Hi all,
As of now, this petition has more than 2,500 signatures and is still growing at a rapid rate.
Over the past week, many media outlets have covered/are in the process of covering the story such as the Beloit Daily News, WCLO (Janesville,) WREX (Rockford,) WIFR (Rockford), WISC (Madison) and 97ZOK (Rockford).
You can check out links to various stories below:
Beloit Daily News: Fan of Snappers starts petition to keep name
WIFR: Snappers fans believe new owner “destroying brand” with name change
WREX: Beloit Snappers name change has fans snapping back
WISC (Channel 3000): More than 2,000 sign petition created to keep Beloit Snappers name
Earlier today I spoke with Steve Shannon on 97ZOK. The conversation will air tomorrow morning at 7:20 AM CST and we will send out the link as soon as it's available. Also, we believe that you can expect a piece from WCLO in the near future.
Quint Studer remains adamant that the name change is going to happen regardless of the public outcry and repeatedly cites a survey they conducted that revealed that 70% of fans wanted a name change. We find these results very tough to believe and would like more transparency.
Additionally, we'd like to know: Is the fan vote really going to decide the name or has it already been decided? We tend to believe it has already been decided and would like clarification. Like any fanbase, we don't appreciate dishonesty.
We continue to urge Mr. Studer to consider other options besides a team name change to boost merchandise sales. These options could potentially be: a new logo, new uniforms and/or a new, more inclusive area name such as the Stateline Snappers.
As a community and fanbase, we are sincerely appreciative that the team is staying in Beloit and moving into the beautiful new Riverbend Stadium. However, we continue to ask that Mr. Studer preserve the name. The Beloit Snappers name is important to our history and culture (Turtle Creek, Turtle Tap, Turtle Mounds, Turtle Greens Golf Course, Beloit College Logo, etc.) and the names that are proposed are gimmick-y, cliche-ridden and do not represent us.
Thank you for continued support.