Underused Team Names

[Stampman]

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

I've made custome Madden teams with 19 of those.

There would also be a problem for some sports in callin the team the zebras--since that's a slang term for the referees and other official who wear black & whote stripes in Football and hockey, for example.

[BBM]

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.

Well I couldn't find it anywhere else on the web except Wikipedia, and this is what they said:

Pharmaceutical executive Ewing Kauffman won the bidding for the new Kansas City team, which he named the Royals after the American Royal Livestock Show, which has been held in Kansas City every year since 1899.

It sounds like they use SEC as a source (they link them on the bottom), so I don't know. You could ask Chris, I think he knows the webmaster at SEC.

[Wilt]

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.

There is also a WNBA team called Minnesota Lynx.

[JamieRose]

I never really got the Providence Steamrollers.. They keep using it with too many teams they get (mostly pro). It really doesnt make much sense, especially since each one fell apart. I mean it could be a very good football name, but they only used it for that once. And all I know that around here, steamrollers are only good for noise and backing up traffic, although we somehow don't see enough of them on roads....but i digress..

In conclusion, there should be a Providence Donuts who play in the Dunk!

[FrankCostanza]

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.

The Silvertips are actually located in Everett, Washington. Not British Columbia.

[Drew22]

I wish the team name Knights was used more ofton, I really like that name. Plus lots of colors can be used with it.

[Brian in Boston]

With regard to the naming of the Kansas City Royals...

I have a friend who is a member of the Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). According to inquiries that he has made, three factors contributed to team owner Ewing M. Kauffman naming Kansas City's expansion franchise the Royals in 1968:

* Kansas City having been home to both major (Western League, precursor to the American League) and minor-league teams, including the long-time New York Yankees affiliate that produced Micky Mantle, named the Blues;

* Kansas City having been home to Negro League clubs named the Monarchs;

* Kansas City serving as the home of the American Royal Livestock Show (now the American Royal Livestock, Horse Show and Rodeo).

Apparently, Mr. Kauffman - as well as others instrumental in launching the expansion franchise - recognized that the name Royals referenced both of the baseball teams (Royal is a shade of Blue and a term that describes a Monarch), as well as paying tribute to the long-running livestock event that had become synonymous with Kansas City.

[Bigboy1083]

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.

Admirals to Unveil New Logo on August 1st

Milwaukee, WI?Milwaukee Admirals Owner and CEO Harris Turer announced today that the team will reveal its new logo, color scheme, and jerseys on Tuesday, August 1st at 6:00 pm at the Potawatomi Bingo Casino Stage on the Henry W. Maier Festival (Summerfest) Grounds.

?We are extremely excited to reveal our new logo,? said Turer. ?This is a new era for the Milwaukee Admirals and we want to start it off in a tremendous way on the 1st. We look forward to sharing this big night with all of our fans and sponsors.?

[Mingjai]

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.

In a similar vein, the Florida Panthers' namesake, the Florida panther, is a unique subspecies of cougar found in the Florida Everglades. With an estimated wild population of between 30 and 50 individuals, this rare animal is on the Federal endangered list.

On an unrelated note, thinking about two Admirals of the AHL, there are 4 sets of D-IA schools with duplicative nicknames in the same conference. The interesting thing is that they exist in two conferences: SEC (LSU/Auburn Tigers, Georgia/Miss. St. Bulldogs) and the WAC (Fresno St./La. Tech Bulldogs, Utah St./NM St. Aggies). How unoriginal.

[sp0rtsguy13]

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

The ECHL Florida Everblades that play in Fort Myers are an obvious reference to the everglades.

[winghaz]

5. Raiding humans - Raiders, Bucs, Vikings, (unfortunately) Pats & Chiefs

But there are certain reasons some of these names were chosen for their respective areas.

Bucs, of course, because the Florida area was home to pirates.

Vikings, of course, because of all the Scandinavians in Minnesota and the Upper Midwest. If Minnesota was known for, say, Italians instead of Norwegians, the team name Minnesota Vikings would probably be something else.

Patriots ... well, that's pretty obvious.

And I think the Chiefs has some connection to the statue of the Scout in Kansas City. I may be wrong, though.

[BlueSky]

The Pro Football Hall of Fame site has a page showing the origins of each NFL nickname. For example, the Chiefs:

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS - The AFL franchise began in 1960 as the Dallas Texans. When the team was moved to Kansas City in 1963, the new name was selected by a fan contest.

I'd like to know the story behind some of the old NFL team names from the 20's, like the Pottsfield Maroons and so on.

[BBM]

The Pro Football Hall of Fame site has a page showing the origins of each NFL nickname. For example, the Chiefs:

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS - The AFL franchise began in 1960 as the Dallas Texans. When the team was moved to Kansas City in 1963, the new name was selected by a fan contest.

I'd like to know the story behind some of the old NFL team names from the 20's, like the Pottsfield Maroons and so on.

I would assume most were because of either jersey colors or baseball teams... that seems to be the prevailing trends of the NFL in the 20s.

[Wilt]

And here's the history of NBA nicknames.

http://www.travel-watch.com/nba1.htm

http://www.travel-watch.com/nba2.htm

http://www.travel-watch.com/nba3.htm

Frankly, I had a different theory concerning the Clippers.

[bulldogbarks55]

When the Rochester Royals were formed as a semi-pro team in the early '40s they were sponsored by Eber Bros., the local distributor for Seagrams whiskey. They were at first called the "Ebers" and later the "Seagrams." Upon entering the NBL in 1945 they changed to "Royals" after Seagrams Crown Royal whiskey.

Also, when they moved to KC from Cinci they changed to Kings in deference to the baseball team. Even though the basketball team had the name before the baseball team was a gleam in Ewing Kaufmann's eye. Go figure.

[Brendan]

I dont understand the Flordia Panthers and Carolina Panthers they were both expansion teams founded a year apart from each other.

Heres some names I think are underused:

Knights

Maroons

Wolves

Cougars

Whales/Orcas

Admirals

Commanders

[ShinyHubCaps]

Heres some names I think are underused:

Knights

Maroons

Wolves

Cougars

Whales/Orcas

Admirals

Commanders

Cougars may seem underused in college and professional sports, but it's also used by practically every team we played in grade school.

We were the Warriors. Our rival was the Cougars. We often played against the Eagles, the Cougars, and the Cougars.

[Adam]

Alot of teams have species specific names.

If we just look at one MLB team and its minor league affiliates you can find 3 instances of species specific names:

MLB-Arizona Diamondbacks (reference to the rattler)

AAA-Tucson Sidewinders I love their hat. I miss their old green ones though.

Rookie league-Missoula Osprey Their logo leaves something to be desired lol.

One of my favorite names ever? The Chukars of Idaho Falls. A rookie league affiliate of the KC Royals. Their site: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/index.jsp?sid=t444 and some info on the chukar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chukar

PS Go Ottawa Lynx!

[Mingjai]

One of my favorite names ever? The Chukars of Idaho Falls. A rookie league affiliate of the KC Royals. Their site: http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/app/index.jsp?sid=t444 and some info on the chukar: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chukar

Funny you mention the Chukars. I'm from Idaho Falls, and I had no clue what a chukar until after their press release. I think the name's okay, but they could have picked a name that relates more to IF than some obscure bird (Cutthroats, Sturgeon, Wapiti, Elk, Atoms). Chukars is better then merely using the parent club name as they had in the past (Angels, A's, Braves--which they for a few years after the Pads took over, Padres). And it's definitely better then the Gems, a one year name they had under the

[coggs]

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.

My friend coaches a HS age travel Lacrosse team called the Ft. Lauderdale Flamingos. They refer to themselves as the "Flaming O's"