Hey, Columbus Clingstones fans: You can enter this contest to help name the team’s mascot
Seven weeks after announcing the team’s new name, the Atlanta Braves minor league baseball affiliate moving from Mississippi to Columbus welcomes fans to help decide the mascot’s name.
Diamond Baseball Holdings, which owns and operates 34 minor league baseball teams, including all the Braves affiliates, announced Sept. 6 the name of the Double-A Southern League club that will play at Synovus Park, starting in April, has been changed to the Columbus Clingstones, in tribute to Georgia peaches.
Now, Diamond Baseball Holdings has started an online process, dubbed the “Crown the Clingstone Contest,” to name the mascot. The contest is being conducted in three stages:
- Oct. 29-Nov. 6 is the write-in submission period, when fans may suggest a name for the mascot by submitting it on the team’s website, milb.com/columbus-clingstones. The Clingstones will select four options for the public to vote on.
- Nov. 12-18 is the voting period, when fans may vote for one of the four options.
- Nov. 20 is the date for the mascot’s name to be announced, based on the option that received the highest number of fan votes, according to the team’s news release.
In response to the Ledger-Enquirer’s questions about the contest, Clingstones spokeswoman Abby Jurgens said fans need to make an account on the team’s website to participate. Fans are limited to submitting one suggestion for the mascot name and one vote per account, she said.
“Our mascot is an integral part of our team and the face of the Clingstones,” Pete Laven, general manager of the franchise, said in the news release. “As we gear up for our first season in Columbus, we’re excited to invite the community to help us bring this character to life with a name that captures its sweet yet tenacious personality. Our mascot will exude the positivity and enthusiasm we’ll strive to bring to fans year-round at Synovus Park, and we’re looking forward to crowning our Clingstone with an official name that matches this energy.”
The franchise was named the Mississippi Braves (or M-Braves) when it played the past 20 seasons in Pearl, Mississippi, a suburb of Jackson.
Two days after the Clingstones name was announced, two online petitions were posted on Change.org, calling for Diamond Baseball Holdings to reconsider the team’s name. A petition David Gilmore started has more than 1,800 signatures as of Wednesday. A petition by Alan Phillips has more than 1,300 signatures as of Wednesday.
The Ledger-Enquirer’s online poll, Sept. 24-30, found 90% of the 363 participants wanting the team to choose a different name. Participants were limited to one response in the poll.
But there are advocates for the name too, such as Phenix City resident George Ratley, who didn’t like the name at first but told the Ledger-Enquirer he warmed up to it and bought apparel.
This story was originally published October 30, 2024 at 11:05 AM.
