GS Warriors to relocate in 2017

[bosrs1]

Not only is (the Chivas USA name) geographically ridiculous

How so? As noted, they're the American version of the Mexican club.

They don't represent the USA. They represent LA.

[Gothamite]

Considering they're an outpost of the Mexican club based in the United States, I still don't see the problem with it.

[The_Admiral]

If we're saying "Golden State Warriors" is as silly a name as the gaggle of goofiness populating Major League Soccer, then yes, I agree. Between the singulars and the Europretending, hoo boy. Thank goodness for the Sounders/Timbers/Whitecaps.

No reason not to change the name now, by the way. You've just established that your base of operations is San Francisco, your gym is just in Oakland for the time being.

[DaytonBlue]

If we're saying "Golden State Warriors" is as silly a name as the gaggle of goofiness populating Major League Soccer, then yes, I agree. Between the singulars and the Europretending, hoo boy. Thank goodness for the Sounders/Timbers/Whitecaps.

No reason not to change the name now, by the way. You've just established that your base of operations is San Francisco, your gym is just in Oakland for the time being.

If they were really smart they'd change the name now, and then redesign the logos when the new arena opens. Cha-ching!

[dbadefense1990]

Not only is (the Chivas USA name) geographically ridiculous

How so? As noted, they're the American version of the Mexican club.

They don't represent the USA. They represent LA.

They were supposed to represent the Latino fanbase in LA, which was their original marketing plan. The suits wanted this team to be a rally-cry for Hispanics in the MLS and be that team.

But it progressively went to being linked up to the original FMF club in Mexico, and being a junior team. Some of the fans who cheer on the Galaxy in the Superclasico games between the 2 teams are not even Galaxy fans; they're America fans (Chivas' main rival in FMF) who want all aspects of Chivas to lose, even their MLS version.

[RyanB06]

If we're saying "Golden State Warriors" is as silly a name as the gaggle of goofiness populating Major League Soccer, then yes, I agree. Between the singulars and the Europretending, hoo boy. Thank goodness for the Sounders/Timbers/Whitecaps.

No reason not to change the name now, by the way. You've just established that your base of operations is San Francisco, your gym is just in Oakland for the time being.

If they were really smart they'd change the name now, and then redesign the logos when the new arena opens. Cha-ching!

Can they? Didn't the Warriors just rebrand to their current stuff a couple of years ago?

[The_Admiral]

This looks a lot like the Marlins' new park. I like it. I wonder how they shall pay for it.

[IceCap]

If we're saying "Golden State Warriors" is as silly a name as the gaggle of goofiness populating Major League Soccer, then yes, I agree. Between the singulars and the Europretending, hoo boy. Thank goodness for the Sounders/Timbers/Whitecaps.

No reason not to change the name now, by the way. You've just established that your base of operations is San Francisco, your gym is just in Oakland for the time being.

If they were really smart they'd change the name now, and then redesign the logos when the new arena opens. Cha-ching!

Can they? Didn't the Warriors just rebrand to their current stuff a couple of years ago?

They could probably get away with just changing the name from Golden State to San Francisco if they wanted to. It would be a tweak, not a full-on change.

This looks a lot like the Marlins' new park. I like it. I wonder how they shall pay for it.

If bosrs1's info is correct, it'll be privately financed.

-$500 million privately funded arena

-$100 million in private funding to shore up the piers

[knnhrvy16]

Considering they're an outpost of the Mexican club based in the United States, I still don't see the problem with it.

A problem I always had with them is that I had no clue where they were based until I looked 'em up. I initially thought they were a traveling team. Minor probably, but it bugged/still bugs the crap out of me. "Chivas LA" or "Chivas California" would have been better options in my humble opinion, though frankly, I hate the Chivas branding altogether. I wish they were the LA Aztecs or something instead.

[IceCap]

I never liked the "Los Angeles Aztecs" name.

The Aztec Empire never expanded into present-day Los Angeles.

[illwauk]

I never liked the "Los Angeles Aztecs" name.

The Aztec Empire never expanded into present-day Los Angeles.

I think it still works in the same way Minnesota Vikings works even though actual Vikings never stepped foot in Minnesota. It marks them as representing the Latino community in SoCal while resurrecting another historical North American soccer brand.

[LMU]

Not only is (the Chivas USA name) geographically ridiculous

How so? As noted, they're the American version of the Mexican club.

They don't represent the USA. They represent LA.

They were supposed to represent the Latino fanbase in LA, which was their original marketing plan. The suits wanted this team to be a rally-cry for Hispanics in the MLS and be that team.

But it progressively went to being linked up to the original FMF club in Mexico, and being a junior team. Some of the fans who cheer on the Galaxy in the Superclasico games between the 2 teams are not even Galaxy fans; they're America fans (Chivas' main rival in FMF) who want all aspects of Chivas to lose, even their MLS version.

And made all the more odd with the number of non-hispanics on the team when the parent club adheres to a strict Mexican only roster policy.

[pcgd]

If we're saying "Golden State Warriors" is as silly a name as the gaggle of goofiness populating Major League Soccer, then yes, I agree. Between the singulars and the Europretending, hoo boy. Thank goodness for the Sounders/Timbers/Whitecaps.

See I never had a problem with the US teams naming them similar to more successful versions elsewhere.

I have no problem with a number of the Japanese baseball teams being heavily inspired by American teams (Giants, Dragons, etc.) or when it happens in other sports like American Football in Ireland. Most irish sports are named for their location (Cork County) but the American Football teams there have Dublin Rebels.

They took on successful league naming conventions is all.

[illwauk]

If we're saying "Golden State Warriors" is as silly a name as the gaggle of goofiness populating Major League Soccer, then yes, I agree. Between the singulars and the Europretending, hoo boy. Thank goodness for the Sounders/Timbers/Whitecaps.

I rather like the combination of revived NASL names and European style names that aren't contrived like Toronto FC, DC United and FC Dallas. It's a perfect reflection of MLS itself continuing certain traditions that are rooted in the NASL while bringing the league more in-line with the top flight divisions around the world.

[The_Admiral]

"Toronto FC" or "FC Dallas" isn't as sensibility-offending as "Real Salt Lake" or "Sporting Kansas City," but having them in a league that also has traditional North American nomenclature makes them feel wrong. Being so used to the orthodoxy of location in the first column, nickname in the second everywhere else in North American sports, the grab-bag nature of MLS is kind of hard to wrap your head around. I know there's this sort of eternal taffy pull as to whether American soccer culture should try to "fit in" with what more established nations have been doing (all that tra-la-la-la-la scarf stuff), or whether it should be given its own spin by the way we've always done everything else (our clocks go backward dadgum it), and I get the arguments for both sides, but I think naming the teams as if they are things they are not, which is to say the descendants of 19th century athletic clubs, is baldly derivative and smacks of Trying Too Hard.

Clocks should definitely run forward, though.

[Lee.]

If we're saying "Golden State Warriors" is as silly a name as the gaggle of goofiness populating Major League Soccer, then yes, I agree. Between the singulars and the Europretending, hoo boy. Thank goodness for the Sounders/Timbers/Whitecaps.

See I never had a problem with the US teams naming them similar to more successful versions elsewhere.

I have no problem with a number of the Japanese baseball teams being heavily inspired by American teams (Giants, Dragons, etc.) or when it happens in other sports like American Football in Ireland. Most irish sports are named for their location (Cork County) but the American Football teams there have Dublin Rebels.

They took on successful league naming conventions is all.

Yes, but, America

[illwauk]

"Toronto FC" or "FC Dallas" isn't as sensibility-offending as "Real Salt Lake" or "Sporting Kansas City," but having them in a league that also has traditional North American nomenclature makes them feel wrong. Being so used to the orthodoxy of location in the first column, nickname in the second everywhere else in North American sports, the grab-bag nature of MLS is kind of hard to wrap your head around. I know there's this sort of eternal taffy pull as to whether American soccer culture should try to "fit in" with what more established nations have been doing (all that tra-la-la-la-la scarf stuff), or whether it should be given its own spin by the way we've always done everything else (our clocks go backward dadgum it), and I get the arguments for both sides, but I think naming the teams as if they are things they are not, which is to say the descendants of 19th century athletic clubs, is baldly derivative and smacks of Trying Too Hard.

Clocks should definitely run forward, though.

I guess the difference for me is that I look at the European naming conventions as the norm in Association Football, but that some clubs (Sounders, Timbers, Earthquakes, etc.) have chosen to build on the traditions of previous clubs that existed before the European naming conventions became the norm. In other words, Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew sound just as weird to me as RSL and SKC.

[IceCap]

I never liked the "Los Angeles Aztecs" name.

The Aztec Empire never expanded into present-day Los Angeles.

I think it still works in the same way Minnesota Vikings works even though actual Vikings never stepped foot in Minnesota. It marks them as representing the Latino community in SoCal while resurrecting another historical North American soccer brand.

That's a good point.

Still, "Los Angeles Aztecs" seems kind of "off" to me. Usually, when using the names of First Nations as the basis of sports teams, you use names associated with the region. Illinois Fighting Illini, Florida State Seminoles, North Dakota Fighting Sioux, Chicago Blackhawks, etc. In that context naming a team in Los Angeles the Aztecs just seems a bit odd.

Though I admit the Vikings comparison does help make it seem palatable.

[dfwabel]

FWIW, Joe Lacob following the press conference:

"No, it's going to be the Golden State Warriors. That's our name and until further notice ? and I say until further notice because I'm leaving myself an out because at the end of the day, this comes down to what the fans want. Not me, it's not what I want to name it, it's not what Peter wants to name it. If the fans of the Golden State Warriors, overall, vote someday that they wanted to be the San Francisco Warriors, then we have to consider that. But bottom line is that it's the Golden State Warriors and it's going to remain the Golden State Warriors for the foreseeable future and maybe forever."

[bosrs1]

FWIW, Joe Lacob following the press conference:

"No, it's going to be the Golden State Warriors. That's our name and until further notice ? and I say until further notice because I'm leaving myself an out because at the end of the day, this comes down to what the fans want. Not me, it's not what I want to name it, it's not what Peter wants to name it. If the fans of the Golden State Warriors, overall, vote someday that they wanted to be the San Francisco Warriors, then we have to consider that. But bottom line is that it's the Golden State Warriors and it's going to remain the Golden State Warriors for the foreseeable future and maybe forever."

In other words, "we're not changing now so as not to offend the east bay fans while we still have to live with them for five year, afterward we'll come up with some half baked poll that shows the fans want it to change to San Francisco and blame the name change on the fans to as to placate the few fans who will be offended by the change."