Meet the Beloit River Cooters: Baseball’s Funniest New Team

Were you a big fan of the Beloit Snappers baseball team and still cry into your Cracker Jacks over their departure? Well, the next best thing has just arrived...the Beloit River Cooters!

What Are the Beloit River Cooters?

I can't lie, I'm a big fan of any business or sports team names that flirt with the absurd and naughty. No, it's not because my mind is constantly in the gutter, it's because I appreciate the wit and tongue-in-cheek purpose of them, plus they make me laugh!

Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about:

Let's start with the most obvious question; are the Beloit River Cooters a new baseball team? No—or at least, not yet?

Beloit River Cooters' Facebook does say they are "America's favorite team" and explained its existence like this;

In 2021, our hometown minor league team (Beloit Snappers) retired their snapping turtle mascot for something more marketable. While needed, the community was saddened to lose 'Snappy’. We proposed the Beloit River Cooters — a nod to the “North American river turtle” as defined by Oxford’s dictionary, with several species of 'cooter' living throughout the US. In particular, the River Cooter (Pseudemys concinna), a species of turtle native to the central and eastern United States.

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When a different name was chosen, we trademarked Beloit River Cooters as our own. Now, not only can you support America’s favorite team and our new mascot Diesel, but also educate others on the vital role cooters play in our nation's rivers and streams. Welcome to Cooter Country—where the cooters run wild and the turtle love runs deep.

Are the Beloit River Cooters just a fun name selling fun baseball merchandise, or could they be more in the future?

Could the Beloit River Cooters Be the Next 'Savannah Bananas'?

When a friend of mine brought the new Beloit River Cooters to my attention, he also asked; "are they trying to be the next Savannah Bananas?"

For those that are unaware of who the Savannah Bananas are, think Harlem Globetrotters meets baseball.

I mean, how fun is this?!?

The Banana Ball exhibition league is tons of fun, and currently has 5 teams participating in it. Could the Beloit River Cooters be the sixth team to join the league? No mention of this has been made, but I think it would be the perfect next step! I guess we'll just have to wait and see.