Best & Worst Sports team names

[magic fingers]

I've decided to start a thread about Sports team names. IMHO, some team names are very creative and refer to something unique about the city or region they represent. Other names are incredibly generic, dull, or simply make no sense. Now I relize a lot of names were created decades ago, when our political sensibilities were quite different. Also a lot of team have nicknames appropriate to their city but relocated to a different part of the country where the name makes no sense. Also this has nothing to do w/the success or popularity of the team. IMHO a lot of teams who've established championship winning dynasties have names that suck, while other teams who've never won anything have pretty cool nicknames

Worst;
Utah Jazz- First of all I think choosing any style of music as your team name is pretty lame. But at least when the Jazz were located in the Big Easy, the name made sense, as New Orleans was the jazz capital of the world. But Utah? Salt Lake City is basically the whitest most waspish city in the country. It's basically the last city that should be called the Jazz, unless you think Kenny G is jazz

LA Lakers - Again, another example of a team w/an apprpriate nickname(Minnesota Lakers) moving to another part of the country where the name makes no sense. I mean how many lakes are there in Southern California?

Boston Red Sox/Chicago White Sox - Again, I realize these names were created about a hundred years ago, and there's a lot of tradition that goes w/these names. But really naming your team after an article of clothing? What next the Jacksonville Jockeyshorts? The Louisville Loafers?

LA Dodgers - Again, it's a team name w/a proud tradition, and its been around for generations. However you do realize Dodger is an outdated term for bum, right?. In Brooklyn they were affectionately called the Bums. But team names are supposed to represent something positive or strong, and basically your team is represented by the homeless? Shouldn't the logo be a ballplayer sleeping in cardboard box on the sidewalk?

Washington Wizards - A direct result of political correctness. For those of you who may not remember. the Wizards were originally the Washington Bullets(and before that, the Baltimore Bullets which had a better ring to it), but because of a series of gun related crimes in the District a lot of people didn't like their team name associated w/street crime. I don't agree w/it but if they'd selected a name other than Wizards, I might not have a problem w/it. But while bullets represent speed and power, Wizard represent fairy tales and nerds playing Dungeons and Dragons

Orlando Magic - Does anyone expect to be intimidated by Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, etc.

Houston Texans - Obviously any resident of Houston is a Texan, They couldn't come up w/something better than that?

NY Mets/Wash Nats - Naming a team the Metropolitans or the Nationals? I realize the names are pertinant to the cities they represent, but they're not even nouns

Seattle Seahawks - There's no such thing as a Seahawk

Best Names

Dallas Cowboys - No I'm not a Cowboys fan(I love the Ravens, which BTW, is a name I'm not all that crazy about, and I hate purple as a football color, but they're my team, so what are you going to do?). But you have to admit Cowboys is a perfect name for Dallas

New York Yankees - Again, I don't like the Yanks, but the name fits NY like a 1st basemans mitt(and their logo is awesome too)

Miami Dolphins - Classic name, classic logo

Minnesota Timberwolves - Bad ass name, and logo, even though the team couldn't scare a cocker spaniel puppy

Minnesota Vikings - A perfect name for a city w/a large nordic population

Tennessee Titans - I realize the name has nothing to do w/Nashville, I just think Titans is a cool name, and even though the Ravens/Titans used to have a heated rivalry, I couldn't bring myself to hate the Titans the way I hate the Steelers or Colts. Maybe because the Titans fans I've met are all pretty cool.

Memphis Grizzlies - Grizzlies was a better name when they were in Vancouver, but a Grizzly is such a bad ass animal, it would work anywhere(except maybe in the Northeast).

Cleveland Indians - A lot of the PC crowd get offended by this name, but most people don't know the origin of the name. Cleveland was originally called the Spiders, but when their team leader Lou Sockalexis, an American Indian, passed away due to diabetes, the team renamed themselves the Indians as a tribute to Sockalexis

Seattle Mariners - Cool name, cool logo

Boston Celtics - Perfect name for that region

NY Knicks - Same as the Celtics

Washington Diplomats - I'm not a soccer fan and I don't even think this team exists anywmore, but I like it and I think it makes a lot more sense than Nationals

Pittsburgh Pirates/Tampa Bay Bucs/Oakland Raiders -three variations of the same theme, but all three are tough intimdating names - If TB was still using that winking Buccaneer Bruce logo, w/the creamsicle unforms, I wouldn't include them. Fortunately they wised up and created a cool uniform and logo

I have some other, but this post is already long enough. Any thoughts?

 

[magic fingers]

No responses so far? OK, well, I'll continue,

Worst team names;

Miami Heat - No I'm not a LeBron hater, and I don't understand why so many people (outside of maybe Cleveland) seem to resent him. But the Heat IMHO is a lame team name. Everyone knows Miami's hot. And I realize the name Heat might also apply to Miami's sizzling nightlife. But still I think they could've come up w/something more creative

Arizona Cardinals - Has anyone ever seen a Cardinal in Arizona?

Nashville Predators - I have to mention this one on the night when that POS Jerry Sandusky is found guilty. How can anyone not cringe when you hear this name?

San Antonio Spurs - Again, great team, great organization, lousy team name IMHO. I mean what marketing genius decided "hey lets name our team after that sharp little thing that hangs off Cowboy Boots?" If they wanted a Texas sounding name, why not the San Antonio Stallions?

Green Bay Packers - Great team, great tradition, great football town, and fans, and how can you not love the Lambeau Leap? And I know back in the NFL infancy naming the team after meat packers was probably a great idea. Nowadays, it just doesn't sound like a particularly formidable, or impressive team name. Plus the name, "Packers" is an easy target for Bears or Vikings fans(if you know what I mean)

Philadelphia Phillies - OK, what the hell is a Phillie? I know a Filly is a female horse(which in and of itself would be a horrible team name for an all male baseball team), but there's no such thing as a Phillie. Maybe that's why their mascot is the Phillie Phanatic, which basically looks like a mutant cartoon character from an Adult Swim program.

Oakland Athletics - Again, using an adjective instead of a noun. 'Nuff said

Best Names

Dallas Mavericks - I can't believe I forgot to mention this name. Is there a cooler name in sports than Mavericks? And w/Mark Cuban as the team owner, the name definitely fits

New England Patriots - A great reference to the founding fathers. And unlike many of the Pat fans I've spoken to, I actually prefer the current Pats (Elvis) logo to the original (Pat Patriot ready to hike the ball), which I think looks outdated(again my opinion)

Denver Broncos - Seriously what's more powerful than a Bronco? And that name would only fit for Denver or any team in the Southwest. Although I do hate their current uni's (which looks like something Jean Luc Picard would wear on the Starship Enterprise). Bring back Orange Crush!!

Arizona Diamondbacks - Perfect name for a city in the desert. If they were called the Arizona Snakes, it wouldn't have the same ring, but they took it a step further w/Diamondbacks. However logo sucks

Pittsburgh Steelers - OK, this one really hurts. As much as I hate the Steelers(and as a Ravens fan I really hate them), their team name is perfect for the Steel city, and the Pittsburgh Steel logo is also pretty cool. Although I could never understand why its only on one side of the helmet

SF/NY Giants - Come on, who's going to mess w/a Giant?

 

[PhilipRJ_UK]

I'd like to contribute to this thread with some suggestions of my own, albeit from teams that compete in various sporting leagues in the United Kingdom. And if anyone who reads this happens to be a fan of any of the teams, this has been written with tongue firmly in cheek

THE WORST

Coventry Blaze (ice-hockey)- A half-hearted attempt to give the impression that the team is 'ON FIRE!!!!!'. They may have been successful, championship-wise, but this wimpy name deserves to be extinguished for good.

Durham Wildcats (basketball)- To be fair, the name isn't TERRIBLE, but this season, the Wildcats (my local team), sucked, big time. They finished the season with a laughable 3-27 record, and to make matters worse, they play several miles outside of Durham, in the town of Newton Aycliffe. Someone wasn't thinking when they named the team; the 'Newton Aycliffe Numpties' would have been more appropriate.

Huddersfield Giants (rugby league)- OK, rugby league, a festival of rampant commercialism and bad TV coverage, is a horrible sport, as anyone from England can testify. And of all the stupid team names in Super League, this embarrassing attempt at bringing American-style naming to Yorkshire, has to be the worst of all. Huddersfield Halfwits, more like.

THE BEST


Durham Wasps (ice-hockey) - Yes, I'm biased. But when the Wasps were stinging everyone in their way as they dominated the British league in the 1980's, who could argue with the name?

Cornish Pirates (rugby union)- They play their home games in Penzance. So you can figure the 'pun' out for yourselves!

Plymouth Raiders (basketball)- Any organisation that uses the same moniker as Oakland's NFL franchise deserves full credit for sheer humour.

 

[Laugh]

One of the worst for me is Cleveland Browns. Oooh we better get ready. We play a color this week. Now that's intimidating. I know it was named after the famous coach, but c'mon. You can do better than that.

 

[me4o]

Someone mentioned the Dolphins...enjoy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIfbghHdG1s

 

[milagros317]

LA Dodgers - Again, it's a team name w/a proud tradition, and its been around for generations. However you do realize Dodger is an outdated term for bum, right?. In Brooklyn they were affectionately called the Bums. But team names are supposed to represent something positive or strong, and basically include them. Fortunately they wised up and created a cool uniform and logo

WRONG!!!!
The nickname "Dodgers" is a contraction of "Trolley-Dodgers". In the late 19th century, before cars became common and before the NYC subway was built, the most popular way to get to Washington Park (where the Brooklyn National League Baseball Club played its home games) was by trolley. To get into Washington Park, fans had to dodge the trolley cars coming in on various tracks there. The nickname was first applied to the fans and later to the team itself.

By the time Ebbets Field was built (1913), the NYC subway system existed and trolleys no longer needed to be dodged, but the name stuck.

The nickname "Dem Bums" for the team came decades later when the fans were disgusted by the team not winning any pennants from 1921 to 1940, inclusive. When Walter O'Malley became sole owner of the team (1951), he forbade any club employee to use the word "Bums", but newspaper reporters continued to use it. When the Dodgers won their first World Series in 1955, this appeared on the front page of the Daily News:

IMHO, "Dodgers" is the best name in sports and always will be.

 

[jhop220]

Minnesota Golden Gophers is a Great team name.

Delaware Blue Hens

Pepperdine Waves

South Dakota State Jackrabbits

South Carolina Gamecocks (I always laugh when I hear the crowd yell "GO COCKS")

I just saw these two:

Butte Pirates (high school)

They got beat by the

New Zealand Black Cocks

Here is another brilliant High School:

Watersmeet Nimrods

Let's see:

California Santa-Cruz Banana Slugs
University of Alaska-Southeast Humpback Whales
California State Long Beach Dirtbags
Stanford Cardinal (No "s" its a damn tree)

 

[magic fingers]

WRONG!!!!
The nickname "Dodgers" is a contraction of "Trolley-Dodgers". In the late 19th century, before cars became common and before the NYC subway was built, the most popular way to get to Washington Park (where the Brooklyn National League Baseball Club played its home games) was by trolley. To get into Washington Park, fans had to dodge the trolley cars coming in on various tracks there. The nickname was first applied to the fans and later to the team itself.

By the time Ebbets Field was built (1913), the NYC subway system existed and trolleys no longer needed to be dodged, but the name stuck.

The nickname "Dem Bums" for the team came decades later when the fans were disgusted by the team not winning any pennants from 1921 to 1940, inclusive. When Walter O'Malley became sole owner of the team (1951), he forbade any club employee to use the word "Bums", but newspaper reporters continued to use it. When the Dodgers won their first World Series in 1955, this appeared on the front page of the Daily News:

IMHO, "Dodgers" is the best name in sports and always will be.

My apologies Milagros as I was completely wrong about the Dodger name. Thanks for educating me. However your explanation still proves my original point. If Dodgers are named after Trolley Dodgers than they should've changed the name when the team moved West. I mean how many trolleys are there or have there ever been in L.A., a city w/absolutely no mass transit system? Maybe if they had moved to SF and the Giants moved to LA. They should've allowed Brooklyn to keep the Dodger name. At the time, the only team in NY were the Yankees, so if Brooklyn did get an expansion team in the early 60's, the Brooklyn Dodgers would be reborn. These days it doesn't seem likely, although the Nets are moving to Brooklyn so who knows?
BTW as I said at the outset, whether I think a teams name is good or bad has no bearing on what I think of the team itself. One of the best team names I listed were the Steelers and I despise them. I like the Dodgers. I think they have a great tradition and lots of talented young players. I'm also glad they got rid of McCourt. Living in Baltimore we know all about bad sports owners (Irsay, Angelos, Williams, etc.).
Again, no offense intended

 

[magic fingers]

One of the worst for me is Cleveland Browns. Oooh we better get ready. We play a color this week. Now that's intimidating. I know it was named after the famous coach, but c'mon. You can do better than that.

Yeah I see your point, Laugh, but Paul Brown was such a great coach and did so much for the game, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree w/you on that one

 

[makeUsquirm]

We have a high school team in this area named the Crooksville Ceramics, that's pretty bad.

As for pro teams, the Tennessee Oilers has to be one of the worst. They wisely changed that to the Titans after a couple of years.

 

[tickledgirls]

Worst name for a car racing team: Supercheap Auto Racing. It was made funnier by the fact that in the 2007 Bathurst 1000 Km race in Australia for the V8 Supercars, one of their entries engines blew up on the warm up/ sighting/ formation lap.

 

[JohnnyMax]

I can see how the Nashville Predators could come across as...well...what you said. However, being in Nashville and a Preds fan and knowing the history of the name makes it less cringe-worthy. During construction in Nashville a skull from a saber-toothed cat was uncovered. When we got our expansion team the final choices for the names included "Nashville Ice Tigers" and "Nashville Predators." They went with Predators and kept the saber-toothed cat as our logo and mascot. The origin of the name isn't well known outside of the fan base.

 

[The Fallen Angel]

Ive never liked the New York Jets name, the Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals, Oakland Athletics, New Jersey (now Brooklyn) Nets

Those are the worst in my opinion

 

[Mitchell]

Some of my least favorite names for teams are..

Clippers. Both LA and Yankees farm teams, the Columbus Clippers. I just hate that name. It makes me think of either a shaver or a haircutter.

The independent league team from my former hometown of Lancaster, PA, the Barnstormers. Very lame.

Best names..

Padres. I just like the sound of it.

Devil Rays... A cool sounding name for Fish.

Just a couple of my favorites.

Mitch