Good and Bad Team Names

[mouseinphilly]

Re: Good and Bad Team Names

And that was adapted from another minor league team pre-1958. Hey, who remembers the Hollywood Stars?

[Anders]

Re: Good and Bad Team Names

I'm just loving the MC Sports Zone today!

Good football: I have to add the Vikings. Minnesota is very Scandanavian, and it just fits for a football team.

I also will say the Cardinals get a pass from me as well as the Packers, since the team names have such history. It kills me to say that with the Packers too. I also don't mind the Browns, even if they're named for Joe Lewis who has no connection to the team.

Bad: The Jets would have been better had they stuck with being the Titans, plus I'm not a fan of the whole Nets, Mets, Jets thing.

I do really like the Rockies, plus it has a historical tie to the region with the former NHL team of the same name.

I'm going to say the Devil Rays, or the Rays as they'll be known starting next year is not a good name. Sting Rays would have been much better.

I have mixed feelings on franchises that don't change the name when they move to a new city. The Lakers, being from Minneapolis, make no sense in LA, as a Minnesotan, the name was perfect for the city.

The Dodgers though, I don't mind this one. The Athletics, while a little big of an arrogant name, it has tradition, and not just with the team itself, soccer teams world-wide use Athletic as part of the name. I also think the SF Giants works fine as well.

The real stupidity of not changing names comes from the NBA though. The Jazz is just a horrible name for a team in Utah, plus it helped bring us the Starzz, the Buzz, and the Grizzlies. Who knew "zz" was so versatile. Speaking of Grizzlies, how many Grizzlies live near Memphis? They needed to change that one too.

I have to say, the Timberwolves, Bucks, Warriors, Knicks and Celtics are all great names that fit their origins. The Hornets do as well. Naming your team the Bobcats, because the owner's name is Bob? Lazy.

The Raptors, now prior to Jurassic Park, how many people knew what a Raptor was? The Wizards, while more P.C. than the Bullets just sounds lame in comparison. The Magic, while I get the whole "Magic Kingdom" thing, it really doesn't work for me.

Ok, so that brings me to hockey, man what a screwed up sport.

The Devils is a great name for the team, with the whole folklore of the New Jersey Devil. Penguins is another great name for a sport on ice. Canucks, I like, they're sort of like the Canadian version of a Yankee. The Wild is a great name because of it's double meaning, but mainly the team is named after the Minnesota Wilderness, thus the logo with trees, etc. The Blues is a good fitting name for St. Louis.

There are so many bad names in hockey. The Maple Leafs, so the plural form of Leaf is Leaves, leave it to Canadians. Oh wait, look Canadians, not so original, even if they are Original 6. Rangers, someone want to explain where exactly the "range" is on Manhattan? Red Wings, great logo, lousy name. Stars, unoriginal, if we play in Texas, we gotta have a Star, so why not just go with Stars and drop the word "North" (I may just be bitter on this one). Ducks is much better than the Mighty Ducks, but still not intimidating.

I'm going to say that most of the Big Ten Conference has great names. Buckeyes, Hawkeyes, Wolverines, Golden Gophers, Nittany Lions, Hoosiers, Boilermakers, Fighting Illini, Badgers. I can look past the common Wildcats and Spartans.

The SEC, not quite as creative, Gators, Volunteers, Razorbacks, Gamecocks and Crimson Tide don't quite make up for two sets of Tigers, two sets of Bulldogs, Wildcats and Rebels. (If another school in your conference has the same mascot, maybe you should look into changing it.)

The Pac 10, Sun Devils, Beavers, Cardinal and Ducks. Then you get the rather dull Wildcats, Huskies, Cougars, Bruins, Bears and Trojans. (Enough with the Wildcats already)

I do like the Big 12, Huskers, Longhorns, Jayhawks, Cyclones, Buffaloes, Sooners and Red Raiders though then you get the Wildcats (yet again) Bears, Aggies, Cowboys and more Tigers.

I'd do more conferences, but it's just more of the same.

A few mid-majors, I do love the Anteaters (again, I'm probably partial). I do have to give credit to some other schools out there though, the Presbyterian Blue Hose is a good one and the Western Carolina Leathernecks are two pretty good ones.

[sir clinksalot]

Re: Good and Bad Team Names

I think the original point is that the nickname of a team should somehow strike fear into the heart of the opposition, or at least sound cool, and Padres, like Angels, might not exactly measure up..

Exactly. So while the names of teams like Dodgers, Lakers, Canucks, etc might mean something ... they don't exactly leave the opposition shaking in their booties.

[Olympicnut]

Re: Good and Bad Team Names

Although Buckeyes is a great sounding name, it's a nut, which cracks me up. "And now, here come the fierce, the aggressive, NUTS!!" :lol:

[FrumiousBoojum]

Re: Good and Bad Team Names

Buckeyes are poisonous, you know.

And the current name of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of San Antonio of Brooklyn of Upper Sandusky of the South of Ulm, or whatever they're called now, is rather bad.

[Xharryb]

Re: Good and Bad Team Names

Aah, for the days of the old World Football League.

(Seven-point touchdowns followed up by the "action point") ...

I went to the "Southern California Suns" home opener at the Big A in July 1974...they beat the "Hawaiians" 38-33.

Other original teams...

Memphis Southmen
Jacksonville Sharks
New York Stars
Philadelphia Bell
Portland Storm
Portland Thunder
San Antonio Wings
Shreveport Steamer
Toronto Northmen
Virginia Ambassadors
Washington-Baltimore Ambassadors

Any wonder the league went under the next year?

You can find shirts for most of those at the site I posted about earlier this morning. Pretty amusing stuff.

[mouseinphilly]

Re: Good and Bad Team Names

The Phillies name is the oldest continuous nickname in professional sports, dating back to the teams' orgins in 1883. They actually tried to change the name twice, the most recent in the 1940's with "Blue Jays", but that didn't work out too well.

[sir clinksalot]

Re: Good and Bad Team Names

Question, why is it the Philly Fanatic and not the Philly Phanatic?

[mouseinphilly]

Re: Good and Bad Team Names

The "ph" is the "f" sound, and it refers to "Phillies".

That and some late 1970's marketing as well.

And have you noticed the "disaster" type of names, like "Chicago Fire" ('74 World Football League, current MLS), "Carolina Hurricanes" (NHL), "Dallas Tornado" (NASL) "Toledo Storm" (old and future ECHL team) and "San Jose Earthquakes" (old NASL, 2008 MLS) just to name them all? What is going on with this, are weatherpeople marketing?

[seafaring_ghost]

Re: Good and Bad Team Names

If you want regional ones... heres one named for a defunct automobile companies product..... the South Bend Silverhawks (formerly the South Bend White Sox which was plain laziness in naming a minor league team identical to its major league counterpart) , named for the Studebaker Silverhawk

[ScarLion]

Re: Good and Bad Team Names

Raiders and Buccaneer's - Your mascot's are both pirates. One of you call yourselves the Pirates already.

I believe after Super Bowl XXVII (Bucs 48, Raiders 21), we found out who the real pirates of the NFL are!! :lol: