MLS Metrostars become Red Bull New York?

[Gothamite]

When the Grizzlies were moving from Vancouver to Memphis FedEx wanted to change the name of the team the Express and have their colors as blue, orange, and white. The NBA said that they did not allow teams to have corporate nicknames. So FedEx had to settle on just the naming rights of the new arena.

I've heard that the proposed uniforms even made it to Sports Illustrated, but I've never seen them.

Anybody have a scan?

[Brian in Boston]

Since when did you hear about a possible addition of a second MLS franchise in New York?

Actually, rumor has it that one of the issues being negotiated between Anschutz Entertainment Group and Red Bull as part of the sale of the current MetroStars is that AEG would retain the rights to the MetroStars brand for future use. AEG is apparently interested in placing a second MLS franchise in the Harrison stadium sometime in the future. Doing so would create a situation not unlike the one which currently exists at the AEG-owned Home Depot Center in Carson, California.

Oh, by the way... for what it's worth, the person (Fran Sullivan) who registered the houstondynamo.com and dynamohouston.com domains for MLS and AEG, recently registered some other rather interesting domain names:

newyorkredbulls.com

newyorkredbulls.net

newyorkredbulls.org

nyredbulls.com

nyredbulls.net

nyredbulls.org

It would appear that the New York Red Bulls (or NY Red Bulls) will be taking to the Major League Soccer pitch in the future.

[Gothamite]

AwfIt would appear that the New York Red Bulls (or NY Red Bulls) will be taking to the Major League Soccer pitch in the future.

Awful.

But still better than the (locationless) MetroStars.

[JQK]

I like the Metrostars. It gives the nickname and location all in one spot (i dont care what you say, NY/NJ/CT is THE metropolitan area of the United States.)

And as for the the Red Dogs...

I remember when they came out, and i remember the beer quite fondly (it is still made and sold). The team was NOT named for or affiliated with Red Dog beer in any way. The Brewery did not have any owner in the team, and the owners had no affiliation with the beer. There was controversy when the team chose the name, because parental groups cried that the team was promoting drinking to young fans. The owners insisted that the name was for the common football term 'Red Dog" used for defensive calls. THey reassured fans that the team was not named after the beer, popular in urban NJ centers (and it was popular... loved that :censored:)

I know, 'cause i was there.

[Brian in Boston]

Ladies and gentlemen... boys and girls... please, welcome YOUR NEW YORK RED BUUUUUULLLLLLLSSSSSSS!!!!!

http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/article.php?article_id=5587

[cubbies06]

It will never top the goofiest sounding corporate tie-in name ever: The Nippon Ham Fighters of the Japanese Baseball League....For years , I wonder why processed pork had to be fought before it dawned on me...

[yh]

I like the Metrostars. It gives the nickname and location all in one spot (i dont care what you say, NY/NJ/CT is THE metropolitan area of the United States.)

And as for the the Red Dogs...

I remember when they came out, and i remember the beer quite fondly (it is still made and sold). The team was NOT named for or affiliated with Red Dog beer in any way. The Brewery did not have any owner in the team, and the owners had no affiliation with the beer. There was controversy when the team chose the name, because parental groups cried that the team was promoting drinking to young fans. The owners insisted that the name was for the common football term 'Red Dog" used for defensive calls. THey reassured fans that the team was not named after the beer, popular in urban NJ centers (and it was popular... loved that :censored:)

I know, 'cause i was there.

I always presumed that the team changed its name to the Gladiators because the Red Dog Beer folks pressured them to do so. Anyone have any background on the franchise's name change?

[Brian in Boston]

Anyone have any background on the franchise's name change?

To the best of my knowledge, when new owner Jim Ferraro purchased the franchise from E. Burke Ross prior to the 2001 AFL season, he simply chose to change the team name because he felt that Gladiators was more agressive, thus more marketable. Further, he probably felt that an identity change was a comparatively easy way to distance his new aquisition from the 6-8 and 4-10 on-field records the team had posted the previous two seasons.

Of course, the New Jersey Gladiators went out and posted a 2-12 record in 2001.

[cyandlux]

I hope MLS bans this kind of blatant advertisment. OR make RedBull pay more or something. I like that they want to purchase a team, but not if MLS has to sacrifice its dignity as a league.

[Brian in Boston]

... but not if MLS has to sacrifice its dignity as a league.

The S.S. MLS Dignity set sail with the advent of the Dallas Burn, Kansas City Wiz and San Jose Clash team identities... the logos for the Columbus Crew, NY/NJ MetroStars and Tampa Bay Mutiny... the uniforms that were unveiled for the inaugural season. In short, when it has come to branding, MLS has possessed precious little dignity to sacrifice.

Bottom line? Going forward, Major League Soccer is going to be a professional sports league in which each of its member franchises chooses to brand itself in the manner which suits them best. Some teams will choose to go with a traditional American "city/plural nickname" identity (Colorado Rapids, Kansas City Wizards). Other franchises will utilize a slightly more modern American "city/singular nickname" brand (Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, Los Angeles Galaxy, New England Revolution). There will be clubs that embrace an internationally-traditional moniker (CD Chivas USA, DC United, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake). Some franchises will adopt an identity that to some degree combines aspects of the aforementioned branding strategies (Houston Dynamo). Finally, there is the possibility that some teams will brand themselves with the name of a corporate parent/sponsor (New York Red Bulls). To each their own. The idea that the entire league is suddenly going to be filled with teams bearing the names of corporate entities strikes me as being a bit far-fetched. After all, not every corporate name/product name lends itself to a pro sports identity package quite as well as Red Bull's does.

[Skull Position]

... but not if MLS has to sacrifice its dignity as a league.

The S.S. MLS Dignity set sail with the advent of the Dallas Burn, Kansas City Wiz and San Jose Clash team identities... the logos for the Columbus Crew, NY/NJ MetroStars and Tampa Bay Mutiny... the uniforms that were unveiled for the inaugural season. In short, when it has come to branding, MLS has possessed precious little dignity to sacrifice.

Bottom line? Going forward, Major League Soccer is going to be a professional sports league in which each of its member franchises chooses to brand itself in the manner which suits them best. Some teams will choose to go with a traditional American "city/plural nickname" identity (Colorado Rapids, Kansas City Wizards). Other franchises will utilize a slightly more modern American "city/singular nickname" brand (Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, Los Angeles Galaxy, New England Revolution). There will be clubs that embrace an internationally-traditional moniker (CD Chivas USA, DC United, FC Dallas, Real Salt Lake). Some franchises will adopt an identity that to some degree combines aspects of the aforementioned branding strategies (Houston Dynamo). Finally, there is the possibility that some teams will brand themselves with the name of a corporate parent/sponsor (New York Red Bulls). To each their own. The idea that the entire league is suddenly going to be filled with teams bearing the names of corporate entities strikes me as being a bit far-fetched. After all, not every corporate name/product name lends itself to a pro sports identity package quite as well as Red Bull's does.

Now thats the most sound reasoning I've heard yet...cheers to you

[Titanole]

One thing that concerned me about this purchase (other than the ridiculous NY Red Bulls name) was this issue of wiping away the history of the club prior to the ownership change like they did in Salzburg. The one thing we don't need in this country is to erase what little soccer history we have. Sure the MetroStars don't have a legacy of success, but let's not simply ignore it.