Underused Team Names

[Fred T. Jane]

i do realize that there are teams that have names that are regionally comprehensive, but in general i feel that there just should be more names then what are used. im from south florida, and i see only one team in the whole state that has reference to the everglades as a team name and that is being the gators all the way north in gainsville

[BRM_PTX]

i do realize that there are teams that have names that are regionally comprehensive, but in general i feel that there just should be more names then what are used.  im from south florida, and i see only one team in the whole state that has reference to the everglades as a team name and that is being the gators all the way north in gainsville

Is that a real team or a concept because that logo is so cool with it's laces on the gator's snout.

[Fred T. Jane]

Is that a real team or a concept because that logo is so cool with it's laces on the gator's snout.

Yup.

[BBM]

Yeah the fact the whole thing is shaped like an ice skate makes it uber cool. I like it.

[jerkstore]

Just referring to Icecaps comment about Sharks in NY waters, 100% incorrect. There are Tons of sharks inthe Northeast, very large mako populations.

[Frenchie]

To placate the apparent alum of the Railroad Tycoon's university, I think Commodores/Admirals and other nautical-related team names are under utilized.

Unless you're the AHL, then you find yourself in a unique situation where you have two teams with the same name in your league.

Or the CFL where 2 out of 9 teams are Roughriders..

Speaking of CFL, I understand that Quebec-based teams have the language thing that makes them unique (distinct society, I believe they want to be called...) but even Locally, I have never seen any other Alouettes, nor Concordes for that matter.

The Junior Major Hockey Quebec Remparts is another great locally meanigful name.

[Frenchie]

Yeah the fact the whole thing is shaped like an ice skate makes it uber cool. I like it.

note that the name is ever-B-lades, not G-lades; cute little pun ain't it?

[BB61]

My three favorite nicknames come from Australia, the first two I think could be used for teams in the US, but the last one its probably unique to the history of said club.

The Sydney Roosters NRL team got their name because their Red, White, and Blue jumpers resembled that of the French national team, whose national symbol for all sports is the Rooster.

The Adelaide Crows of the AFL. Not only is it a good logo, but the color combination is one that I've yet to see over here.

And then there's my favorite name of all time:

The South Sydney Rabbitohs, affectionately known as the Bunnies. The team, who is partially owned by actor Russell Crowe, supposedly got its name from the players offseason jobs during the war -- catching and selling rabbits. They would shout, "Rabbit, oh!" while selling them on the streets of Sydney. They too use a rarely seen combo -- red-and-green.

[gueman]

Monkeys and Gorillias I have felt might pose a problem due to the fact they can also be a negative reference to a race of people. We all remember Howard Cosell and his "look at that monkey go" comment. I just think some names are off limits for social reasons. Hell even the Reds reverted back to Red Legs in the 50's. I know many here will bring up all the Indian names, and with the exception of the Redskins I have felt the rest were honorific. As for the most unique that would be the Baltimore Orioles which is the only name of a team that is also a spicies.

[BBM]

Monkeys and Gorillias I have felt might pose a problem due to the fact they can also be a negative reference to a race of people. We all remember Howard Cosell and his "look at that monkey go" comment. I just think some names are off limits for social reasons. Hell even the Reds reverted back to Red Legs in the 50's. I know many here will bring up all the Indian names, and with the exception of the Redskins I have felt the rest were honorific. As for the most unique that would be the Baltimore Orioles which is the only name of a team that is also a spicies.

But wasn't Cosell referring to Art Monk?

[BallWonk]

That is a sweet logo, and one that shows how much you can do with even the most unlikely of team names. The only problem is that the color scheme and the font make it look to me like the KFC logo, assuming that the chickens murdered Col. Sanders and took over running the place. Still, this has an aggressive look that could even work for football.

I don't know what crows look like in Australia -- they certainly have prettier crows in Europe than we have over here, so maybe Australia has blue crows -- but in the States crows are black. I'm pretty sure I would not be the only person bothered by a team called the crows whose main color was navy blue.

Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has a long minor league baseball history, and two of the oldest team names in town are the Raiders and the Rabbits. I understand why there aren't any Roosters in MLB, but rabbits are famously fast. Your average rabbit is at least a one-tool player, which is more than you can say for, say, blue jays or cardinals.

[BallWonk]

Hmm...interesting...learn something new every day.  Thanks.

Also, are the Kansas City Royals named for their shade of blue,as an homage to the Kansas City Monarchs, or something else entirely?

Hmm actually after looking around Sports ECyclopedia, I found this about the Royals:

Named the Royals after the American Royal Livestock Show, which has been held in Kansas City every year since 1899.

I learned something new too!

Me too.

I always thought that the Royals are from the mythic KC Monarchs.

There's a difference between "learning" and "hearing." I can definitely say I heard something I've never heard before with this story, but until I see better evidence than an unattributed reference on a website, I'm going to hold off on believing it. It's an interesting theory, though, and I'd love to see some evidence of it. What is the Sports Ecyclopedia's source for the information (and why does it not attribute)?

MLB itself has from time to time pointed to the naming of the Royals as a tribute to the Monarchs, and that's the story that circulated among the Royals fans in my Iowa hometown when I was a boy in the 1970s. None of which is evidence of anything -- MLB regularly just makes stuff up, and it's not like "my dad and his buddies at their Royals-affiliated radio station said so" is a footnotable citation.

[jrh31584]

Monkeys and Gorillias I have felt might pose a problem due to the fact they can also be a negative reference to a race of people. We all remember Howard Cosell and his "look at that monkey go" comment. I just think some names are off limits for social reasons. Hell even the Reds reverted back to Red Legs in the 50's. I know many here will bring up all the Indian names, and with the exception of the Redskins I have felt the rest were honorific. As for the most unique that would be the Baltimore Orioles which is the only name of a team that is also a spicies.

But wasn't Cosell referring to Art Monk?

I don't think so, but there are supposedly instances of Cosell calling white players monkeys as well.

[FrankCostanza]

I'm surprized more pro teams don't use Eagles. You'd think there'd be one in either the NHL, MLB or NBA. This is America after all.

There used to be an NHL team called the St. Louis Eagles.

[spartacat_12]

Has any team ever used the name "Silverbacks"?  I think it's a cool name, and think of the awesome gorilla images you could use in the logo....

some BC hockey team has that name.

actually that team is called the silvertips.

[spartacat_12]

As for the most unique that would be the Baltimore Orioles which is the only name of a team that is also a spicies.

actually the orioles AAA afiliate the, ottawa lynx, use an actual species for a team name.

[BlueSky]

Monkeys and Gorillias I have felt might pose a problem due to the fact they can also be a negative reference to a race of people. We all remember Howard Cosell and his "look at that monkey go" comment. I just think some names are off limits for social reasons. Hell even the Reds reverted back to Red Legs in the 50's. I know many here will bring up all the Indian names, and with the exception of the Redskins I have felt the rest were honorific. As for the most unique that would be the Baltimore Orioles which is the only name of a team that is also a spicies.

But wasn't Cosell referring to Art Monk?

I don't think so, but there are supposedly instances of Cosell calling white players monkeys as well.

The best though was after that when Howard said something and Don Meredith replied, "Yeah, Howard, you old orangutan you." Classic.

Had to check the spelling on orangutan, that's a tricky one.

[JetsLuvver]

Some underused (if used at all) animal names:

Raccoons

Foxes

Kangaroos

Pandas

Polar bears

Koalas

Crows

Blackbirds

Cobras

Pythons

Dog breeds other than huskies and bulldogs

Zebras

Antelopes

Leopards

Crocodiles

Iguanas

Cheetahs

Elks

Whales

Pelicans

Cranes

Swans

Flamingos

Piranhas

Rhinos

Octopus

Squids

[sp0rtsguy13]

Some underused (if used at all) animal names:

Flamingos

Flamingos? Its not too difficult to understand why not too many teams use the name flamingos.

[Mac the Knife]

At one time in the NFL there were teams call the...New York...

Technically the team that was the football New York Yankees is today known as the Indianapolis Colts.

Actually, they're not. That franchise was forfeited to the league. The Indy Colts were awarded to Baltimore, as a new franchise, for 1953 if I'm not mistaken.