The XFL talent showcases have demonstrated the seriousness of the latest venture into spring professional football.
The league will have eight teams, but left unfinished amid the rapid pace of coaching hires is what each team will be called, along with their logos and color schemes.
According to the AP, the wait is almost over. As the NFL readies for training camps to begin (Denver Broncos begin July 17), the XFL will announce the names and logos for each franchise this month. The league will also begin signing players that weren’t invited to NFL camps or have already been cut such as Landry Jones and Hakeem Nicks. Some AAF players fall squarely into these groups and will have another shot at making a roster.
As reported by The Mark right here on XFLNewshub, the league has reserved several names for the Seattle franchise. I believe they’re lousy, but equally bad choices like “Wizards” and “Pelicans” have shown fans become desensitized and don’t give them a second thought.
It would be ironic if the Washington franchise named themselves “Redskins”, but Dan Snyder would unleash a torrent of lawsuits and the controversy would be devastating for a brand new league. If it comes down to the proposed five listed, “Force” would be the least bad.
The XFL filed trademark applications on 5 potential names for the Seattle team.
1. SEATTLE WILD
2. SEATTLE FORCE
3. SEATTLE FURY
4. SEATTLE DRAGONS
5. SEATTLE SURGEThe filings indicate one of these names will likely be the name of the Seattle team.#XFL
My analysis ? pic.twitter.com/YEOZwyebKZ
— Josh Gerben (@JoshGerben) June 27, 2019
My main peeve is naming pro teams after the state instead of the city. States are good for college, but the pros should use “Phoenix”, “Minneapolis”, “Nashville”, etc. The AAF got it right with “Salt Lake”, but blew it with “Arizona”.
“Golden State” (NBA) sounds like a Division III college. There was a period during new arena negotiations the team would have to be renamed the “Oakland Warriors” but no luck.
One MLB team rectified the mistake going from “Florida” to “Miami”, but foolishly dropped “Devil” from another (Tampa).
The most irritating of any league is the NFL’s “Carolina” which is a city or state that doesn’t even exist. Would “Charlotte” really be so terrible?
The Boston Patriots (est. 1960) opened a new stadium in Foxborough for the ’71 season after merging with the NFL and rebranded to the ambiguous New England name despite “moving” only 28 miles southwest of Boston. If any of the other local teams wind up in new venues 25-30 miles from Boston, should they be renamed the “New England Red Sox”, “New England Celtics” or “New England Bruins”? Not very catchy.
Team names should reflect power, strength, leadership, authority and intimidation. Nobody shudders when they hear “Texans” (lazy, lack of imagination), Dolphins (playful, friendly animal), “Packers” (insert dirty joke here) or “Brewers” (anyone scared of a beer?).
Silly names will leave teams open to mockery in a league that will struggle for recognition and legitimacy. Let’s hope reason prevails and we won’t have any “Dragons” to slay.
Do you think team names matter in the long run? Should pro teams be named after the city instead of the state or entire region of the country? Share your reactions and ideas in the comment section below.
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