Mac the Knife Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 This isn't a logo question but rather a hypothetical one, about what I guess you'd call "linguistic" branding. Let's say thanks to the fickle finger of fate, you've hit the lottery for a jackpot of half a billion or so. Being a lifelong fan of a rather obscure sport (say, Fistball - yes, there is such a thing), you decide to take $50 million of your winnings and set fire to it invest it in an effort to make Fistball a popular sport in the U.S. How do you brand the league? Before answering this off-the-cuff, consider that thanks to past or current leagues in other sports you're almost precluded from using what would otherwise be logical choices (e.g., you can't use "American Fistball League" or "National Fistball League" because they'd be abbreviated to "AFL" and "NFL," which elicit other leagues; "North American Fistball League" might provoke a legal challenge from the North American Hockey League; "Major League Fistball" would elicit thoughts of MLB or MLS; "United Fistball League" would elicit the recently deceased United Football League, and so on). Other, non-traditional league branding could similarly backfire or give a rinky-dink appearance from the outset ("American Team Fistball," for example, abbreviates to "ATF," which most connote with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms; "International Fistball League" sounds great if you actually operate on an international basis, but if it's comprised of six teams based in Kentucky and Tennessee... well, not so much). You get the idea. I'm curious: how would you solve this branding dilemma? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalieboy82 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 would start a Calvinball league: so long and thanks for all the fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalieboy82 Posted January 31, 2018 Share Posted January 31, 2018 1 hour ago, goalieboy82 said: would start a Calvinball league: and betting is a must with me. so long and thanks for all the fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac the Knife Posted February 1, 2018 Author Share Posted February 1, 2018 That'd be too easy to brand: the Continental Calvinball Conference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leopard88 Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Fistball League of America? Most Liked Content of the Day -- February 15, 2017, August 21, 2017, August 22, 2017 ///// Proud Winner of the CCSLC Post of the Day Award -- April 8, 2008 Originator of the Upside Down Sarcasm Smilie -- November 1, 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
officeglenn Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 I almost think you have to start by renaming the sport. Most of the hypothetical problems you're running into stem from fistball and football both starting with an F. Plus "fistball" doesn't conjure up the best mental images. I would rename the sport to something that doesn't start with a B, an H or an S (or maybe an L), and then the possibilities for the league name are blown wide open. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cosmic Posted February 1, 2018 Share Posted February 1, 2018 Fistball Union League. I started with the FU as a joke, but I think FUL could work as a league name. The Union is sort of nonsense, of course, but you know... whatever. So is fistball. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichO Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 Playing into the letter salad of other leagues does me no good if I'm trying to plant a flag for my sport, and unlike starting a league in the shadow of an existing league, I don't need to link to those naming conventions. I'm staking out new ground so I'd go with a name that forces people to say the name of the sport. Something like Fistball America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jigga Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 I don't think this is hypothetical at all. You're trying to get us to do your dirty work (free consulting...woohoo)! I agree with RichO. Honestly, toss the letter salad idea. Putting the name of the sport at the forefront is probably the best idea with it being a relative unknown. On January 16, 2013 at 3:49 PM, NJTank said: Btw this is old hat for Notre Dame. Knits Rockne made up George Tip's death bed speech. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnWis97 Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 1 hour ago, Jigga said: I don't think this is hypothetical at all. You're trying to get us to do your dirty work (free consulting...woohoo)! I agree with RichO. Honestly, toss the letter salad idea. Putting the name of the sport at the forefront is probably the best idea with it being a relative unknown. My goodness...the old members just keep coming back! Disclaimer: If this comment is about an NBA uniform from 2017-2018 or later, do not constitute a lack of acknowledgement of the corporate logo to mean anything other than "the corporate logo is terrible and makes the uniform significantly worse." BADGERS TWINS VIKINGS TIMBERWOLVES WILD POTD (Shared) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalieboy82 Posted February 2, 2018 Share Posted February 2, 2018 On 2/1/2018 at 12:46 PM, leopard88 said: Fistball League of America? Fisting for short? so long and thanks for all the fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac the Knife Posted February 2, 2018 Author Share Posted February 2, 2018 5 hours ago, RichO said: Playing into the letter salad of other leagues does me no good if I'm trying to plant a flag for my sport, and unlike starting a league in the shadow of an existing league, I don't need to link to those naming conventions. I'm staking out new ground so I'd go with a name that forces people to say the name of the sport. Something like Fistball America. Oddly enough, I took this exact route when I briefly resurrected a flag football league I operated around a decade ago. I called it "Gridiron America." Still have the domain, come to think of it. Maybe someone else will get that idea and pay me a boatload to get the domain. 3 hours ago, OnWis97 said: My goodness...the old members just keep coming back! We're gonna get together and put out a "Greatest Hits" album this summer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBTV Posted February 3, 2018 Share Posted February 3, 2018 "Barclays Premier League" doesn't sound like any North American league, but of course everyone knows what Soccer is. "Premier Fistball"? "[insert corporate sponsor name] Fistball League"? "All Star Fistball" "Fistball Extreme" ("please welcome your 2018 Fistball Extreme champion San Antonio Cattle Fisters") " "Fisting America" (endless logo potential) "The views expressed here are mine and do not reflect the official opinion of my employer or the organization through which the Internet was accessed." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goalieboy82 Posted February 8, 2018 Share Posted February 8, 2018 On 2/2/2018 at 9:12 PM, BringBackTheVet said: "Fisting America" (endless logo potential) so long and thanks for all the fish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tigers Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 American Fistball Association Logano wins BOWL before Chargers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian in Boston Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 On 2/1/2018 at 5:27 AM, Mac the Knife said: That'd be too easy to brand: the Continental Calvinball Conference. I don't know about that. Personally, I'd opt for the Calvinball America League. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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