If everything goes according to plan, 2018 will be the final season for the Las Vegas 51s. Next year the club will move into a new ballpark in Summerlin and according to the club, this will be a perfect occasion to rebrand.
According to their website and their Instagram account, the name 51s will be no more after 18 seasons. Due to their move to Summerlin, the team will organize a name-the-team contest.
According to their website “It is a rare opportunity for fans to help name the team! The 51s are launching the “Name the Team Sweepstakes.” The 51s are looking for community input and people can weigh in with their ideas beginning on Monday (April 16) at 3 p.m. Fans can visit the 51s website (lv51.com) or Facebook page (Facebook/51sBaseball) where they will be redirected to where they can enter the Sweepstakes by providing a unique name suggestion. On Friday, May 4th the team will conduct a random drawing of all entries to win the Grand Prize, a $500 Shopping Spree of team merchandise when the new Las Vegas Ballpark at Downtown Summerlin opens in 2019. Official Sweepstakes’ rules are available at lv51.com. The 51s will be looking to the community for its advice through Monday, April 30.”
The club that would become the 51s came to Las Vegas in 1983, when the team was named Las Vegas Stars. Eventually, after a change of ownership in 2001, the team adopted the 51s moniker. The history of the franchise dates back to 1919 when the team was playing in Portland (OR) as the Beavers. When that team moved to Spokane in 1973, it adopted the name Indians before it moved to Las Vegas ten years later.
The only Pacific Coast League titles were won in 1986 and 1988 when the team was part of the San Diego Padres organization.
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