This is a local story. I am hoping that there are no national implications or applications. I just must tell you that someone in the Sky Sox office at Security Service Field has completely lost their mind.

The Sky Sox as a team are moving to another locale. To facilitate this transition, the Colorado Springs community has been invited to name the rookie team for the Milwaukee Brewers that will take over at Security Service Field. A contest was set up for our residents to pick a name for the new team.

Sky Sox spokesman Shane Phillips said the contest received over 2,000 entries. Team officials narrowed the large list down to these names:

Colorado Springs Happy Campers — “The Happy Campers celebrates Colorado Springs’ positive attitude and our love of nature, camping and all things outdoors,” according to the team.

Colorado Springs Lamb Chops — “The largest and highest quality lamb in the world, the Lamb Chops is a nod to the World Famous Colorado Lamb,” the team said.

Colorado Springs Punchy Pikas — The team said this name is inspired by “a small but fierce critter that calls Pikes Peak home, known for its iconic forceful bark.”

Colorado Springs Throttle Jockeys — “The Throttle Jockeys is a tribute to our brave pilots who train and call Colorado Springs home,” according to the team.

Rocky Mountain Oysters — “It’s a classic Minor League Baseball name in the making,” the team said. “This original cowboy fare has already been made famous at Colorado fairs, festivals and baseball games.”

I read the story on a news site twice. I thought it was a joke. But these names are the choices that we have been given.

What an embarrassing lack of judgement. I am concerned that Colorado Springs will be a laughingstock in sports circles across the nation.

So why is a political opinion writer doing an op/ed on a sports team naming? Consider, long before the extreme polarization of this country crept into football — sports were deeply political.

Teams and individual players within sports are held up as heroes. Children all over the nation are looking to use their involvement in sports to develop themselves, build friendships, and imitate the successes of those whom they admire in the sports world.

Kids aren’t the only ones using sports as a conduit to connect with others. As Americans have walked away from voting — 90 million in the last election alone — interest in sports of all kinds has grown exponentially.

Media — television, radio, and social platforms connect fans to every level of sports from kiddie T-ball to national leagues 24 hours a day.

I think that in America we allow sports to do some of what politics was meant to do. In sports, you see people work together toward a common goal.

Friendships forged by team members and fans last decades. In contrast, some politicians can’t even figure out how to get along with their party. Teams put aside differences to get things done. In contrast many politicians are locked in battles that keep them from accomplishing anything. Lately, seeing wins is unusual.

But teams win and make their fans proud often.

So, the name of a team that represents our city is important. Citizens hope to make this new team a bearer of pride for our region. Having a name that will get our city laughed at defeats that purpose.

Sky Sox management is making the same mistake as some politicians. They are out of touch. They picked what they wanted without involving fans in the narrowing down process. Now they ask our local citizens to endorse awful judgment.

Truly disappointing. I guess that I thought I could count on the local sports organization (that I pay to participate in) to at least TRY to do what local fans want.

Share your opinions on the new names on the Sky Sox Facebook page. If you like them, vote. If not, let it be known. Aug. 1 is the deadline for voting.

https://www.facebook.com/SkySoxBaseball/

Rachel Stovall is a longtime community advocate and organizer. Also a fundraising, media and marketing consultant, Stovall is most known for singing with her dance band Phat Daddy and the Phat Horn Doctors.