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Teams that Changed their Nickname without Relocating


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20 minutes ago, OnWis97 said:

It's a bird?

According to NPR, the definitive source for all mascot origin stories, "[A]ccording to Philadelphia lore, the Phillie Phanatic is a huge, green, flightless bird from the Galapagos".

 

23. Columbus Crew → Columbus Crew SC
The Crew were named because of Columbus’s, or at least Ohio’s, blue-collar reputation and, I assume, Columbus being the birthplace of both the American Federation of Labor and the United Mine Workers of America. In 2014, the team tacked on SC to the end of their name as part of rebranding that included a brand-new logo. Personally, I’ve always thought that MLS teams should either brand themselves as American sports teams or European soccer teams. As an extension of this, I have an incredible dislike for SC. With that being said, Crew isn’t your ordinary American sports team name and I respect that they were trying to become more like a typical European soccer club.

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This one gets a little long and rant-y near the end. This is both the first team with multiple name changes and touches one of my pet peeves. Sorry.

 

22. Toronto Arenas → Toronto St. Patricks → Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Arenas were founded in 1917, along with the NHL. 4 of the 5 teams who had played in the National Hockey Association (Montreal Canadiens, Montreal Maroons, Ottawa Senators, and Quebec Bulldogs) left the league after a dispute with Eddie Livingstone, the owner of team #5, the Toronto Blueshirts. When Quebec folded before the season, the league awarded a franchise to the owners of Arena Gardens in Toronto, where the Blueshirts had played. The team was supposed to be returned to the league after the season, as they hoped to resolve the dispute with Livingstone and either rejoin the NHA or invite the Blueshirts to join the NHL. The team didn’t have an official name for its first, and only intended, season. After winning the Stanley Cup, and with the owners unable to bury the hatchet with Livingstone, the franchise was granted full membership into the NHL and was christened the Toronto Arenas, after the ownership group and rink. Livingstone did not go down without a fight and sued the team (For signing some of his players) and the rink (For prohibiting games between non-NHL teams). The legal costs forced the Arenas to sell off players, but this was not enough and the now-bankrupt ownership group sold the team before the 1919-1920 season. After filing for bankruptcy, but before selling the team, the Arenas were renamed the Tecumsehs by management, for reasons unknown, although it was the name of a defunct NHA team. The day after rebranding, the team was sold to the St. Patricks Hockey Club. Two weeks later, and just one day before the start of the season, the team was re-incorporated, to avoid paying Livingstone, and named the Toronto St. Patricks, after ownership. In 1927, after ownership lost a lawsuit to Livingstone, they put the team up for sale (Stop me if you’ve heard this before). Conn Smythe bought the team and named them the Maple Leafs, after the Canadian national symbol, drawing on his experiences from World War 1. Arenas was not a great name and I like the change to St. Patricks. Not only is it an improvement, but it makes sense to change the name after buying the team, since the team was named after the old owners. The change to Maple Leafs I have a problem with. It should have been changed (re: what I wrote half a sentence ago), but I’m not sure Maple Leafs was the right choice. There weren’t a ton of choices with some history behind them. Assuming they wouldn’t want to go with Blueshirts, the best option is the Shamrocks who played in the NHA for 1 season (They had previously been known as the Tecumseh’s the inspiration for the temporary name change in 1919). The Shamrocks wouldn’t require much of rebranding, but would still provide some distance from previous ownership. I don’t like the Maple Leafs name for one main reason, they are naming themselves after a Candian symbol, but are not the national capital nor the only team in Canada. In 1927, when they rebranded, the team was one of 4 Canadian NHL teams, and played in the Canadian division (The Canadian division was a really weird part of NHL history. The division was around from 1926-1938 and the New York Americans from not Canada played in it every season, alongside the Montreal Canadiens. The division also had a team from St Louis for a season). The Maple Leafs name is also part of a broader problem I have with Canadian NHL team names; that 3 of the 7 names are about them being from Canada. The Maple Leafs are the national symbol, but were one of 4 teams at the time of rebranding. The Canucks are a term for Candians and were one of three Canadian teams when they joined, although they were named after a minor league team, the first non-Original 6 Canadian team and the first Canadian team on the West Coast (All the while, playing in the East Division. NHL divisions are weird, man). Finally the Canadiens, who are appealing to French Canada, but there were still 2 other teams in Quebec when the Habs joined the NHA. Rant over.
 

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21. Titans of New York → New York Jets
One of the founding members of the American Football League, the Titans of New York were so named for one simple reason. As owner Harry Wisme said, “Titans are bigger and stronger than Giants”, referring to the city’s more established team. After three seasons of average on-field performance in front of subpar crowds (Tragic sidenote; Guard Howard Glenn broke his neck ingame and later died during the teams first season), the team was sold and rebranded as the Jets. The Jets name was submitted by a fan and chosen by the team because their new stadium, Shea Stadium, home of the Mets, was in between New York’s 2 airports, and could symbolize a new modern age. The format of the team's original name was unique and I can appreciate a good shot at a rival, but it obviously didn’t inspire the fans to come and support the team. Jets is a nice name, but the reasoning for the nickname falls flat. I mean does anyone really care that the stadium is roughly equidistant from both LaGuardia and JFK (Technically New York International at the time, but referred to as Idlewild. It would become JFK only a few months after the Jets rebranded). The other 3 options the team released weren’t particularly inspiring, however. Dodgers would be a bizarre crossover, both sport and borough, and was still in use in LA. Borros, presumably a corruption of borough, and Gothams don’t particularly translate well to any tangible object. I think Jets was ultimately the best choice, but Titans was a nice name as well.

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8 hours ago, sportsfan7 said:

21. Titans of New York → New York Jets
One of the founding members of the American Football League, the Titans of New York were so named for one simple reason. As owner Harry Wisme said, “Titans are bigger and stronger than Giants”, referring to the city’s more established team. After three seasons of average on-field performance in front of subpar crowds (Tragic sidenote; Guard Howard Glenn broke his neck ingame and later died during the teams first season), the team was sold and rebranded as the Jets. The Jets name was submitted by a fan and chosen by the team because their new stadium, Shea Stadium, home of the Mets, was in between New York’s 2 airports, and could symbolize a new modern age. The format of the team's original name was unique and I can appreciate a good shot at a rival, but it obviously didn’t inspire the fans to come and support the team. Jets is a nice name, but the reasoning for the nickname falls flat. I mean does anyone really care that the stadium is roughly equidistant from both LaGuardia and JFK (Technically New York International at the time, but referred to as Idlewild. It would become JFK only a few months after the Jets rebranded). The other 3 options the team released weren’t particularly inspiring, however. Dodgers would be a bizarre crossover, both sport and borough, and was still in use in LA. Borros, presumably a corruption of borough, and Gothams don’t particularly translate well to any tangible object. I think Jets was ultimately the best choice, but Titans was a nice name as well.

 

I wouldn't say Shea was even "roughly equidistant" from LaGuardia and JFK.  It was almost right next to LaGuardia, while JFK is on the southern edge of Long Island.

 

That said, I think Jets was a great choice.  It gave the team a fresh start, played off the Mets name and fit the modern, less stodgy feel that the AFL was going for at the time.  The fact that actual jets from LaGuardia flew overhead on a regular basis was just an added bonus.

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I knew the Jets had been called the Titans.  But I had no idea they were "the Titans of New York."  That alone would lead me to rank this change in the top 5.

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."

 

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44 minutes ago, OnWis97 said:

I knew the Jets had been called the Titans.  But I had no idea they were "the Titans of New York."  That alone would lead me to rank this change in the top 5.


Their logo says "Titans of New York", but I've only seen a few sources that suggest it was actually the correct name of the team.

 

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2 hours ago, leopard88 said:

 

I wouldn't say Shea was even "roughly equidistant" from LaGuardia and JFK.  It was almost right next to LaGuardia, while JFK is on the southern edge of Long Island.

 

That said, I think Jets was a great choice.  It gave the team a fresh start, played off the Mets name and fit the modern, less stodgy feel that the AFL was going for at the time.  The fact that actual jets from LaGuardia flew overhead on a regular basis was just an added bonus.

 

Quite right about the distance thing. 

 

Also, Jets rhymed with the brand new (1962) team that shared Shea, the New York Mets. 

 

And while probably not a direct intent, it name dropped this New York gang, which was famous already from the Broadway play and the movie:

f3f9ce09af5a7406e98f3e11ebaa7012.jpg

 

One thing that WAS a direct intent was the new color scheme of green and white, which matched the colors in the gas station logo of the new owner's (Leon Hess's) company:
hess.jpg

It is what it is.

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16 minutes ago, B-Rich said:

 

Quite right about the distance thing. 

 

Also, Jets rhymed with the brand new (1962) team that shared Shea, the New York Mets. 

 

And while probably not a direct intent, it name dropped this New York gang, which was famous already from the Broadway play and the movie:

f3f9ce09af5a7406e98f3e11ebaa7012.jpg

 

One thing that WAS a direct intent was the new color scheme of green and white, which matched the colors in the gas station logo of the new owner's (Leon Hess's) company:
hess.jpg

 

This article says they switched to/picked to green and white because Sonny Werblin was born on St. Patrick's Day.  I give more weight to the Hess story (particularly because I've never heard this story before).

 

https://www.dawgsbynature.com/2018/9/20/17883204/the-titans-of-new-york

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18 minutes ago, B-Rich said:

 

Quite right about the distance thing. 

 

Also, Jets rhymed with the brand new (1962) team that shared Shea, the New York Mets. 

 

 

 

That also ended up leading to the New York Nets and even the brief existence of the New York Sets, professional team tennis organization.

 

Islanders?  Come on!

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3 hours ago, OnWis97 said:

I knew the Jets had been called the Titans.  But I had no idea they were "the Titans of New York."  That alone would lead me to rank this change in the top 5.

Titans of New York sounds great

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6 hours ago, leopard88 said:

I wouldn't say Shea was even "roughly equidistant" from LaGuardia and JFK.  It was almost right next to LaGuardia, while JFK is on the southern edge of Long Island.

 

That said, I think Jets was a great choice.  It gave the team a fresh start, played off the Mets name and fit the modern, less stodgy feel that the AFL was going for at the time.  The fact that actual jets from LaGuardia flew overhead on a regular basis was just an added bonus.

That's my bad. Rereading the article I got it from, it seems that they did it because it was in between both.

I do think Jets is a nice name, but the reason given for it is kind of weird. They aren't the only team located near an airport. The main reason the team is so low is that there really wasn't anything wrong with the Titans name.

 

4 hours ago, OnWis97 said:

I knew the Jets had been called the Titans.  But I had no idea they were "the Titans of New York."  That alone would lead me to rank this change in the top 5.

 

3 hours ago, leopard88 said:

Their logo says "Titans of New York", but I've only seen a few sources that suggest it was actually the correct name of the team.

I have heard it as both the Titans of New York and the New York Titans. Both the mothership and Wikipedia have it as the New York Titans, but the logo says Titans of New York, so I went with that.

It actually proved really hard to crack the top 5. The top 7 all involve reverting to a historical name or changing a problematic one.

 

3 hours ago, B-Rich said:

Also, Jets rhymed with the brand new (1962) team that shared Shea, the New York Mets. 

 

 

2 hours ago, OnWis97 said:

That also ended up leading to the New York Nets and even the brief existence of the New York Sets, professional team tennis organization.

 

Although through no fault of their own, one of the reasons I don't love the Jets name is because of the New York "-ets" theme. I understand why the Jets did it, though. The one that bothers me are the Nets, which is both a bad thing to name a team after and plays of the Mets and Jets despite being owned by YankeeNets for a while.

 

30 minutes ago, JayMac said:

Titans of New York sounds great

I don't know about great, but it definitively would be unique.

 

20. Chicago Staleys → Chicago Bears
Founded as the Decatur Staleys in 1920, the team moved to Chicago in 1921 and kept the name. Staleys comes from the ownership group, the AE Staley Manufacturing Company (Today known as Tate & Lyle Ingredients Americas). In 1922, under new owner George Halas, the team was rebranded as … 
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The team is believed to have acquired its nickname from the Cubs. I like this name change, but I think the choice of Bears is a mistake. For one, it isn’t very unique and for two, its ties to the Cubs seem like they would drive away Sox fans.

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19. Cincinnati Red Stockings → Cincinnati Reds → Cincinnati Redlegs → Cincinnati Reds
The Cincinnati Red Stockings were founded alongside the American Association in 1882. They were the third team to use the name. The first was founded in 1869 and were the first openly professional baseball team in the US. They acquired their name from their, you guessed it, red stockings. The team was the first to wear shorter pants that allowed fans to see their socks. The team folded in 1870, but a new team was formed in 1876, along with the National League. They eventually changed their name to the Stars, but were expelled from the NL for the terrible offenses of selling beer and renting out their park on Sundays. The current iteration left the AA in 1889 and joined the National League. The became known as the Reds in the National League, to avoid conflicting with the Boston Red Stockings (Who, interestingly enough, got their name from the first Cincinnati Red Stockings. After Cincy 1 folded, several players joined the new Boston team and brought the name with them. The team exists today as the Atlanta Braves). The name remained until 1954, when they became the Redlegs, in an effort to prove that they weren’t communists, in the wake of the red scare started by Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin (Just another reason to hate Wisconsin). The name change was reversed in 1959. This period of Reds history is most known for fans stuffing the All-Star Game ballot box in 1957, leading to the end of fan voting for almost 15 years. I like the change from Red Stockings to Reds because it shortens the name without losing its purpose and avoids conflicting with Boston. I don’t like the change to Redlegs. The team had been the Reds for over 60 years at that point and the team was using a name that predated any Communist countries. I could understand if the team was named the Cincinnati Soviets or the Cincinnati Chairmen Maos, but there weren’t any serious links to communism by the team. Obviously, this would mean that I liked the team's return to the Reds moniker.

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@Ark Here ya go

 

18. Tennessee Oilers → Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Oilers moved to Memphis in 1997, having relocated from Houston. They got the name because the owner was an oil baron. The team intended to play 2 years in Memphis and then move to Nashville and then rebrand. Instead, the team had such poor attendance that they played the 1998 season in Nashville at Vanderbilt Stadium. The team rebranded as the Tennessee Titans in time for the 1999 season, when they opened their new stadium. The name was chosen to honor Nashville’s nickname “The Athens of the South”. I think the team definitely needed a name change and I think Titans was a good choice. My issue with the change (And really everything associated with the move) is timing. The team should’ve rebranded right away, instead of playing as the Tennessee Oilers for 2 seasons.

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The reason I mentioned them is because I love the Houston Oilers identity so much.

 

I really wish they were still the Tennessee Oilers. The fact that they waited to rebrand is so frustrating because they could still be the Tennessee Oilers. 

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17. Chicago Fire SC → Chicago Fire FC
Named after the Great Chicago Fire, Chicago Fire SC was founded on the 126th anniversary of the event. The team rebranded in 2020 when they moved back into Soldier Field (They initially played at Soldier Field when they were founded, then spent 2 seasons at Cardinal Stadium in Naperville before moving back to Soldier. In 2006, the team moved into Toyota Stadium in Bridgeview). This included changing the SC to FC and unveiling a new Latin Kings inspired logo. I like the change from SC to FC, but the team should’ve dropped the Chicago Fire part when they had a chance. Google searches for “Chicago Fire” bring up the TV show before the team. I think the team needs to change again and differentiate themselves from the TV series.

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16. Tampa Bay Devil Rays → Tampa Bay Rays
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were founded in 1998 in the most recent round of MLB expansion. The team was named after the devil rays (A close relative of manta rays) that inhabit the local waters. After a decade of losing seasons, 9 of which were spent in the cellar of the AL East, the team rebranded as the Rays, shifting the focus to rays of sunshine. The change seems to have worked, as the team won both the AL East and AL Pennant the next year. Coincidence or not, the rebranding seems to have been a turning point to the franchise, going from an absolute joke of a franchise to a respectable joke. I like the change, mainly because the Devil Rays broke one of the cardinal rules of team names (At least in my eyes); 3 words or less. There is a reason the Golden Knights go by Vegas instead of Las Vegas. I think that anything longer than 3 words just gets to be a little cumbersome. The name Rays is nice, so the team didn’t need a complete overhaul.

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1 hour ago, Darth Brooks said:

Have fun with the chain that goes from the Dayton Triangles to the Indianapolis Colts.

Those teams all folded, so they don't apply here, but I covered the Baltimore to Indianapolis move in my other thread, on teams that kept their name when they moved.

 

15. Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons → Fort Wayne Pistons
The Fort Wayne Zollner Pistons were founded in 1941 by Fred Zollner, who owned Zollner Corp., who made, you guessed it, Zollner Pistons. The team played in the National Basketball League until 1948, when they joined the Basketball Association of America and dropped Zollner from their name. The two leagues would merge the next year, in a deal crafted in part by Fred Zollner. I like the rebranding because it gets rid of a corporate name. Pistons itself is a good, not great, name for a team.

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15 hours ago, Ark said:

The reason I mentioned them is because I love the Houston Oilers identity so much.

 

I really wish they were still the Tennessee Oilers. The fact that they waited to rebrand is so frustrating because they could still be the Tennessee Oilers. 

I wish Houston “pulled a Cleveland” and kept the name and history.  I’m a Texan fan, but Oilers is such a great name and identity.  Heck, I wore my Houston Oiler shirt earlier today!

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14. Chicago White Stockings → Chicago White Sox
The Chicago White Stockings were established in 1900 after the St Paul Saints relocated, in conjunction with the league rebranding from Western League to American League (The 1900 AL Season is the only one in which it is considered a minor league). The team adopted the former name of the Chicago Cubs (Known as the Orphans at the time). In order to save the space, the Chicago Tribune took to calling the team the Sox and the name was made official in 1904. I like this change because it makes the name less of a mouthful, while still keeping the gist of things.

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