Professional Lacrosse Changes

[29texan]

On 11/20/2020 at 2:25 PM, JackieMoon said:

If only they would slap a pink goatee on that panther and pay homage to Texas' best metal band.

 

Texas Panteras

 

No... it needs to be FORT WORTH and specific to Fort Worth, period. 

 

Like I said, it's rare for our city's name to be seen and heard on the national stage without Dallas, first. 

 

"Panther City" is specific to Fort Worth, but it's also vague and unknown to people who dont live here. 

[Brian in Boston]

 

"Mr. Cameron... we have the attorneys for Rip Taylor's estate on line 1. They say that if we're going to use their late client's likeness as the inspiration for our primary mark, the panther has to be wearing a toupée. The mustache alone isn't going to cut it."

[GDAWG]

7 hours ago, 29texan said:

 

No... it needs to be FORT WORTH and specific to Fort Worth, period. 

 

Like I said, it's rare for our city's name to be seen and heard on the national stage without Dallas, first. 

 

"Panther City" is specific to Fort Worth, but it's also vague and unknown to people who dont live here. 

 

I heard a local sports talk host say when this team was named "Fort Worth is Panther City? I thought it was Cowtown?"

[JackieMoon]

5 hours ago, Brian in Boston said:

 

"Mr. Cameron... we have the attorneys for Rip Taylor's estate on line 1. They say that if we're going to use their late client's likeness as the inspiration for our primary mark, the panther has to be wearing a toupée. The mustache alone isn't going to cut it."

Bring out the confetti!!!

[29texan]

20 hours ago, GDAWG said:

 

I heard a local sports talk host say when this team was named "Fort Worth is Panther City? I thought it was Cowtown?"

 

We have more than one nickname... 

[4_tattoos]

Behold (SN: my lunch break is almost over, rushing this post lol)

 

 

[leopard88]

That looks good.  I like that they're acknowledging/embracing the history.

[4_tattoos]

2 hours ago, leopard88 said:

That looks good.  I like that they're acknowledging/embracing the history.

When the PLL/MLL merger first broke, some of us here suggested the team should maintain the crossed cannons logo from it's MLL identity. Glad to see that stick around. Figured the PLL would acknowledge the Cannon's MLL legacy in some way.

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

When I heard about the merger, I was hoping that the PLL had decided to assign its teams to cities.  I was dismayed to learn that it is just the opposite, that the only surviving MLL team has been stripped of its city designation. 

The PLL has obviously been successful, superseding and absorbing the MLL.  And it clearly has plenty of fans.  But it leaves me cold.  I know that I cared a lot more about Paul Rabil when he was a member of the New York Lizards than I do now that he is the player/owner/impresario of a league full of teams with no local identities.  If this is the way forward for the sport, I am not interested. 

[leopard88]

1 hour ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

When I heard about the merger, I was hoping that the PLL had decided to assign its teams to cities.  I was dismayed to learn that it is just the opposite, that the only surviving MLL team has been stripped of its city designation. 

The PLL has obviously been successful, superseding and absorbing the MLL.  And it clearly has plenty of fans.  But it leaves me cold.  I know that I cared a lot more about Paul Rabil when he was a member of the New York Lizards than I do now that he is the player/owner/impresario of a league full of teams with no local identities.  If this is the way forward for the sport, I am not interested. 

 

I will second this.  In my opinion (and, to a lesser degree, experience), it is much harder for teams to develop devoted fan followings without city/state designations.

 

Obviously, successful teams develop fanbases outside of their region (e.g., Cowboys, Steelers, Patriots, Yankees, Lakers).  However, their most loyal fans (and the ones least likely to jump off of the bandwagon) tend to be the locals and the ones with old family ties to the region.

 

One of the great sociological benefits of team sports is their ability to unify a region across economic and political (and, dare I say it, racial) lines in support of the local team.  That is one of the things missing in individual sports like golf, tennis and auto racing.  Playing as a barnstorming league without city/state designations removes that advantage in this instance too.

[4_tattoos]

Seeing how one of PLL's main goals is to grow the game, the barnstorming model may be the best way to achieve it. At least temporarily. The best way to grow LAX beyond it's  northeast and Colorado stronghold is to bring high level LAX to those parts of the country that don't normally get to see it in person. You can't grow being limited to 8 cities, with 7 of them being in the same region of the country.

 

While I believe the PLL should ultimately transition to a traditional home city based model, I understand what they are trying to achieve with the tour model. This isn't MLS expansion we're talking about here. Soccer is the world's most popular sports. Lacrosse is still a niche sport that's trying to grow beyond it's niche status. Have to think outside the box to make it happen.

[leopard88]

15 minutes ago, 4_tattoos said:

Seeing how one of PLL's main goals is to grow the game, the barnstorming model may be the best way to achieve it. At least temporarily. The best way to grow LAX beyond it's  northeast and Colorado stronghold is to bring high level LAX to those parts of the country that don't normally get to see it in person. You can't grow being limited to 8 cities, with 7 of them being in the same region of the country.

 

While I believe the PLL should ultimately transition to a traditional home city based model, I understand what they are trying to achieve with the tour model. This isn't MLS expansion we're talking about here. Soccer is the world's most popular sports. Lacrosse is still a niche sport that's trying to grow beyond it's niche status. Have to think outside the box to make it happen.

 

I agree with the goal of growing the game.  However, I think there is a middle ground on this issue.

 

The PLL could easily assign city/state designations to the teams and play a blended schedule.  For example, the Boston Cannons could play three games in Boston, three in other teams' home venues and four games as part of barnstorming/neutral site doubleheaders.  That would still maintain part of the touring schedule while allowing local interest to develop.

[GDAWG]

Paul Rabil's goal with the PLL is to make the sport more accessible to the general public and not make it the "elitist" sport it has been, hence the no cities with the teams.  

[colinturner95]

2 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

Paul Rabil's goal with the PLL is to make the sport more accessible to the general public and not make it the "elitist" sport it has been, hence the no cities with the teams.  

This is probably unrelated to "league with teams in cities" vs "barnstorming league", but as a former lacrosse player, I almost never heard of the MLL. Even during my playing days, it was like "oh yeah, there's a pro lacrosse league" But now with the PLL and the media exposure that it has gotten, lacrosse is being mainstreamed. Maybe one day, the teams will settle into cities, but right now I think the league model is working for what Rabil wants it to do. 

[4_tattoos]

4 hours ago, leopard88 said:

 

I agree with the goal of growing the game.  However, I think there is a middle ground on this issue.

 

The PLL could easily assign city/state designations to the teams and play a blended schedule.  For example, the Boston Cannons could play three games in Boston, three in other teams' home venues and four games as part of barnstorming/neutral site doubleheaders.  That would still maintain part of the touring schedule while allowing local interest to develop.

Sounds reasonable. Hell of a lot better than one suggestion I've heard. Someone thought assigning teams to regions would be a good hybrid of the 2 models. Brief description of what they suggested....

 

New England Cannons: rotates home games in cities around New England

Mid Atlantic Archers: rotates it's home games in NY, NJ, DE, PA, MD, DC and VA

Great Lakes Atlas: you get the idea

 

Basically each team would have a set home region, but the location of home games would rotate between cities within that region. Only one team for the Mid Atlantic states seems like a big mistake in that plan to be honest 

[leopard88]

51 minutes ago, 4_tattoos said:

Sounds reasonable. Hell of a lot better than one suggestion I've heard. Someone thought assigning teams to regions would be a good hybrid of the 2 models. Brief description of what they suggested....

 

New England Cannons: rotates home games in cities around New England

Mid Atlantic Archers: rotates it's home games in NY, NJ, DE, PA, MD, DC and VA

Great Lakes Atlas: you get the idea

 

Basically each team would have a set home region, but the location of home games would rotate between cities within that region. Only one team for the Mid Atlantic states seems like a big mistake in that plan to be honest 

 

That might work in a smaller scope (e.g., New York Archers).  However, it generally sounds like the state/regional plans for the Virginia Squires, Carolina Cougars and The Floridians in the ABA.  None of those seemed to work very well.

[nash61]

Woof.

 

 

https://www.nll.com/news/new-albany-nll-name-and-logo-revealed/

[JayMac]

At least they have a proper name, unlike the Panther City Lacrosse Club. So, they have that.

[Hat Boy]

We are now one step closer to a team going all in and calling themselves the Bazooka Sharks.

[schlim]

The NLL already had the Landsharks.