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reasons for team names


panameno42

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Patriots: the team was awarded to its original owners on Patriot's Day

I'm pretty sure the Pats nickname comes from the fact that the Boston area was where the American Revolution began. and also since the team was awarded in November and Patriot's Day is always in April (the actual day being April 19th)....be kinda hard for that to be the reasoning behind the name

eh well, works either way.

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knicks- because of the settles(dutch)

yankess/rangers/liberties-pretty obvious.

super sonics-???????????

Nets-?????????????

Suns- pheonix hot weather

chargers- san deigo got the damn or the facility with the electricty.

L.A clippers-?????????

heat- pretty obvious

mavericks-??????

raiders-?????(i think i remember but im not sure)

reds-???????????????

and etc.

how are the new york rangers pretty obvious?

do you know what it's referring to?

the originally owner, to the best of my knowledge, was from texas... people in new york called him "tex"... so when he started his hockey team, people started calling them "tex's rangers" (tex's... texas... same sound)

maybe you see an obvious connection between new york hockey and the texas rangers law enforcement agency... but i bet you're in the minority :)

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Nashville Predators -- A fossilized sabre-toothed tiger and den were found when digging for a Nashville skyscraper. The team was named in honor of this rare find. The mascot's name, GNASH, is a play on words; when pronounced, it sounds out the pronounciation of the first words of NASHville, but literlly refers to "Gnashing" teeth as well.

Tennessee Titans -- Named for the predecessors to the gods that Zeus imprisoned for eternity in Greek legend, because Nashville is the "Athens of the South."

Vanderbilt Commodores -- Named for Cornelius Commodore Vanderbilt.

Memphis Grizzlies -- Named for the Grizzlies in the franchise's original home of Vancouver, BC.

Middle Tennessee State University Blue Raiders -- A man won the "name the team" contest with "Blue Raiders," later admitting he borrowed the name from Colgate College's Red Raiders but just substituted our blue for Colgate Red. Earlier unofficial names for teams from State Teachers' College (STC)/Middle Tennessee Normal School/Middle Tennessee State College, etc. included "Teachers," "Normalites," and "Pedagogues." BTW, the new image, featuring "Lightning" the pegasus, debuted in 1998. He replaced the "Ol' Blue" dog mascot which had been around since the 1960s. Ol' Blue was brought in to replace the Nathan Bedford Forrest-esque character which had been the Raider to that point, when civil rights and racism issues made it not so PC to have him represent Middle. Also of note, the name of an ROTC building on campus called Forrest Hall is currently under fire (no pun intended) for the same reasons.

Chattanooga (UTC) Mocs: Name is a modernization of the team's old nickname of Moccasins, which was axed as being offensive to Native Americans, and also combines the name of the Tennessee state bird, the Mockingbird. The new name is more ambiguous, and is simply "a moc" when people ask what the Moc name means or is short for. (At least that's the story to my knowledge.)

Nashville South Stars (defunct minor league hockey team) -- Southern answer to the North Stars, our parent club.

That's all I've got for right now. Enjoy!

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I know about the former name "New York Metropolitan Baseball Club", but they were never the "Metropolitans." They have always been the Mets.

Myself, I wish Payson had stuck to her guns and kept "Meadowlarks," but that's a subject for another time.

Still, there is this perception that "Mets" is short for something, like "Sixers" or "Knicks." There was a letter to the editor in the Times last week discussing the appropriateness of "Citi Field" for a team "officially named the Metropolitans." I yelled out loud when I read that.

Yeah, I know, major geek moment, but what are you going to do? I own it.

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Denver Rockets: In the spring of 1967, Denver received a charter ABA franchise by default, when the original owners of the Kansas City franchise couldn't get their act together. The league needed solid ownership for the franchise, which it eventually found in the form of Denver trucking executive Bill Ringsby. Ringsby was the owner of the Denver-based "Ringsby Rocket" Trucking System. Therefore, it made sense for the team to be nicknamed the "Rockets." The team's unique colors (orange and black) and logo (the "Ringsby System" logo) were borrowed directly from Ringsby's trucks.

Denver Nuggets: In the summer of 1974 new owners bought the team and got rid of Alex Hannum as the franchise's coach and general manager. The new coach was suddenly Larry Brown, who had played for Denver from 1970-72. Brown was willing to leave North Carolina because the Carolina Cougars franchise was moving to St. Louis. Brown also brought along Carl Scheer, as the general manager, and Doug Moe, as assistant coach. A contest was held to find a new nickname for the franchise--the name "Nuggets" won, the same name that had belonged to Denver's short-lived NBA franchise in the 1940's. The new logo was an excited miner ("Maxie the Miner,") who had apparently just discovered an ABA Ball. This was a subtle suggestion to Denver residents that their "New Denver Nuggets" were suddenly different and interesting. Incredibly, due to the presence of Brown and Moe, they were. In one summer, Brown and Moe transformed the Nuggets from a problem franchise to a red-hot commodity.

Colorado Buffaloes: Prior to 1934, CU athletic teams usually were referred to as the "Silver and Gold", but other nicknames teams were sometimes called included Silver Helmets, Yellow Jackets, Hornets, Arapahoes, Big Horns, Grizzlies and Frontiersmen. The campus newspaper announced the contest in the fall of 1934, with a $5 prize to go to the author of the winning selection. Claude Bates of New Madrid, Mo., and James Proffitt of Cincinnati, Ohio, were co-winners for the prize as both submitted Buffaloes as their entry. Athletic Director Harry Carlson, graduate manager Walter Franklin and Kenneth Bundy of the Silver and Gold were the judges.

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Jungle Jim, you answered your own question with the Royals: the name was inspired by the Monarchs.

Um Wrong. While it is a coincidence the name comes from the American Royal Livestock Show held in Kansas City every year since 1899.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kansas_City_Royals

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knicks- because of the settles(dutch)

yankess/rangers/liberties-pretty obvious.

super sonics-???????????

Nets-?????????????

Suns- pheonix hot weather

chargers- san deigo got the damn or the facility with the electricty.

L.A clippers-?????????

heat- pretty obvious

mavericks-??????

raiders-?????(i think i remember but im not sure)

reds-???????????????

and etc.

how are the new york rangers pretty obvious?

do you know what it's referring to?

the originally owner, to the best of my knowledge, was from texas... people in new york called him "tex"... so when he started his hockey team, people started calling them "tex's rangers" (tex's... texas... same sound)

maybe you see an obvious connection between new york hockey and the texas rangers law enforcement agency... but i bet you're in the minority :)

ur stupid. im assuming it has something to do with early settlers in NY.

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Why don't y'all try, oh...I don't know, http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com ? Regarding all current MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL and MLS teams, you'll find your answers.

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Is the Georgetown "Hoya Saxas" legend true? They were once the Stonewalls and a campus Eggbert strolled by and said "Hoya Saxas" ("What rocks" in Latin) and the name stuck?

"The trouble with quotes on the Internet is that it's hard to verify their authenticity."

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knicks- because of the settles(dutch)

yankess/rangers/liberties-pretty obvious.

super sonics-???????????

Nets-?????????????

Suns- pheonix hot weather

chargers- san deigo got the damn or the facility with the electricty.

L.A clippers-?????????

heat- pretty obvious

mavericks-??????

raiders-?????(i think i remember but im not sure)

reds-???????????????

and etc.

how are the new york rangers pretty obvious?

do you know what it's referring to?

the originally owner, to the best of my knowledge, was from texas... people in new york called him "tex"... so when he started his hockey team, people started calling them "tex's rangers" (tex's... texas... same sound)

maybe you see an obvious connection between new york hockey and the texas rangers law enforcement agency... but i bet you're in the minority :)

ur stupid. im assuming it has something to do with early settlers in NY.

no...

"UR" stupid. :)

i am correct. the owner's name was "Tex" Rickard. he originally wanted to name his team the new york giants, but the press started calling his team "Tex's Rangers," because it sounded like Texas Rangers. before being owner of the rangers, he was a boxing promoter with a history of cattle ranching in texas.

stop "assuming," and buy some books on sports history.

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Is the Georgetown "Hoya Saxas" legend true? They were once the Stonewalls and a campus Eggbert strolled by and said "Hoya Saxas" ("What rocks" in Latin) and the name stuck?

I believe that is what their website says . . . more or less.

knicks- because of the settles(dutch)

yankess/rangers/liberties-pretty obvious.

super sonics-???????????

Nets-?????????????

Suns- pheonix hot weather

chargers- san deigo got the damn or the facility with the electricty.

L.A clippers-?????????

heat- pretty obvious

mavericks-??????

raiders-?????(i think i remember but im not sure)

reds-???????????????

and etc.

how are the new york rangers pretty obvious?

do you know what it's referring to?

the originally owner, to the best of my knowledge, was from texas... people in new york called him "tex"... so when he started his hockey team, people started calling them "tex's rangers" (tex's... texas... same sound)

maybe you see an obvious connection between new york hockey and the texas rangers law enforcement agency... but i bet you're in the minority :)

ur stupid. im assuming it has something to do with early settlers in NY.

no...

"UR" stupid. :)

i am correct. the owner's name was "Tex" Rickard. he originally wanted to name his team the new york giants, but the press started calling his team "Tex's Rangers," because it sounded like Texas Rangers. before being owner of the rangers, he was a boxing promoter with a history of cattle ranching in texas.

stop "assuming," and buy some books on sports history.

I'm going to have to back Cole on this. Tex's Rangers it is/was.

EDIT -- I wasn't going to bother to find a source, but I don't want anyone "assuming" I'm just agreeing to agree. Per Wikipedia (among many others):

In 1925, the New York Americans joined the National Hockey League, playing in Madison Square Garden. The Amerks proved to be an even greater success than expected, leading Garden president Tex Rickard to go after a team for the Garden despite promising the Amerks that they would be the only hockey team to play there.

Rickard was granted a franchise, which he originally planned to name the New York Giants. However, the New York press soon nicknamed his team "Tex's Rangers," and the new name stuck.

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It also mentions other names that were up for consideration were the Rebels, Skyliners, and even the Jets and Islanders...

Skyliners would've been a great name.

Utah Jazz - named for the jazz music of New Orleans, where the team started.

Houston Astros - I'm assuming it had to do with NASA being in Houston in the 60s.

Colorado Rockies - because of some mountains or something or nuther.

Arizona Diamondbacks - rattlesnakes in the Arizona desert.

Kansas City Royals - I'm not sure why, but the "royalty" theme is common in KC (Crowne Center, Kings, Monarchs, etc.) for some reason

Minnesota Twins - twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul

Texas Rangers - law enforcement organization by the same name in that state

Houston Astros:

Chosen in connection with the then-newly constructed Houston Astrodome after the franchise essentially lost the right to continue calling the team the Houston Colt .45's.

Arizona Diamondbacks:

Originally was to be called the Arizona Rattlers by Jerry Colangelo, but MLB wouldn't let him use the name, which had been used for years by his Arena Football team. Colangelo's thought was to name the baseball team the Rattlers and re-christen the AFL team the Diamondbacks. Believe it... or not.

Kansas City (now Sacramento) Kings:

The franchise relocated to Kansas City from Cincinnati, where the team had been the Royals. Cincinnati is known as the "Queen City," but when they relocated Kansas City already had a Royals... so they became the Kings.

Dallas Cowboys:

Originally to be called the Texas Rangers (yes, the Texas Rangers), original owner Clint Murchison decided to go a different route to avoid confusion between the NFL franchise and the lawmen. And that star on the helmet - yep, that's a leftover from the plan to use Texas Rangers as the name.

the originally owner, to the best of my knowledge, was from texas... people in new york called him "tex"... so when he started his hockey team, people started calling them "tex's rangers" (tex's... texas... same sound)

maybe you see an obvious connection between new york hockey and the texas rangers law enforcement agency... but i bet you're in the minority :)

ur stupid. im assuming it has something to do with early settlers in NY.

Actually, you appear the stupid one - because he's right, or at least, on the right track.

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knicks- because of the settles(dutch)

yankess/rangers/liberties-pretty obvious.

super sonics-???????????

Nets-?????????????

Suns- pheonix hot weather

chargers- san deigo got the damn or the facility with the electricty.

L.A clippers-?????????

heat- pretty obvious

mavericks-??????

raiders-?????(i think i remember but im not sure)

reds-???????????????

and etc.

how are the new york rangers pretty obvious?

do you know what it's referring to?

the originally owner, to the best of my knowledge, was from texas... people in new york called him "tex"... so when he started his hockey team, people started calling them "tex's rangers" (tex's... texas... same sound)

maybe you see an obvious connection between new york hockey and the texas rangers law enforcement agency... but i bet you're in the minority :)

And all of this time I thought it had something to do with Chuck Norris.

I don't know if anyone mentioned these:

BOSTON CELTICS: basically having to do with the Irish population in Boston. There is a more specific story but I can't find it at the moment

BUFFALO BILLS: After the man, or so I've heard

UCONN HUSKIES: Named so because UCONN sounded like YUKON territory in Canada, so Huskies was chosen to replace the old name AGGIES because it sounded like something that related to the cold territory.

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*yawn*

Cubs: the 1902 squad was notably young, so Chicago scribes began calling them the Cubs, and the name stuck. Ironically, one paper tried to popularize another name, Spuds...and the irony is that said rag was the Cubs' current owners, the Tribune.

Bears: basically, inspired by the Cubs. The one year the orange and blue had to keep the Staley name had passed, and George Halas reasoned that since they were playing at Wrigley and football players tend to be bigger than baseball players, Bears would be a fitting name.

White Sox: mooched off the Cubs' original name, basically. Initially, scribes dubbed them the Invaders, though their white hosiery inspired use of the Cubs' original name soon afterwards. As reporters tended to shorten some names back then, White Stockings became White Sox.

for the hell of mention, Racine Case Eagles: my high school's namesake, Jerome I. Case, was the founder of the famed Case Company, whose symbol was an eagle standing on a globe. Fittingly, Case looks like a factory...anyways, the company's eagle symbol became our mascot as well, though I've been asked why our colors are seemingly John Deere-inspired (green and gold). Heh, red was already taken.

Wisconsin Badgers: taken from back when the state was but a territory. contrary to popular belief, badgers aint really indigenous to Wisconsin, but miners working there found themselves having to burrow in the ground and "live like badgers." the rest is history.

Michigan State Spartans: back in the early 30s, MSU football players lived in barren, no-frills dorms, and their "spartan living" was pointed out by other students. Thus, Spartans.

In amongst all the Chicago teams, you forgot to mention the Bulls, whose name is in reference to Chicago's meat-packing heritage. There was also an NBA expansion team in 1961 with a similar reference: The Chicago Packers. That nickname lasted one year and was changed to the Zephyrs (windy city, natch). In 1963, the Zephyrs moved to Baltimore...now they are the Washington Wizards.
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Kansas City (now Sacramento) Kings:

The franchise relocated to Kansas City from Cincinnati, where the team had been the Royals. Cincinnati is known as the "Queen City," but when they relocated Kansas City already had a Royals... so they became the Kings.

You're right as to why they changed from "Royals" to "Kings" in Kansas City, but the team was called the Royals when it was in Rochester prior to moving to Cincinnati. While "Royals" fits with Cincinnati's nickname as the "Queen City", that wasn't the original source of the name.

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