# Sports teams that should have had better names **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 25, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710 "2016-10-25T18:47:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/41 "2016-10-26T03:11:19Z")
> [@](#): > > The Albuquerque Isotopes are of course the best name. Sure it’s a Simpsons reference, but also has some relevance to the area. The Simpsons also had the intentionally bad name for an NBA team, “the Springfield Excitement.” My absolute all time favorite team name was a minor league hockey team in Macon, Georgia called the Macon Whoopee. The minor league team in Modesto, California is the Nuts. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/42 "2016-10-26T03:13:34Z")
Blackhawks is another one. It’s the English nickname for a guy called Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiak, so it’s sort of the equivalent of the Chicago Steves. > [@Backwater\_Under\_Duck](#): > > The _Texans_ is the best name that any Texas team can claim. You’re not from Texas so you don’t appreciate the insane way that these people (I was born in Lubbock, but I’m an apostate) believe in their Texan-ness. For this reason Texans don’t bother me. The Texan-ness of Texans is an established thing, at least more so than the Canadien-ness of French Canadians. That and in a world where the Cowboys exist, the Texans will always be no worse than the _second worst_ Texas team. > [@Colibri](#): > > Toronto Raptors is pretty dumb too. The beast is not only extinct, it has nothing to do with Canada. (They were from Mongolia.) And real velociraptors were about the size of a turkey. Well, “raptor” properly refers to a bird of prey. But yes, it was intentionally meant to capitalize on Jurassic Park, not any birds. Deinonychus and Utahraptor more closely resemble the movie dino, and they’re at least _closer_ geographically, if not in the same area or country. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/43 "2016-10-26T03:26:51Z")
Boston Celtics, pronounced “SELL-ticks” instead of “KELL-tics”, as it’s properly pronounced. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/44 "2016-10-26T03:48:45Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > My absolute all time favorite team name was a minor league hockey team in Macon, Georgia called the Macon Whoopee. > > The minor league team in Modesto, California is the Nuts. [The Rhode Island School of Design’s unofficial mascot is Scrotie](http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2012/03/01/risds-mascot-is-a-penis-go-nads/), and the teams are the Nads and the Balls. Also Lansing Lugnuts (Class A baseball) Not terribly related to the OP, but the best names are also the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs, and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (that is, the Fighters from Hokkaido who are sponsored by the company Nippon Ham). Both also show up on worst name lists, but people who consider these bad names are not people I want to be friends with. > [@ekedolphin](#): > > Boston Celtics, pronounced “SELL-ticks” instead of “KELL-tics”, as it’s properly pronounced. Actual Celts in Glasgow pronounce it the same way though. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/45 "2016-10-26T03:49:21Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Well, “raptor” properly refers to a bird of prey. But yes, it was intentionally meant to capitalize on Jurassic Park, not any birds. Their [logo](http://www.sportslogos.net/logos/view/yfypcwqog6qx8658sn5w65huh/Toronto_Raptors/2009/Primary_Logo) (until recently) indicates the dino was intended. Likewise [their mascot.](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/661588740205334528/ZnCwxDbZ.jpg) [_Gorgosaurus_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorgosaurus) was at least Canadian. (Toronto Gorgos has a ring to it.) ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/46 "2016-10-26T03:53:48Z")
University of California Santa Cruz is the Banana Slugs. UC Irvine is the Anteaters. ---
**Author:** ![Annoying\_Buzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Annoying\_Buzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annoying_Buzz)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/47 "2016-10-26T08:21:25Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Not terribly related to the OP, but the best names are also the UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs, and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (that is, the Fighters from Hokkaido who are sponsored by the company Nippon Ham). Both also show up on worst name lists, but people who consider these bad names are not people I want to be friends with. I’ll see your Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and raise you the Tokyo Gas Creators, from Japan’s American Football League (as in, the guys who play in helmets and pads). > **[X League](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-League)** > > X-League or X League may refer to: The league has a few doozies, including the Deers (with an S), and the Apricot (singular). ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/48 "2016-10-26T18:39:08Z")
The Alaska Aces are a professional basketball team. In the Philippines. They’re owned by the Alaska Milk Company. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/49 "2016-10-26T19:39:10Z")
> [@Annoying\_Buzz](#): > > I’ll see your Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and raise you the Tokyo Gas Creators, from Japan’s American Football League (as in, the guys who play in helmets and pads). > > [X League - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-League) > > The league has a few doozies, including the Deers (with an S), and the Apricot (singular). > [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > The Alaska Aces are a professional basketball team. In the Philippines. They’re owned by the Alaska Milk Company. Philippine Basketball Association is full of these: [ul] [li]Blackwater Elite. Sounds manly, I didn’t know the mercenary group (now Academi) sponsored a team… no, it’s a… makeup company!?[/li][li]Phoenix Fuel Masters. Arizona, Philippines?[/li][li]TNT KaTropa. The scourge of Italian plumbers everywhere.[/li][li]And 3 separate teams named after the San Miguel beer and food conglomerate, of which the best is San Miguel Beermen.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/50 "2016-10-26T20:05:49Z")
> [@ISiddiqui](#): > > The way of thinking is that the franchise isn’t connected to the city its located in as much as it is to its own internal history regardless of where that is. I’m just glad that the Colorado Rockies changed their name when they moved. The New Jersey Rockies would just be stupid. > [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > Well, “raptor” properly refers to a bird of prey. But yes, it was intentionally meant to capitalize on Jurassic Park, not any birds. Deinonychus and Utahraptor more closely resemble the movie dino, and they’re at least _closer_ geographically, if not in the same area or country. Acheroraptor was found in Montana and is a relative of velociraptor ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/51 "2016-10-26T20:19:07Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’m just glad that the Colorado Rockies changed their name when they moved. The New Jersey Rockies would just be stupid. The New Jersey Landfills just doesn’t have the same ring. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/52 "2016-10-26T20:41:59Z")
Arizona Cardinals? Are there any cardinal birds in Arizona? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/53 "2016-10-26T21:01:56Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Arizona Cardinals? Are there any cardinal birds in Arizona? [Apparently so](http://sdakotabirds.com/species/maps/northern_cardinal_map_big.jpg), though looks like they avoid the Phoenix metro a bit. Also some [stranger looking](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyrrhuloxia) species. The Northern Cardinal is the state bird of 7 separate states, but not Arizona (theirs is the interesting cactus wren). 6 states also named the Northern mockingbird, 3 the American robin, 3 goldfinches (2 different species), and 6 the Western meadowlark. State birds are, with a few exceptions, pretty boring. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/54 "2016-10-26T21:17:19Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Arizona Cardinals? Are there any cardinal birds in Arizona? Yes, there are. I live in Tucson and have seen cardinals from my living room through the sliding glass door. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/55 "2016-10-26T21:18:18Z")
Thanks! Ignorance fought! ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/56 "2016-10-26T21:24:56Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I’m just glad that the Colorado Rockies changed their name when they moved. The New Jersey Rockies would just be stupid. “Rockies” is an apt name for the baseball team, though. Their play has been pretty rocky in the 24 years of their existence. I’m including the 2007 World Series, when they folded like Superman on laundry day. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/57 "2016-10-26T21:34:57Z")
> [@snowthx](#): > > Thanks! Ignorance fought! The picture in the link provided by **thelurkinghorror** shows the desert cardinal, which is predominantly brown with splashes of red, however I have seen a few northern cardinals as well, as they do nest in southern Arizona. ---
**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/58 "2016-10-26T22:18:45Z")
> [@ekedolphin](#): > > Boston Celtics, pronounced “SELL-ticks” instead of “KELL-tics”, as it’s properly pronounced. According to who? The pronunciation is all over the place these days, but for a long time (basically to the mid twentieth century) the soft C pronunciation was the standard. ---
**Author:** ![TheInimitableMaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b19c9b/32.png) [@TheInimitableMaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheInimitableMaven)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/59 "2016-10-26T23:01:28Z")
Can’t believe I haven’t been beaten to this one…the **Montgomery Biscuits** (AA baseball team). I’m from the South AND love a damn good biscuit as much as most Southerners, and it still makes me laugh. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710/60 "2016-10-26T23:15:22Z")
thelurkinghorror: > [@](#): > > NYC has less room for a stadium We have enough room, we just didn’t have enough politicians who were willing to build it to outvote the ones who wanted to block it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sports-teams-that-should-have-had-better-names/769710.md?page=4)