| Eugene Emeralds | Monarcas de Eugene | Monarchs (Butterflies) |
| Everett AquaSox | Everett Conquistadores | Conquerors |
| Greenville Drive | Greenville Energía | Drive |
| Hartford Yard Goats | Chivos de Hartford | Goats |
| Hillsboro Hops | Hillsboro Lúpulos | Hops |
| Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino | San Bernardino Cucuys | Bogeymen |
| Kane County Cougars | Kane County Cougars | - |
| Kannapolis Intimidators | Rápidos de Kannapolis | Fast |
| Lake Elsinore Storm | Lake Elsinore Storm | - |
| Las Vegas 51s | Las Vegas Reyes de Plata | Silver Kings |
| Lehigh Valley IronPigs | Lehigh Valley Tocino | Bacon |
| Memphis Redbirds | Memphis Música | Music |
| Oklahoma City Dodgers | Cielo Azul de Oklahoma City | Blue Sky |
| Omaha Storm Chasers | Omaha Cazadores de Tormentas | Storm Chasers |
| Pawtucket Red Sox | Pawtucket Osos Polares | Polar Bears |
| Rancho Cucamonga Quakes | Rancho Cucamonga Temblores | Quakes |
| Round Rock Express | Round Rock Chupacabras | - |
| Sacramento River Cats | Sacramento Dorados | Golden |
| Salt Lake Bees | Abejas de Salt Lake | Bees |
| San Antonio Missions | San Antonio Flying Chanclas | Flying Sandals |
| San Jose Giants | San Jose Gigantes | Giants |
| Stockton Ports | Stockton Caballos | Horses |
| Tulsa Drillers | Petroleros de Tulsa | Oilmen |
| Visalia Rawhide | Visalia Toros | Rawhide |
| Winston-Salem Dash | Winston-Salem Rayados | Striped Ones |
“Sports teams symbolize their respective community’s uniqueness, often adopting nicknames and logos depicting these special traits,” said Kurt Hunzeker, MiLB’s Vice President of Marketing Strategy and Research. “MiLB and the participating teams embraced this creative approach when developing the ‘Copa de la Diversión’ brand identities, and the final designs reflect the unique characteristics of each team’s fan base while staying true to MiLB’s one-of-a-kind brand of fan-centric fun.”
For more than two years, MiLB’s collaborative research with local U.S. Hispanic/Latino civic organizations helped establish potential on-field personas that represented the past, present and future of each market’s diverse population. This analysis also highlighted opportunities for the participating teams to enhance their gameday experiences with new food-and-beverage offerings, culturally-relevant music, customer service platforms and other fun activities.
MiLB’s in-house brand development team created 23 of the 33 “Copa”-specific identities, as well as the official logos for “Es Divertido Ser Un Fan” and the “Copa de la Diversión” event series.
The 165-game “Copa de la Diversión” event series begins on April 8, in Round Rock, Texas, and concludes on Sept. 2, in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
About Minor League Baseball
Minor League Baseball, headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, is the governing body for all professional baseball teams in the United States, Canada and the Dominican Republic that are affiliated with Major League Baseball® clubs through their farm systems. Fans are coming out in unprecedented numbers to this one-of-a-kind experience that can only be found at Minor League Baseball ballparks. In 2017, Minor League Baseball attracted 41.8 million fans to its ballparks to see the future stars of the sport hone their skills. From the electricity in the stands to the excitement on the field, Minor League Baseball has provided affordable family-friendly entertainment to people of all ages since its founding in 1901. For more information visit MiLB.com.
Follow Minor League Baseball on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/227ab84e-9cfb-4fa3-ae8c-c1cd18771833