Minor League Baseball’s Copa de la Diversión Continues to Expand

 Minor League Baseball’s Copa de la Diversión Continues to Expand and Celebrate More U.S. Hispanic Communities and Fans    

National season-long campaign includes 387 MiLB games in 85 communities, 32 states

 

NEW YORK CITY, March 31, 2022 — Minor League Baseball™ (MiLB™) today unveiled the schedule of games and the 85 on-field Hispanic identities for this season’s Copa de la Diversión^® (Fun Cup™) event series. Continuing its annual expansion into more communities, eight new teams joined Copa de la Diversión (“Copa”) this season, with five teams returning with rebranded personas. 

The 387-game event series will kick off April 9 in Hillsboro, Oregon, with Nationwide returning as the Official Insurance Partner of the Copa initiative.

The eight MiLB teams joining Copa for the first time include the Fort Wayne TinCaps, Frisco RoughRiders, Great Lakes Loons, Quad Cities River Bandits, Somerset Patriots, St. Paul Saints, Syracuse Mets and Wichita Wind Surge. Two teams – the Corpus Christi Hooks and Winston-Salem Dash – return with all-new identities, while the Fresno Grizzlies, Lehigh Valley IronPigs and South Bend Cubs are back with updated looks. 

Copa de la Diversión is the centerpiece of MiLB’s “Es Divertido Ser Un Fan™” (“It’s Fun to be A Fan™”) Hispanic fan engagement initiative, which was created in 2017. Through the success of the Copa program, now in its fifth season, MiLB has solidified its commitment to the long-term growth of its U.S. Latino communities and its diversity and inclusion efforts across the country.

 

"It is important to our organization and all of Minor League Baseball that we continue to embrace everyone in and around our communities through the Copa initiative,” said Frisco RoughRiders President Victor Rojas. “We are excited to honor our rich and diverse Latino culture in hopes of creating a deeper connection to our community on a year-round basis."

 

During the first four seasons of the initiative, Copa-designated games had a nearly 20% higher average attendance than non-Copa games, and participating teams saw significant increases in merchandise sales, partnerships, and concessions revenues. Extending their reach into local communities, teams partnered with more than 200 local Latino organizations on various events and charitable endeavors.

 

“The continued growth of the Copa de la Diversión initiative reinforces the importance of connecting with our Latino fans and the Latino community nationwide,” said Kurt Hunzeker, MLB’s Vice President of Minor League Business Operations. “Our teams continue to authentically connect with the Latino population in their communities, leading to a deeper and more meaningful fan experience.”

 

At the end of the season, MiLB’s Latino Leadership and Community Growth Council, comprised of industry experts and civic leaders, will recognize the top-performing teams in several categories, including ballpark experience, community engagement, and philanthropic impact, and one team will be named the overall Copa de la Diversión champion. Previous winners include the Mariachis de Nuevo México (2018 and 2019) and the Wepas de Worcester (2021).

 

For more information on Minor League Baseball’s Copa de la Diversión initiative, visit MiLB.com/copa. To purchase tickets and official merchandise, visit MiLB.com/fans/copa/teams.

 

Minor League Baseball Team	Copa Brand Name	Translation
Akron RubberDucks	Perros Calientes de Akron	Hot Dogs
Albuquerque Isotopes	Mariachis de Nuevo México	New Mexico Mariachis
Amarillo Sod Poodles	Pointy Boots de Amarillo	-
Arkansas Travelers	Diamantes de Arkansas	Diamonds
Asheville Tourists	Yacumamas de Asheville	legendary serpent
Bowie Baysox	Cangrejos Fantasmas de Chesapeake	Chesapeake Ghost Crabs
Bowling Green Hot Rods	Bólidos de Bowling Green	Race Cars
Bradenton Marauders	Bradenton Barbanegras	Blackbeards
Brooklyn Cyclones	Brooklyn Jefes	Bosses
Carolina Mudcats	Pescados de Carolina	Fish
Cedar Rapids Kernels	Cinco Estaciones de Cedar Rapids	Five Seasons
Charleston RiverDogs	Perros Santos de Charleston	Holy Dogs
Charlotte Knights	Caballeros de Charlotte	Knights
Chattanooga Lookouts	Montañas de Chattanooga	Mountains
Columbia Fireflies	Chicharrones de Columbia	Pork Rinds
Columbus Clippers	Veleros de Columbus	Sailboats
Corpus Christi Hooks	Corpus Christi Cumbias	traditional style of dance and music
Daytona Tortugas	Daytona Tortugas	Turtles
Delmarva Shorebirds	Gallos de Delmarva	Roosters
Down East Wood Ducks	Avocados Luchadores de Down East	Avocado Fighters
Durham Bulls	Cervezas de Durham	Beers
El Paso Chihuahuas	El Paso Margaritas	-
Erie SeaWolves	Erie Piñatas	-
Eugene Emeralds	Monarcas de Eugene	Monarchs (Butterflies)
Everett AquaSox	Everett Conquistadores	Fighting Spirit
Fayetteville Woodpeckers	Guerreros de Fayetteville	Warriors
Fort Wayne Tin Caps	Manzanas Luchadoras de Fort Wayne	Fighting Apples
Fresno Grizzlies	Fresno Lowriders	-
Frisco RoughRiders	Quesos de Frisco	Cheese
Great Lakes Loons	Pepinillos Picantes del Norte	Spicy Pickles
Greenville Drive	Ranas de Río de Greenville	River Frogs
Gwinnett Stripers	Xolos de Gwinnett	breed of Mexican hairless dogs
Harrisburg Senators	Playeros	Beachy
Hartford Yard Goats	Los Chivos de Hartford	Goats
Hickory Crawdads	Llamas de Hickory	-
Hillsboro Hops	Soñadores de Hillsboro	Dreamers
Hudson Valley Renegades	Fenómenos Enmascarados de Valle de Hudson	Masked Phenomena
Inland Empire 66ers of San Bernardino	Cucuys de San Bernardino	Bogeymen
Iowa Cubs	Demonios de Des Moines	Demons
Jersey Shore Blue Claws	Medusas de Jersey Shore	Jellyfish
Lake County Captains	Picantes de Lake County	Spicy Peppers
Lake Elsinore Storm	Cadejos de Lake Elsinore	legendary supernatural spirits
Lansing Lugnuts	Lansing Locos	local “Go ’Nuts!” cheer
Las Vegas Aviators	Las Vegas Reyes de Plata	Silver Kings
Lehigh Valley IronPigs	Lehigh Valley Coquís	Singing Tree Frogs
Louisville Bats	Murciélagos de Louisville	Bats
Memphis Redbirds	Memphis Música	Music
Midland RockHounds	Matamoscas de Midessa	Midland-Odessa Fly Swatters
Modesto Nuts	Alebrijes de Modesto	Spirit Animals
Myrtle Beach Pelicans	Pelícanos de Myrtle Beach	Pelicans
Nashville Sounds	Nashville Vihuelas	Guitars
New Hampshire Fisher Cats	Gatos Feroces de New Hampshire	Fisher Cats
Norfolk Tides	Pajaritos de Norfolk	Baby Birds
Northwest Arkansas Naturals	Naturales de Northwest Arkansas	Naturals
Oklahoma City Dodgers	Cielo Azul de Oklahoma City	Blue Sky
Omaha Storm Chasers	Cazadores de Tormentas de Omaha	Storm Chasers
Peoria Chiefs	Peoria en el Río	Peoria on the River
Portland SeaDogs	Alces de Maine	Moose
Quad Cities River Bandits	Bandidos del Rio de las Ciudades Cuádaruples	River Bandits
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes	Rancho Cucamonga Temblores	Quakes
Reading Fightin Phils	Luchadores de Reading	Fighters
Reno Aces	Corazones de Reno	Hearts
Richmond Flying Squirrels	Ardillas Voladoras de Richmond	Flying Squirrels
Rochester Red Wings	Cocos Locos de Rochester	Crazy Coconuts
Round Rock Express	Round Rock Chupacabras	legendary creature
Sacramento River Cats	Sacramento Dorados	Golden
Salem Red Sox	San Bernardos de Salem	Saint Bernards
Salt Lake Bees	Abejas de Salt Lake	Bees
San Antonio Missions	Flying Chanclas de San Antonio	Flying Sandals
San Jose Giants	San Jose Churros	-
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders	Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Vejigantes	Puerto Rican Folkloric Character
Somerset Patriots	Zorros de Somerset	Foxes
South Bend Cubs	Cabritos Maldichos de South Bend	Cursed Kids (young goats)
Springfield Cardinals	Cardenales de Springfield	Cardinals
St. Paul Saints	Santos de St. Paul	Saints
Stockton Ports	Caballos de Stockton	Horses
Syracuse Mets	Congueros de Syracuse	Conga drums
Tacoma Rainiers	Familia de Tacoma	Family
Tri-City Dust Devils	Viñeros de Tri-City	Winemakers
Visalia Rawhide	Visalia Toros	Bulls
West Michigan Whitecaps	Calaveras de West Michigan	Skulls
Wichita Wind Surge	Tumba Vacas de Wichita	Cow tippers
Winston-Salem Dash	Winston-Salem Salsa	-
Wisconsin Timber Rattlers	Cascabeles de Wisconsin	Rattlers
Worcester Red Sox	Wepas de Worcester	emphatic “Woo!” cheer

 

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Minor League Baseball consists of 120 teams across four classification levels (Single-A, High-A, Double-A and Triple-A) that are affiliated with Major League Baseball’s 30 teams. Fans flock to MiLB games to see baseball’s future stars and experience the affordable family-friendly entertainment that has been a staple of MiLB since 1901. For more information, visit MiLB.com. Follow MiLB on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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