SFGiants58 Posted October 30, 2017 Share Posted October 30, 2017 5 hours ago, upperV03 said: I really don’t see that being an issue considering the history of the “Portland Beavers” name, and the fact that the beaver is Oregon’s state animal (people sometimes refer to Oregon as the Beaver State, even). Hell, there’s even a beaver on the back of the state flag. If there are Ducks fans ignorant enough to not support a potential Portland MLB franchise because the team name, which also happens to be the state animal, is the same as OSU’s mascot, then I don’t think that franchise would want those people as fans anyways. Now I’m aware that the beaver didn’t become the state state animal until the late-60’s, and the flag dates back to 1925, but the beaver has a much more significant meaning to the state which predates OSU’s adoption of the beaver as its mascot in 1910. Before Oregon became a state, their provincial government even had Beavers on their money, and Beavers were an integral part of early exploration into the Northwest, and fur trade dominated the area. Oh, I get that. I'm a supporter of the name "Beavers." It's significant to Oregon's history and to Portland baseball. All I'm trying to say is that there are marketing challenges to the name, and that the Oregon State Beavers might be enough to discourage a MLB team from adopting the name. How many times have we seen a "Big 4" pro team and a college team sharing a name in the same state after the 1960's? I like the name, but modern branding conditions could prevent that from happening. MLB: Project 32 (Complete), MLB: The Defunct Saga (Complete) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroywen Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 1 hour ago, SFGiants58 said: Oh, I get that. I'm a supporter of the name "Beavers." It's significant to Oregon's history and to Portland baseball. All I'm trying to say is that there are marketing challenges to the name, and that the Oregon State Beavers might be enough to discourage a MLB team from adopting the name. How many times have we seen a "Big 4" pro team and a college team sharing a name in the same state after the 1960's? I like the name, but modern branding conditions could prevent that from happening. The AAA Portland Beavers actually shared this same concern, and ran a "Name the Team" contest to rename the team back in 2007. They had retaining the Beavers name as an option, and I believe it won in a landslide. That actually prompted a rebrand for the team in which they kept the name "Beavers" but switched their colors and logo. I can guarantee that it would be a concern of both any prospective MLB ownership group, and of Oregon State University, if a major league team were to consider the name Beavers. It'd probably be the fans' preference, and an ownership group might be willing to overlook the marketing concerns if the fans were clearly demanding the Beavers name, but I have to say - much as I wish for a potential ML team in Portland to be named the Beavers, I don't see it happening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothamite Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 I don’t see it either, but that’s because I don’t see baseball back in Portland. If they can actually get an MLB spot, then the name “Beavers” is the easy part. The Green Bay Packers Uniform Database! Now in a handy blog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroywen Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 28 minutes ago, Gothamite said: I don’t see it either, but that’s because I don’t see baseball back in Portland. If they can actually get an MLB spot, then the name “Beavers” is the easy part. Well, that too. But I do think OSU may very well put up a fight against a big 4 team in their own state adopting the name "Beavers." Legally, I'm not sure they'd have much of a leg to stand on, but an ownership group may wish to avoid a protracted public fight with a major university in the area, if it comes to that. And ownership may want a name they feel they can exclusively 'own' in the area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothamite Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 Well, that would be one of the decisions facing a potential ownership group - tap into existing local history, or choose a name they can “own” outright? I don’t think any of us can say which they would be likely to choose. The Green Bay Packers Uniform Database! Now in a handy blog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hecticbro Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 They can't be seriously considering putting an MLB club in Mexico, can they? Isn't that entire country a wildly dangerous narco state? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothamite Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 1 hour ago, hecticbro said: They can't be seriously considering putting an MLB club in Mexico, can they? Isn't that entire country a wildly dangerous narco state? No. But it there are other challenges, such as the exchange rate, pollution, the elevation of Mexico City, and more. It may be worthy of speculation or even research, but I would be very surprised to see a team there. The Green Bay Packers Uniform Database! Now in a handy blog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JWhiz96 Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 I think Portland makes the most sense here from a historical and population standpoint. I'd be fine with them. I just hope that any possible new team steers away from the RWB color scheme, the league is drowned in it already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferdinand Cesarano Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 14 hours ago, kroywen said: But I do think OSU may very well put up a fight against a big 4 team in their own state adopting the name "Beavers." Legally, I'm not sure they'd have much of a leg to stand on, but an ownership group may wish to avoid a protracted public fight with a major university in the area, if it comes to that. And ownership may want a name they feel they can exclusively 'own' in the area. If the university wanted to object to a pro team using the nickname, then the team could licence the name from the university. They wouldn't need to call attention to this transaction, just as Georgia and Grambling quietly licence their G helmet logos from the Packers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kroywen Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 4 minutes ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said: If the university wanted to object to a pro team using the nickname, then the team could licence the name from the university. They wouldn't need to call attention to this transaction, just as Georgia and Grambling quietly licence their G helmet logos from the Packers. That requires three things: The university being able to legally claim the Beavers nickname as a trademark that would prevent any other Oregon-based teams from adopting it, despite the fact that the Portland Beavers name was first used in 1906, and has been used intermittently since then, without any successful trademark claims by OSU. I highly doubt a trademark infringement suit would hold water in court, given those facts. Even if they were able to enforce the trademark, the university then being willing to license the Beavers name to another team in Oregon (which is a lot different from a professional team in Wisconsin licensing a derivative of their logo to two college teams down South). The ML ownership team being interested in the Beavers name, despite the potential marketing issues posed by OSU's presence. I can't foresee any licensing agreement occurring, since the ML team would never pay to license a nickname whose trademark likely isn't enforceable in this context. The decision to use the Beavers name would likely lie solely within an MLB ownership group's hands. I hope they'd decide to use it, but far from a guarantee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coco1997 Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 What would be a good name/identity for a Mexican MLB team? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LordBigMad Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 28 minutes ago, coco1997 said: What would be a good name/identity for a Mexican MLB team? The Mexico City Chupacabras Mexico City Jugadores Mexico City Libre Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 How about Golden Beavers. ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRed618 Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 If Beavers wouldn’t work, there are other themes to consider. Pines, Evergreens, Lumberjacks, or Woodsmen would refer to the forests and flora of the state. The deer would make a good theme too... Stags, Bucks, Harts, Prancers... I like the platypus idea too, a tribute to the major colleges of Oregon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 "Evergreens" is still what I believe should be the name of a Seattle NHL team, but if that never happens, I could get down with "Portland Pines." ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gosioux76 Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 14 minutes ago, the admiral said: "Evergreens" is still what I believe should be the name of a Seattle NHL team, but if that never happens, I could get down with "Portland Pines." Not to get all arboreal up in here, but if Portland were to be associated with a specific type of tree it would have to be the Douglas fir. Not that there aren't pines here, but the Doug fir is far more prevalent. And the Portland Doug Firs would be a pretty terrible name. I'm all in on Lumberjacks or Cascades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobster Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 Of course I though Phoenix should have stuck with 'Firebirds' so what do I know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gothamite Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 Man, I loved that Beavers logo. Still have a couple caps. The Green Bay Packers Uniform Database! Now in a handy blog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 1 hour ago, gosioux76 said: Not to get all arboreal up in here, but if Portland were to be associated with a specific type of tree it would have to be the Douglas fir. Not that there aren't pines here, but the Doug fir is far more prevalent. And the Portland Doug Firs would be a pretty terrible name. I'm all in on Lumberjacks or Cascades. Portland Cascades sounds good to me too. I'm a sucker for alliteration but if Pines really makes that little sense for Portland and Oregon, then I can't get behind it. ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbj273 Posted October 31, 2017 Share Posted October 31, 2017 There's a concept around here somewhere that and the Portland Lagers that I thought would be a great name for a MLB team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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