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Verbs as team nicknames


Viper

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Singular team nicknames have become passé in recent years, but a couple of teams have recently tried to start a new trend in team names: Verbs that don't double as nouns.

 

In both cases, the verb in question is Ignite. First there was the now-departed Lansing Ignite of USL League One. Now, Nashville's newly announced Interstate Box Lacrosse Association team has adopted the Ignite name (paired with, of all things, a rooster head for a logo).

 

Are there any other current examples of this in North American pro, semipro or college sports? USL and the IBLA don't have any others, and my quick-and-dirty perusal of CCSLC's logo pages doesn't show any in the NLL, MiLB or indie ball, other lower-division or women's soccer leagues, or any of the current or recently defunct football leagues (outdoor or indoor) in North America. (Again, I'm only referring to nicknames that are strictly verbs; names like "Sting" or "Dash" that are also used as nouns don't count.)

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21 hours ago, sportsfan7 said:

There was a team called the Austin Elite in MLR before they rebranded.

 

This would not count because it violates OP @Viper's criterion that the adjective should not double as a noun.

 

 

21 hours ago, NicDB said:

Forward Madison FC immediately came to mind for me.

 

"Forward" can be a noun (for instance: the position); tt can also be an adjective meaning "in a front-facing direction" (as in "forward motion") or even meaning "pushy" (as in "he behaved in a forward manner"). Though I think its primary meaning is as an adverb, as in "to move forward".  Let's have more adverbs!  I want to see the New York Very and the Cleveland Unfortunately.

 

 

21 hours ago, sportsfan7 said:

Also Phoenix Rising in the USL

 

Ah, yes!  Though Viper might get you on a technicality, as the -ing form of a verb can be both a present participle (which is an adjective) and a gerund (which is a noun, as in "we awaited the rising of the sun").

But this leads us to a team name from an -ing form which is not created from a verb, and so which functions only as an adjective: Sporting Kansas City.

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5 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

"Forward" can be a noun (for instance: the position); tt can also be an adjective meaning "in a front-facing direction" (as in "forward motion") or even meaning "pushy" (as in "he behaved in a forward manner"). Though I think its primary meaning is as an adverb, as in "to move forward".  Let's have more adverbs!  I want to see the New York Very and the Cleveland Unfortunately.


In the context that the team is using it, that's absolutely what it means.  It's taken from the Wisconsin state motto, where it is a synonym for progress, which Wisconsin was known for at the time. (How times have changed, amirite?)

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On 2/3/2020 at 4:59 PM, MJWalker45 said:

Richmond Speed and Louisville Fire of AF2. 

 

On 2/3/2020 at 5:00 PM, MJWalker45 said:

San Diego Loyal

 

10 minutes ago, SeinfeldHatGuy said:

What about all the soccer teams called United? Manchester United obviously, but there's also D.C, Minnesota, and Atlanta United in the MLS.

All of these are nouns.


Detroit Drive, and Charlotte Rage are 2 more I can think of, both AFL teams.

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2 minutes ago, _DietDrPepper_ said:

All of these are nouns.

If someone is speeding, they are committing an action. Fire is a noun though, only because of the logos used in the team design. Fire can also be an action. 

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1 minute ago, MJWalker45 said:

If someone is speeding, they are committing an action. Fire is a noun though, only because of the logos used in the team design. Fire can also be an action. 

They all double as nouns is what I meant, sorry. I think most people think of them as nouns first anyway

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2 minutes ago, _DietDrPepper_ said:

They all double as nouns is what I meant, sorry. I think most people think of them as nouns first anyway

No worries, pretending that fire in that sense means shooting as opposed to a conflagration is not truthful in this situation. 

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2 minutes ago, _DietDrPepper_ said:

They all double as nouns is what I meant, sorry. I think most people think of them as nouns first anyway

I don't think united doubles as a noun, but it does double as an adjective. Although I'm not sure what most people would think of first with United. Is it supposed to be "We united as a team" or "We are a united team"?

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  • 4 weeks later...

In the old XFL, the Birmingham Bolts were originally supposed to be named the Blast, which doubles as a noun. The Orlando Rage could have been read as a verb, but it doubles easily as a noun.

 

In the current XFL, the Seattle Dragons had trademarks registered for Wild (adjective/noun), Fury (noun), Force (noun), and Surge (noun/verb).

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Lexical words are slippery; nouns, verbs, and adjectives have been shifting around and expanding for centuries. Sound the alarms when a team takes a preposition for a name.

♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫

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