Dexter Morgan Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 http://www.lfpress.com/sports/baseball/2011/11/15/18974496.html#.TsM2ZlE00Fo.twitterLondon Rippers getting rippedBy JOE BELANGER, THE LONDON FREE PRESSLast Updated: November 15, 2011 10:26pmIf the London Rippers were looking for attention, well, they got it - a swarm of criticsm for the name of the city's newest professional baseball team.Within minutes of unveiling the team's new name and logo, the Internet was abuzz with bemused and angry Londoners, interpreting the name as a not-so-subtle reference to serial killer Jack The Ripper."London Rippers? Seriously? What, was London Bernardos already taken?" said one Tweet, referring to the convicted schoolgirl killer, Paul Bernardo."Wow. The London Rippers. Just. Wow. This is shameful," said another.But team president and general manager David Martin was unapologetic, saying the name, Rippers, is a common baseball term that speaks to the bat prowess of the cartoon character they've created as part of a marketing strategy."That (Jack The Ripper) is not our story," said Martin, when told about the reaction."Ripping a ball is used in baseball all the time."Martin said the character's name is Diamond Jack, a frustrated hockey player who found he could "rip" the cover off baseballs. Despite his talent, teams grew weary of the expense of replacing balls so Diamond Jack decided to form his own team in London, Ontario."It's Phantom of the Opera meets baseball. He's a mysterious character who is somewhat edgy," said Martin."I think this is going to help redefine baseball in Canada. We wanted to make it fun and make it Canadian."But Megan Walker, executive director of the London Abused Women's Center, wasn't amused."It doesn't matter what they think, it's what the people think," said Walker, noting London's deep-rooted commitment to ending abuse against women. "You don't have to be the brightest bulb on the block to realize Jack and Ripper go together. People are outraged. I think it's appalling. It's insulting and stupid and they better rethink their entire marketing strategy."Martin said the team is hoping to target the hockey fan who enjoys baseball but is not yet committed to the game."It's about people engaging our brand and getting excited about baseball at Labatt Park," he said."It's got to be about more than just the game between the lines. We've got to engage the community with good food and good fun and entertainment and give-aways. It's all about environment. We want to give them the whole experience." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CityOfWalrus Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Seriously? When did those murders happen in a completely different country? There's movies about jack the ripper are we gonna complain about those? What about other serial killers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigMac12 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 How inappropriate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter Morgan Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 I dunno, I'm not outraged over this. Isn't there like a statute of limitations on something like this. Should the Vikings change their name? God knows the barbaric things they did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfwabel Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 What's next?Boston Stranglers?L.A. Nightstalkers?Tallahassee Bundys?Milwaukee Dahmers?D.C. Snipers?Waco Branchers or Dividians?And people could add to it like the, "We all are..." death mentions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter Morgan Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 What's next?Boston Stranglers?L.A. Nightstalkers?Tallahassee Bundys?Milwaukee Dahmers?D.C. Snipers?Waco Branchers or Dividians?And people could add to it like the, "We all are..." death mentions.Some of those are actually solid names.. too bad they couldn't be used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sodboy13 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 First off, that logo is totally Jack the Ripper, and that backstory is cover-your-arse bull . Second, it's just a bad name. Third, "mysterious and edgy" is not the kind of image that will bring the necessary family-friendly entertainment seekers into your ballpark. Hopefully, this identity is just some ill-conceived attention ploy, and the team will come up with something sane before they hit the field. On 1/25/2013 at 1:53 PM, 'Atom said: For all the bird de lis haters I think the bird de lis isnt supposed to be a pelican and a fleur de lis I think its just a fleur de lis with a pelicans head. Thats what it looks like to me. Also the flair around the tip of the beak is just flair that fleur de lis have sometimes source I am from NOLA. PotD: 10/19/07, 08/25/08, 07/22/10, 08/13/10, 04/15/11, 05/19/11, 01/02/12, and 01/05/12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportslogopundit Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 London Rippers getting rippedI'm a fan of both the name and the logo but I certainly can understand the criticism. I think a lot of people are firing up the false outrage machine and it should die down within a few days but I do fear that the team will pull a New Hampshire Primaries and quickly jettison this identity for something far more bland. What do you guys think? Have they gone too far with this one? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sportslogopundit Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Whoops, just saw someone posted this in the Sports In General forum. My bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosrs1 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 What's next?Boston Stranglers?L.A. Nightstalkers?Tallahassee Bundys?Milwaukee Dahmers?D.C. Snipers?Waco Branchers or Dividians?And people could add to it like the, "We all are..." death mentions.Yeah I'm not outraged... but at the same time I totally understand the criticism and agree with it. Suppose in 50 years we'll have the Oklahoma City Bombers, LA Riots, Montana Unabombers, and Penn State Sanduskys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bosrs1 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 I dunno, I'm not outraged over this. Isn't there like a statute of limitations on something like this. Should the Vikings change their name? God knows the barbaric things they did.The difference is the Vikings weren't a single murderer, they were an entire people who weren't exactly "evil" or "bad", particularly by the uncivilized times they lived in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmoehrin Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Too soon?I don't know. Its obvioiusly in reference to Jack the Ripper but I've seen things with Family Guy, Robot Chicken and Celebrity Deathmatch as well as probably half a dozen other shows that have made light of the Jack the Ripper situation and didn't think twice of it. I mean were talking about an event 125 years old. There is nobody left alive that can say they remember when Jack the Ripper was in the headlines all over London and hasn't been for decades now.That being said though while I think anyone who think calling a team the Rippers is home offensive to women needs to have their head checked, your not going to win a media battle agaisnt a battered women's shelter. I would not be surprised at all to see the name changed if they decide to turn up the heat, but we'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CS85 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 haha, what a terrible team name. If some kid grew up a "rippers" fan and read about where the name deviated from, I doubt they'd feel the same way. Obviously you can't claim "too soon" but it's like...really, you couldn't come up with anything better? Quote "You are nothing more than a small cancer on this message board. You are not entertaining, you are a complete joke." twitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NJTank Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Its a bad name, but I think too much is being made of it. www.sportsecyclopedia.com For the best in sports history go to the Sports E-Cyclopedia at http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dfwabel Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 What's next?Boston Stranglers?L.A. Nightstalkers?Tallahassee Bundys?Milwaukee Dahmers?D.C. Snipers?Waco Branchers or Dividians?And people could add to it like the, "We all are..." death mentions.Yeah I'm not outraged... but at the same time I totally understand the criticism and agree with it. Suppose in 50 years we'll have the Oklahoma City Bombers, LA Riots, Montana Unabombers, and Penn State Sanduskys.Than I'll keep going.Sioux City Pilots Bhopol Union FCChilean CaversSomili Fasters FC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dexter Morgan Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 Tucson SchizophrenicsAnd I have one other. New York Jets... oh wait Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Admiral Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 It's London, Ontario, though. Not that it makes it okay, but it's not like the horrors of Jack the Ripper still haunt the community to this day. I don't suppose the logo is better or worse than 80% of minor league baseball logos. ♫ oh yeah, board goes on, long after the thrill of postin' is gone ♫ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CityOfWalrus Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 It's London, Ontario, though. Not that it makes it okay, but it's not like the horrors of Jack the Ripper still haunt the community to this day. I don't suppose the logo is better or worse than 80% of minor league baseball logos.Exactly. Its not like the team is in London, England. People need to stop being offended by every little thing in the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CS85 Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 And I have one other. New York Jets... oh wait Quote "You are nothing more than a small cancer on this message board. You are not entertaining, you are a complete joke." twitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFB Posted November 16, 2011 Share Posted November 16, 2011 Wait... So for the record, it's all right to name teams after animals that eat people like lions, tigers, bears, and sharks; and it is apparently ok to name them after natural disasters that kill people like hurricanes, lightning, fire, and earthquakes; and it's even viewed appropriate to name teams after people that kill other people such as raiders, vikings, braves, warriors, knights, and pirates. But to name a team after one person who killed people, that's where we draw the line? I guess the lesson is always to commit crimes in groups, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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