Plymouth will always be known as one of the original spots of English settlement in America, which has some locals wondering why Plymouth’s newest baseball team is named something as seemingly unrelated as “the River Eels.”  But Erik Christensen, VP of marketing and communications for Bay Colony Baseball & Athletics, says the team nickname is more relevant that some people realize. 

“The River Eels is a historically significant name,” he said.  “Eel River [in Plymouth] is one of the most important pieces of this town’s history.”

Eel River, a body of water that local Native Americans relied on for food and trade, has long been a major source of life for Plymouth’s inhabitants, even long before the colonist’s arrival.  Because it’s history pre-dates the occupancy of English settlers in Plymouth, “the River Eels” is an appropriate and politically correct symbol for the town’s baseball team, a name that was decided with great consideration for every purpose from the marketing standpoint to the political perspective.

“We obviously didn’t want it to cause any ill will,” Mike Rothberg, VP and COO of Bay Colony Baseball & Athletics said.  “We were sensitive and aware of the town’s incredible history.”

From a natural resource point of view, according to the Eel River Watershed Association’s website, eelriverwhatershed.org, the strip of water is home to some of the most rare animal and plant species, many of which are endangered, including eagles, mink, foxes, herring, trout, several species of turtles (mud, painted, red - bellied, snapper), kingfishers, osprey, and of course, eels.  It is one of the town’s most valuable natural assets.

Rothberg, a Plymouth resident for his entire life, said everyone on the board wanted the name to be something unique and original, but relevant to the town and the area.

“I remember when I played youth soccer [in Plymouth], all the teams were The Colonists, or The Pilgrims,” he said.  “We wanted something different but still related - something quirky and cuckoo sounding.”

Almost three years ago, when the group was in the process of brainstorming ideas for a name, logo design, and color choice, Bay Colony Baseball & Athletics President and CEO, Tom O’Brien shared some of his ideas from a list, and the name “the River Eels” stood out to the group for it’s historical significance and marketing potential. 

“We wanted people to talk about it,” Rothberg said.  “We wanted them to say ‘What the heck is a River Eel?’” 

And the community has been asking just that.  In an unscientific poll, Rothberg estimates that about eighty percent of people like the name, while twenty percent dislike it, a ratio he thinks is ideal.  If the reaction were completely positive, it may have not been as hot a topic and successful a branding campaign as it has been to this point.  Comes back to the old adage, even bad press is good press.

“The negative feelings about the name,” he said.  “Make it a good conversation piece.  We’re all pleased with the way it’s been received.”

According the Stu Kirsch, VP for management information systems, the team was very conscious about coming up with a name that no other professional team has, a focus particularly important in the independent leagues for marketing purposes. 

“There is a movement afoot to avoid reusing any team names,” Kirsch wrote.  “I think the marketing opportunities are too great and confusion possibilities too profound to reuse Tigers and White Sox and Beaneaters and Explorers…We are proud to be the only organization in the world named the ‘River Eels.’"

In independent baseball leagues, only two teams had the same nickname; the Schaumburg and Fullerton Flyers. New teams include the Amarillo Dillas, the Rio Grande Valley White Wings, the Aiken Foxhounds, the Anderson Joes, the Bradenton Juice, the Charlotte County RedFish, the Macon Music, and the South Georgia Peanuts, all very creative names that are relevant to their region. 

While the eel was a key to survival for the Massasoit tribe and the colonists – whether the fish was used for food, or for producing healthy compost soil for maize – the eel is particularly popular on the other side of the world in Japan to this day, where it is known as “unagi,” the steak of Japan.  The Japanese market is one the River Eels hope to tap with an increase in Japanese tourism in town to see Red Sox megastar and Japan native, Daisuke Matsuzaka. 

“Many of the tourists hit Plymouth as part of their trip to watch Daisuke,” Rothberg said.  “Even before Daisuke was around, Japanese tourism was big in Plymouth.”

The team is working with Plimoth Plantation to bring Matsuzaka to Plymouth for a VIP event.  They are also entertaining ideas of having an eel tank in the stadium and serving sushi next to hot dogs at the concession stands (see “baseball food poll” on plymouthrivereels.com for the fans choices).

While the team nickname “River Eels” has not received a perfect feedback score from the community, its uniqueness has done just what the Bay Colony team wanted to do - it’s sparked interest. 

“We want to approach this as creatively as possible to make seeing a River Eels game a unique experience.”  Rothberg said.  “And while we’re committed to putting the very best product on the field, we’ve done our job if the fans go home excited about their experience at the ballpark and can’t remember the score of the game.”