New name for Charlotte?

[Conrad.]

From ESPN Insider article:

A group headed by Michael Jordan will take control of the Charlotte Bobcats if approved by the NBA owners. The Charlotte Observer reports Jordan made a "huge personal financial commitment" to help make the deal happen.

Now that Charlotte is getting a new owner, Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer wonders if the team should get a new nickname.

Bonnell writes: "If Michael Jordan listens to his customers, and potential customers, he'll seriously consider a name change from 'Bobcats' once his purchase of Charlotte's NBA franchise is complete. Too many of you have emailed me with that suggestion not to think it's an issue to many Charlotteans. You didn't like Bob Johnson naming the team after himself, and you sure don't see this as a positive once Johnson is no longer majority owner. This wouldn't be cheap. I spoke with an NBA executive who estimated it would cost the franchise anywhere from $3 million to $10 million to rebrand the team."

Rick Bonnell article

Reminds of these guys:

Hopefully we'll get to see a rebrand

[CDixonDesign]

I honestly can't see MJ taking it that far, a complete rebrand nearly 7 years into a franchise is too much, no matter how self centered Johnson was in naming the team after himself...

[Lee.]

I'm going to push that he rename the team the Jordanaires.

[Cianfrocco]

I don't have any particular affinity for Bobcats, but I think Flight would be a huge step down. I do kind of like the logo where the trail of the plane makes a "CF," though. Dragons could work, but none of those logos really do it for me.

[scarsofthumper]

Charlotte Air

[deliver2david]

A Jordan-owned team wearing adidas?

That will be interesting.

[CDixonDesign]

I think Flight, Dragons, Air, all of em, really are a step down, and have too much of a D-League feel to them...

[TruColor]

I still want the Carolina Cougars to come back.

And yes, I do know about the naming-rights issue with the former Spirits of St. Louis owners.

[Quillz]

Even if the Bobcats were really named after Bob Johnson, the name "Bobcats" works, so why rebrand?

Lakers doesn't work in LA, but they will never be renamed. Jazz doesn't work in Salt Lake City, but they will never be renamed. Maybe "Bobcats" isn't the greatest name ever, but it's all about establishing brand identity.

[Firefly]

The Shoes. Gotta be The Shoes.

Charlotte Sneakers? Sneaks?

[OnWis97]

Even if the Bobcats were really named after Bob Johnson, the name "Bobcats" works, so why rebrand?

Lakers doesn't work in LA, but they will never be renamed. Jazz doesn't work in New Orleans, but they will never be renamed. Maybe "Bobcats" isn't the greatest name ever, but it's all about establishing brand identity.

Agreed.

It's a fine name. Not great, but better than Magic, Heat, Wild, etc. If Johnson naming the team after himself saved it from "Flight", then all the better. I know they don't exactly have the history of the Celtics (or even the T-Wolves), but they've been around for a few years and the only thing worse than a team that cannot settle on colors/logos/identity is a team that cannot settle on a name. I wish more new/relocated teams would just pick an animal. Even if that means the Eagles in the NBA or the Bears in MLB.

Keep the name.

[richie923]

Although I don't see a name change happening, I hope they go with the Spiders. Love the name and they can refer to the arena as Charlotte's Web.

[Arts11]

As a whole, I don't really care about the "Bobcats" name since they're not my team. However, I will say I was not thrilled when they revealed Charlotte's new franchise name, and time has not really changed that. I would definitely support a name change [honestly just never like the name "Bobcats" in general] if it came to that though.

[Firefly]

I have a bad feeling about a rebrand. Correct me if I'm wrong (like I need to say that on the internet) The last full rebrand we got was OKC's bland mess. The last redesign is the Sixers running back to an old design. Heck, the Jazz are heading backwards as well.

What was the last great redesign? The Cavs? Where every other game is a throwback? The Hornets? Where the great new logo is considered the secondary?

This is a league in which the Wizards still hold onto to that monstrosity of a logo and the Clippers can keep that mystery seam. The Bobcats are way down the list of NBA teams that need further work done considering how far they have come already.

[Hat Boy]

Who here thinks that Charlotte is a "Flight" or "Dragons" away from being an NBA title contender? A name change does not fix what ails that franchise.

Bobcats is a more serviceable name than Raptors...and that has been going on for almost 15 years.

[IceCap]

Aside from the fact that the owner named the team after himself, what's wrong with the name Bobcats? It seems fine to me. No worse then Bears, Eagles, Cardinals, or Rams. Granted, the primary logo sucks, but the alternate they seem to be using a lot is very nice.

It would be a mistake to change the name anyway. This is a relatively new team that's trying to build its own fanbase, one that isn't attached to the Hornets. Changing the name at this point would hinder that. All traditions start sometime. They have an identity. It could use some cleaning up, but overall it's not bad. Leave it be, and let the team establish its own traditions.

[BallWonk]

Personally, I think it would be kind of neat if 60 years from now the fact that Charlotte has an eponymous team name were one of those bits of trivia that hardcore fans know about but most people don't. If the team does rebrand, please let it be to a plural word, not a mass noun. Flyers, for example, not Flight. And not Dragons; were I a Charlotte fan, Jordan's record with the magically themed Wizards would be enough for me to find a new team to root for if he named his team the Dragons.

[illini1]

I always thought the Charlotte team should have been named Flight. It makes sense given the proximity to where the Wright Brothers developed their plane. Plus now the Jordan is the owner the name is an even better fit.

[illini1]

A Jordan-owned team wearing adidas?

That will be interesting.

They may have an Adidas logo on them, but I guarantee you they'll be Nike uniforms. When Jordan made his comeback with the Wizards, he had all custom made Nike gear with the Wizards logos and colors. Considering the controversy Jordan had during the '92 Olympics and his son had last year at UCF, I can't see him letting his team wear Adidas gear if there is a way he can get around it. Perhaps he could pay a fine and keep the Adidas logos off of their uniforms, like the Yankees do with Majestic.

[rams80]

Aside from the fact that the owner named the team after himself, what's wrong with the name Bobcats? It seems fine to me. No worse then Bears, Eagles, Cardinals, or Rams. Granted, the primary logo sucks, but the alternate they seem to be using a lot is very nice.

It would be a mistake to change the name anyway. This is a relatively new team that's trying to build its own fanbase, one that isn't attached to the Hornets. Changing the name at this point would hinder that. All traditions start sometime. They have an identity. It could use some cleaning up, but overall it's not bad. Leave it be, and let the team establish its own traditions.

Because "Bobcats" is a moniker best suited for, and most reminiscent of, the local high school's athletic teams. There's just this sort of vague high school "genericness" feel to the identity.