United Football League

[random_ax]

Some of the names you guys suggested are perfect!

*California Condors

*Raleigh Oaks

*San Antonio Scorpions

*Columbus Crusaders

*Toronto Hurons

*Mexico City Topos

Others need some work.

Austin- I'd go with 'Peacemakers', because, like most Americans, when I think of Texas, I think of cowboys and indians. Speaking of which, 'Apaches' wouldn't be a bad name, come to think of it.

Birmingham- I really like how much sense the name 'Vulcans' makes, but I always think of Mr. Spock when I hear it. I think 'Bullets' sounds good, though.

Las Vegas- JH42XCC already suggested the name 'Bighorns', which makes sense and sounds good, plus, it's unique. However, I think 'Lights' sounds better and makes more sense. Good luck coming up with a logo for that one!

Louisville- If Louisville ever gets a pro franchise, regardless of sport, it'll be named the Kentucky Colonels. The Metro Council has already stated that much when they were trying to woo the Rockets and Hornets. They even inked a deal with KFC to sponsor a hypothetical stadium nicknamed 'The Bucket'. Swear ta God.(I live in Salem, Indiana, which is only about a 25-minute drive from Louisville. Although it's in the middle of nowhere, we pick up Louisville's radio and television stations.)

Memphis- I really like 'Copperheads'. It sounds good and makes sense, since they're indigenous to the area. However, Omnibus suggested 'Blues'. What if we took that one step further and called them the 'Bluenotes'?

New York- 'Knights' sounds really good. However, 'Emporers' makes a lot of sense. I can't pick.

Oklahoma City- 'Mustangs' sounds good and makes sense, but what about 'Cyclones'? I like it!

Orlando- For some reason, I keep coming back to 'Sharks'. Anyone besides me like the name 'Destroyers'?

Sacramento- 'Miners' makes a lot of sense, but I don't think it has a nice ring to it. What about 'Sea Lions' or 'Stingrays'?

Any takers?

Austin Peacemakers, although I know where the name comes from, sounds more like a basketball or semi-pro baseball team. Same with Bluenotes. Cyclones might work.

[omnibus]

I thought this league was a Spring League and was not going to try and compete against the NFL? I thought the idea was to be in college towns and use the local tallent it produced. I still think one day big time college teams turn into the minor league franchises they are today. Anyway...here are my picks for those suggested....

Austin Lone Stars

Birmingham Vulcans

Columbus Redbirds

Las Vegas Rams

Los Angeles Condors

Louisville Thoroughbreds

Memphis...didnt like any, how about Mississippi? Or Mighty Mississippi. Half the town is in MS anyway, but Im thinking River.

New York Empire, its a sports francise not an english quiz.

Oklahoma City Tornados

Orlando...NUTHIN' I hate em all even my own.

Raleigh Oaks (love it!)

Sacramento Gold (golden state get it..get it?)

San Antonio Toros

Mexico City Aztecs

Toronto Beavers or Mounties

[Brian in Boston]

Austin Posse

Birmingham Blitz or Birmingham Vulcans

Columbus Explorers

Las Vegas Vipers

Los Angeles Condors

Louisville Racers

Memphis Pharaohs or Memphis Showboats

New York Kongs or New York Mammoths

Oklahoma Outlaws

Orlando Dragons

Carolina Rampage

Sacramento Gold Miners

San Antonio Stampede

[timparry]

I'll be a little more realistic:

The Defunct Franchise of Austin

The Ceased Team of Birmingham

The Team Formerly Playing In Columbus

Las Vegas Bankrupt

The Los Angeles Football Team That Never Existed

The Folded Franchise of Louisville

Memphis Neverplayedagamers

New York/New Jersey Team Without A Home to Play In

Oklahoma City Ceasers

Orlando Reorganization

The Carolina Team In a League Destined to Fail

Sacramento Shattered Dreams

The Angry Ticket Holders of a Team to be Based in San Antonio

I don't see this league ever getting off the ground.

[Telemundo219]

I'll be a little more realistic:

The Defunct Franchise of Austin

The Ceased Team of Birmingham

The Team Formerly Playing In Columbus

Las Vegas Bankrupt

The Los Angeles Football Team That Never Existed

The Folded Franchise of Louisville

Memphis Neverplayedagamers

New York/New Jersey Team Without A Home to Play In

Oklahoma City Ceasers

Orlando Reorganization

The Carolina Team In a League Destined to Fail

Sacramento Shattered Dreams

The Angry Ticket Holders of a Team to be Based in San Antonio

I don't see this league ever getting off the ground.

Wow! What's up with all the pessimism?

[JH42XCC]

OK, so here's the list of possible team names for the possible UFL franchises based on recent suggestions.

Austin: Lawmen would be a cool name; I could've called them the Rangers, but it would confuse them with baseball's Texas Rangers. Lone Stars is also a good name since, after all, Texas is the Lone Star State.

Birmingham: Definitely Vulcans because of Vulcan statue, and the long history of iron and steel production in the city; also, in the mid-1970s, a World Football League team in the city used to have that name. Ironmen would also be a pretty good name because of the aformentioned steel production history in the city. Another possible name would be Magicians or Wizards since Birmingham is nicknamed the "Magic City".

Columbus: Like I said, I chose Senators because Columbus is the capital city of Ohio; however, Crusaders would work as well. Redbirds may also be a good fit since Ohio's official bird is the cardinal. Has anyone thought about Glory? There used to be a World League team in the city called the Ohio Glory.

Las Vegas: Bighorns is a perfect name for the team since the Desert Bighorn Sheep is Nevada's official mammal.

Los Angeles: Condors would be good because California is home to the California Condor. Stars would also be a good fit since the district of Hollywood is the center of the movie making industry and is home to many celebrities.

Louisville: Colonels sounds perfect! Kentucky has been known for their history of colonels (i.e. Colonel Sanders of KFC fame -- lol); also, speaking of history, Colonels have been used as the name of many Louisville sports teams in the past -- most notably, the Kentucky Colonels of the ABA and the many incarnations of the Louisville Colonels baseball teams. Another good name for the team would be Racers, Stallions, or Thoroughbreds since Louisville is home of "The Most Exciting 2 Minutes in Sports": the Kentucky Derby (lol).

Memphis: This one is tough, but I would go with Copperheads since the Tennessee Titans, who were the Tennessee Oilers at the time, originally planned to change their name to the Copperheads after moving from Houston back in 1997. Rivermen could also work since the city sits next to the Mississippi river. Pharaohs is also a cool name idea because of two reasons: 1. The city is named after the ancient capital of Egypt; and 2. It's the name of the former Arena Football League team in Memphis.

Mexico City: Another tough one. Not sure who to call them. Maybe Topos, since it's Spanish for groundhogs and the name of the unit that saved many lives after the Mexico City earthquake of 1985. Some other good names: Soldados (Soldiers), Coyotes, Guerreros (Warriors).

New York: Also a tough one, but I would go with Knights since there used to be an Arena Football team known as the Knights; also, it was the name of a ficitional New York baseball team in the novel and movie adaptations of "The Natural". Emperors or Imperials are also good name since New York is the Empire State and one of New York City's nicknames is the Empire City.

Oklahoma City: Cyclones seems to be a good fit for this team, and so is Mustangs. How about Oliers? Maybe.

Orlando: A very difficult one. Maybe Lakers because of the lakes surrounding the city; maybe Aeros due to the U.S. Air Force's presence in the city during World War II and the city's close proximity to Patrick Air Force Base, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, and Kennedy Space Center, all in nearby Brevard County; maybe Brigadiers or Generals due to the city's long military history; maybe Breakers after the team from the 1990s TV sitcom "Coach" (does Hayden Fox ring a bell?); maybe Blazers since there used to be a World Football League team in the city called the Florida Blazers back in the mid-70s; maybe Renegades after the name of Orlando's USFL team from mid-1980s; or maybe Thunder after the former World League team from the early 1990s. I don't know who to call them.

Raleigh-Durham (but specifically Raleigh): Oaks is the obvious choice since there are a lot of oak trees in Raleigh, hence the city's nickname, the "City of Oaks". Stingers would also be a good name since North Carolina's official insect is the European Honey Bee. I also think Emeralds could work since the emerald is the official gemstone of North Carolina.

Sacramento: Yet another tough one to find a good team name. Maybe Gold Miners since much of Northern California and Sierra Nevada was the site of the California Gold Rush in the mid-19th century; it was also the name of Sacramento's professional football franchise during the Canadian Football League's ill-fated attempt to expand into the U.S. in mid-1990s; or maybe Express because it was the terminal for the First Transcontinental Railroad.

San Antonio: Riders would be a good name since there used to be a World League team called the Riders. However, Scorpions would also fit very well with this team.

Toronto: Hurons sounds really good, considering the Huron tribes used to occupy the vicinity in the 16th century. However, Northmen would be a pretty good name as well; in case you were wondering, a World Football League team, also called the Northmen, was originally going to play in Toronto; however, the so-called Canadian Football act forced the team to move to Memphis, TN, where they became the Southmen/Grizzlies.

[random_ax]

I thought this league was a Spring League and was not going to try and compete against the NFL? I thought the idea was to be in college towns and use the local tallent it produced. I still think one day big time college teams turn into the minor league franchises they are today. Anyway...here are my picks for those suggested....

Austin Lone Stars

Birmingham Vulcans

Columbus Redbirds

Las Vegas Rams

Los Angeles Condors

Louisville Thoroughbreds

Memphis...didnt like any, how about Mississippi? Or Mighty Mississippi. Half the town is in MS anyway, but Im thinking River.

New York Empire, its a sports francise not an english quiz.

Oklahoma City Tornados

Orlando...NUTHIN' I hate em all even my own.

Raleigh Oaks (love it!)

Sacramento Gold (golden state get it..get it?)

San Antonio Toros

Mexico City Aztecs

Toronto Beavers or Mounties

Why would a team call themselves the Rams when the rival NFL already has one? The NFL sued the Baltimore Colts of the CFL and there wasn't even a Colt team in Baltimore at the time!

Ialso hope they stay away from "soccer" names like Gold or Empire.... Empires, okay...Empire...no.

[ManCalledAmp]

I dunno about Toros, since that's Austin's D-League team name. So San Antonio and Austin might not wanna go the bull route, history or logic aside.

[Mac the Knife]

Austin- I'd go with 'Peacemakers', because, like most Americans, when I think of Texas, I think of cowboys and indians. Speaking of which, 'Apaches' wouldn't be a bad name, come to think of it.

When I hear "Peacemaker," this is the first, and only, image I conjur:

[krilow]

all this league is going to do is water down the talent in the CFL

[Mac the Knife]

all this league is going to do is water down the talent in the CFL

Canadians need to learn to grow their own talent in football, and stop sending guys who aren't the best entertainers like Martin Short, Bryan Adams and Alan Thicke down here in exchange for the guys who aren't the best on the gridiron.

[/ducks]

[therebelas]

Yes... a very, very south + western league. But think about it. Where in the Northeast could you put a team where they wouldn't be in direct conflict with one of the teams here? I knocked out New York(Jets and Giants), Columbus(Ohio's Browns and Bengals), Raleigh(Charlotte's Carolina Panthers) and Memphis(Tennessee Titans) for that reason. I feel fans in these areas, for now, have an allegiance to one of those teams. I only knocked out Austin and Sacramento because I believe a fledgling league shouldn't put 2 teams in the same state its inaugural year(I chose Orlando and San Antonio instead). From what I know, the CFL is fairly popular in Canada and I wouldn't put a team up directly against the Argonauts to begin.

Just my thoughts... I'd be excited to see it take off!

You may have something of a point with those other cities, but no f***in' way would any self-respecting Memphan claim a Nashville team as their own and vice versa. There's a reason the Oilers moved from the Liberty Bowl to Vanderbilt Stadium in mid season even though the latter was extremely undersized (by NFL standards). Both cities think they're the flagship city for Tennessee and have developed a natural rivalry that makes it impossible to unify the entire state with a team that plays in one city or the other.

At least that's what my homeboy from Memphis would say if he posted here

Your homeboy is a smart guy. I wouldn't pi$$ on Nashville if it were on fire and I'd expect a good Nashvillian to say the same about Memphis.

[therebelas]

Memphis...didnt like any, how about Mississippi? Or Mighty Mississippi. Half the town is in MS anyway, but Im thinking River.

Come again? There are a couple suburban counties in Mississippi...and Arkansas (and there is a West Memphis, AR just across the river)...but not one inch of the city is in Mississippi.

[timparry]

I'll be a little more realistic:

The Defunct Franchise of Austin

The Ceased Team of Birmingham

The Team Formerly Playing In Columbus

Las Vegas Bankrupt

The Los Angeles Football Team That Never Existed

The Folded Franchise of Louisville

Memphis Neverplayedagamers

New York/New Jersey Team Without A Home to Play In

Oklahoma City Ceasers

Orlando Reorganization

The Carolina Team In a League Destined to Fail

Sacramento Shattered Dreams

The Angry Ticket Holders of a Team to be Based in San Antonio

I don't see this league ever getting off the ground.

Wow! What's up with all the pessimism?

What's up with all the pessimism?

Show me a professional outdoor football league startup that has lasted more than one season since the USFL. Now show me how many that have tried and failed, and how many never even got off the ground... This one is destined to fail, too.

Can't compete with the Friday Night Lights of high school football, because most of your fan base will be playing. And in places like Texas, whole communities will be watching the high school teams.

Then there's Austin. That pro team won't be the best team in the city! Texas would have a 35 pt. spread.

I could be wrong though.

[JH42XCC]

All we know right now is that Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Mexico City already have teams set-up.

By the way, Toronto has been removed from consideration as a possible UFL market (according to Wikipedia) so that means no "Hurons" or "Northmen".

[Telemundo219]

I'll be a little more realistic:

The Defunct Franchise of Austin

The Ceased Team of Birmingham

The Team Formerly Playing In Columbus

Las Vegas Bankrupt

The Los Angeles Football Team That Never Existed

The Folded Franchise of Louisville

Memphis Neverplayedagamers

New York/New Jersey Team Without A Home to Play In

Oklahoma City Ceasers

Orlando Reorganization

The Carolina Team In a League Destined to Fail

Sacramento Shattered Dreams

The Angry Ticket Holders of a Team to be Based in San Antonio

I don't see this league ever getting off the ground.

Wow! What's up with all the pessimism?

What's up with all the pessimism?

Show me a professional outdoor football league startup that has lasted more than one season since the USFL. Now show me how many that have tried and failed, and how many never even got off the ground... This one is destined to fail, too.

Can't compete with the Friday Night Lights of high school football, because most of your fan base will be playing. And in places like Texas, whole communities will be watching the high school teams.

Then there's Austin. That pro team won't be the best team in the city! Texas would have a 35 pt. spread.

I could be wrong though.

I surely understand your logic...and am not saying the it's likely for the league to stand. However, many of those leagues died because of the moronic decisions those in power made. Are the people who in charge of this league not going to make those decisions? That's highly unlikely but as we all know in business, any and all competition is good for improving a product and w/o public support, it's all but guaranteed that this league wouldn't stand. So I'm just saying we should optimistic to see where this league goes (not w/ unrealistic expectations though).

[Mac the Knife]

Your homeboy is a smart guy. I wouldn't pi$$ on Nashville if it were on fire and I'd expect a good Nashvillian to say the same about Memphis.

Pretty much sums up how Pittsburgh feels about Philadelphia, and/or how Raleigh feels about Charlotte.

[kewp80]

I guess I'll put some names out there:

Austin Ramblers - Not sure what a Rambler is, but it sounds pretty good. Or Rustlers.

Birmingham Vulcans - I like this name, especially with it's Steel history.

Columbus Legends - I dunno, kinda like the name. Plus it's near the HOF which has a lot of football "Legends"

Las Vegas Vipers - The name sounds pretty good.

Los Angeles Condors - Not too thrilled about seeing a condor logo, but I love the name.

Louisville Racers - Great name with the Derby and all. Colonels is a great name too.

Memphis Pharaohs or Explorers - Coming from the Egyptian name and the Exploring history around the region, or you could bring back the Showboats

New York Gothams - One of the city's nicknames is Gotham.

Oklahoma Twisters - They call it Tornado Alley for a reason.

Orlando Citrus - Not that good, but comes from the all the Oranges, you know. Wanted to go with Gators, but I dunno if that would be available.

Raleigh Senators - I like Oaks, but it is the capital of NC, sounds nice too.

Sacramento Swarm - Not sure if it's usable, but it sounds nice.

San Antonio Defenders - Always thought a pro team in SA should use that name.

[JH42XCC]

Memphis Pharaohs? Why didn't I think of that?

Anyway, I originally had the Senators name penned for the team in Columbus, but I'm pretty sure it would suit the Raleigh-Durham team really good.

As for Columbus, I might wanna call them the Bulldogs.

[Mac the Knife]

Anyway, I originally had the Senators name penned for the team in Columbus, but I'm pretty sure it would suit the Raleigh-Durham team really good.

Let's make one thing crystal clear. People in this area don't care for combining "Raleigh" and "Durham" except when it comes to our airport, which is Raleigh-Durham International. A combination of the two cities names would spell death for the team (see Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks). Use Raleigh. Use Durham. Use Carolina if you don't want to piss off either side, but don't use Raleigh-Durham. It shows serious lack of respect for either city.