# Who is the "Face of the Franchise" for each major sports team in your city? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [October 27, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058 "2012-10-27T17:50:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/101 "2012-11-03T07:21:14Z")
And no one else but Mario Lemieux could represent the Penguins. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2012, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/102 "2012-11-03T14:43:07Z")
Ray Lewis for the Ravens isn’t debatable. ---
**Author:** ![TheBoltEater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/779978/32.png) [@TheBoltEater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheBoltEater)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/103 "2012-11-05T23:12:48Z")
> [@Enginerd](#): > > Ray Lewis for the Ravens isn’t debatable. Agreed, but is he even the biggest “duh” in Baltimore? Brooks Robinson has a lot of fans, but Cal Ripken Jr. WAS Baltimore. And Tony Gwynn is the only possible answer for the Padres. ---
**Author:** ![Enginerd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bcef8e/32.png) [@Enginerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enginerd)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2012, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/104 "2012-11-05T23:34:52Z")
> [@TheBoltEater](#): > > Agreed, but is he even the biggest “duh” in Baltimore? Brooks Robinson has a lot of fans, but Cal Ripken Jr. WAS Baltimore. It depends how old you are, probably. Ripken was the face of a baseball franchise that was mostly irrelevant - he won a World Series in 1983, but the O’s only made the playoffs three times (including that year) in Cal’s 21 year career. Between 1966 and 1983, the O’s went to the World Series 6 times and won 3 of them. Ripken was usually a bright spot on a bad team, but you could argue that Brooks (1955-'77) or Jim Palmer (1964-'84) were the faces of a winning franchise. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/105 "2012-11-06T02:26:23Z")
Stan Musial is also a first-tier “duh” guy. I doubt more than 5% of Cards fans would say otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/106 "2012-11-06T12:39:25Z")
Tampa Bay area checking in - Currently \*_Buccaneers: \*\* Ronde Barber_ **Lightning:** Vinnie LeCavalier, although Martin St Louis might get more love **Rays:** Joe Maddon as coach. If it has to be a player then Evan Longoria or David Price **Rowdies:** Luke Mulholland or Jeff Attinella **Storm** (Arena football): No one \*Ronde is the team’s elder statesman and should be a HOF lock. It could also possibly be Josh Freeman, the young, good looking QB and may soon be Doug Martin, who is having an amazing rookie season. All Time \*\*Buccaneers: \*\* Leroy Selmon **Rowdies:** Rodney Marsh The others are the same/not enough history. ---
**Author:** ![President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@President\_Johnny\_Gentle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/President_Johnny_Gentle)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/107 "2012-11-06T22:09:59Z")
Add Kevin Garnett for the Timberwolves to the “duh” list. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/108 "2012-11-07T05:21:52Z")
I’m sure they’ve been done in the thread, so i’ll give mine without looking at the other answers. Unless there aren’t any, in which case these are the correct answers! Now: Penguins - Sidney Crosby Pirates - Andrew McCutcheon Steelers - Ben Roethlisburger (Troy Palumalu was a close second, but he’s been injured too much in the last two years. Ben’s face is always on the TV Promo stills for the pre-game promotion stuff. All-Time: Penguins - Mario Lemieux Pirates - Roberto Clemente. - (the only guy that could come close is Honus Wagner, a member of the first class of Hall-of-famers, with Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson, and Christy Mathewson - but there is very little film of him to have him in the mind of baseball fans… However, his baseball card, the rarest and most expensive one on the market, does keep his name in the spotlight from time to time,) Steelers - Terry Bradshaw - This was tougher than I originally thought it would be. However, my other 3 candidates (Harris, Lambert, and Greene) all have been out of the limelight for quite some time. Bradshaw still does the CBS Sunday NFL Show and still represents the Steelers of thr 70’s, perhaps the greatest team of all time. Harris doesn’t get the vote because he played for Seattle (seattle!) his last season in the NFL after a holdout, Lambert’s famous toothless grin is hard to forget, but he’s not really a public figure any more. Joe Greene is the one guy I would have picked over Bradshaw if it weren’t for the Sunday Football show. He was the anchor of the 70’s Steel curtain defense, he was Chuck Noll’s very first draft pick, and one of, if not the very best defensive linemen of all time.) ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/109 "2012-11-07T07:28:55Z")
**SFP** -Bradshaw is at Fox. ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 9:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/110 "2012-11-07T09:55:49Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > **SFP** -Bradshaw is at Fox. What did i say… CBS? Mea culpa! ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/111 "2012-11-07T13:45:13Z")
Mean Joe Green also had that very famous Coca-Cola commercial. But yeah, Bradshaw. ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/112 "2012-11-07T15:53:10Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > Current Bears: Brian Urlacher > All-Time Bears: Dick Butkus > > As much as I like (and hate) Cutler, he’s not the face of the franchise. He gets an inordinate amount of TV time and media faux-stories written about him, but he’s not the face. Even with Urlacher slipping into old-age he’s still the face of the Bears, not really a contest. Even with Briggs, Melton, Peppers and Tillman surpassing him on the field Urlacher is still the guy taking the call from the President in February. _Knock on Wood_ > > As for All-Time, this is a really, really tough one. You could say Ditka and you’d be right. You could say Sweetness and you’d be right. You could say Sayers and be right. Hell, for a lot of people it’s probably still the Fridge and Jimmy Mac. For others it might be Buddy Ryan, Bronko Nagurski, Mongo, George, Grange or Luckman. I can’t argue against any of them. But for me Butkus is probably the guy that personifies all that other stuff. I’ll go you one better than that- for me, Dick Butkus is the face of linebackers, the face of DEFENSE, period. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/113 "2012-11-07T16:01:10Z")
I’m gonna say Michael Jordan is the face of the Bobcats, on the grounds that he’s the only face I associate with them. 🙂 **Knead** Braves fan ---
**Author:** ![crypto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b3f665/32.png) [@crypto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crypto)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/114 "2012-11-07T17:45:23Z")
> [@ShibbOleth](#): > > Tampa Bay area checking in - > . > > All Time > \*\*Buccaneers: \*\* Leroy Selmon > **Rowdies:** Rodney Marsh > > The others are the same/not enough history. Question for you. I know Leroy Selmon was a great player and he’s in the HoF, but when i think of Tampa Bay all time, i think of Warren Sapp. I know why… Selmon played for some really bad teams, while Sapp played for some of the nest Bucs teams ever. But like so many other players, Sapp’s run on national TV gets his face in my house at least once a week (i THINK he’s on HBO or SHOWTIME, but I’ve already been wrong once in this thread.) Anyway, as someone on the ground in Tsmpa, where does warren sit for you? ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/115 "2012-11-07T19:36:03Z")
If Sapp’s on _Inside the NFL_, the show’s on Showtime now. ---
**Author:** ![Wilson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/96bed5/32.png) [@Wilson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wilson)\ **Post date:** [November 7, 2012, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/116 "2012-11-07T22:02:06Z")
Martin Brodeur for the Devils is another DUH pick. ---
**Author:** ![Dodgerblue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e47c2d/32.png) [@Dodgerblue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dodgerblue)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 9:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/117 "2012-12-22T09:54:38Z")
Current: L.A Dodgers-Matt Kemp L.A Lakers- Kobe Bryant St Louis(L.A ) Rams- Sam Bradford All-time L.A Dodgers- It’s real close, but I would say Jackie Robinson L.A Lakers - Magic Johnson L.A Rams - Youngblood ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/118 "2012-12-22T15:05:00Z")
All Time Ram is Eric Dickerson, IMO. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/119 "2012-12-22T15:14:23Z")
> [@Reginald\_Hobbes](#): > > Milwaukee / Green Bay > > Current > Packers: Aaron Rodgers > Brewers: Ryan Braun > Bucks: Brandon Jennings? (not much too choose from on that roster) > > All Time > Packers: Bart Starr > Brewers: Robin Yount > Bucks: Lew Alcindor That depends on your age. I’m 32. Let me first mention that I don’t follow sports at all so this is really just based on what I hear. For football, right now, I would choose Aaron Rodgers, but for ‘all time’, I didn’t think of Bart Starr, I thought of Brett Favre. Robin Yount was the first Brewer to come to mind though. That or Paul Molitor. Of course, the last time I went to see a baseball game, Paul Molitor was playing against the Brewers. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2012, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058/120 "2012-12-22T15:32:56Z")
> [@Dodgerblue](#): > > L.A Dodgers- It’s real close, but I would say Jackie Robinson That’s kind of a weird phrasing of that answer when Jackie Robinson never played a single game in Los Angeles. Although the Brooklyn/LA Dodgers are the same franchise and there’s continuity of the history, I would think Jackie is indelibly marked as the face of the BROOKLYN Dodgers, whereas for the Los Angeles version, it’s gotta be Sandy Koufax. They’re two distinct phases of Dodger history and I think they deserve their own faces. [QUOTE=astorian] I know how odd it seems- but Texas fans in two cities embraced Nolan Ryan as they’ve rarely embraced any baseball player. He’s ARGUABLY the face of 3 franchises! [/QUOTE] If you discount the special case of Jackie, Nolan Ryan is the only player with his number retired by three MLB teams. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-is-the-face-of-the-franchise-for-each-major-sports-team-in-your-city/639058.md?page=7)