Changing a Sports Team's Name. Power Play$

Changing a Sports Team's Name.  It's all in a name.

The power of place is often denoted by name.  The New England Patriots, Revolution, Golden State Warriors, Texas Rangers, Tennessee Titans and Colorado Rockies for example, make their claims to a broader-than-city geographic swath.   
"If I'm from Boise or Wyoming, I'm a drive away from viewing the Rocky Mountains.  The Rockies are my team."  
"I live in New England.  A trip to see the Patriots is a car ride over to Foxborough."
"Golden State, that's me.  I'm Cali".

Are there any creative way you could see a sports team brand laying more of a claim?  Expanding in name and/or places.  Toss some ideas around.  Spit ball.

Route 66 Example of Expansion by naming:
         A team in Las Vegas named .... or .... .
Las Vegas Root 66ers
Vegas Flights
West Coast Routers or Rooters
.....call them the Engineers, West Coast Railroad, ...whatever.
Las Vegas is a good example to think of somewhat of a Jet-set home.  Couldn't the New Jersey Jets play there?

............................ and Expansion by adding nodes (camps):
West Coast Riders play in San Diego, Las Vegas, Albuquerque, Kansas City and/or St. Louis.


In many cities throughout America, there are places that lack professional sports teams but can make arrangement to adequately house a few games.  The amounts of seats in Mississippi, Alabama and Iowa for football are but a few examples.  Using the "absence makes hearts grow fonder" concept, a game marked on the calendar could be the talk of the town and quite a draw.  The NBA in Boise may not work all of the time but it could work some of the time.  Ditto for St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and so on.  Are exhibitions enough for places like Louisville or Cinci?  Maybe.  Definitely for the Texas Rangers in San Antonio or if the Pacers could have face time in Louisville, Indiana and Cincinnati, Indiana in the nation of Imaginationland.

If you think I'm a dork, sue me.  Especially if her name is sue.

A camp game in Albuquerque

Throughout my blog posts, I've mentioned options for the leagues to keep the number of teams they currently have yet still being able to expand their brand.

Even if it's keeping their home game play to one location like their current stadium, here are some examples:

By simply changing the name:

...back to the Florida Marlins
...back to the California Angels
West Coast Raiders
West Coast A's
West Coast Clippers
West Coast Coyotes
West Coast Club of Major League Soccer.  Not the players formerly known as Goats.

By playing in a couple of places:

Florida Marlins in Tampa, also.
or East Coast Rays by playing in Charlotte, also.
New York Yankees playing in Buffalo, too.
West Coast Athletics playing in Portland and Las Vegas, also
West Coast Raiders playing in Portland, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, also.
West Coast Clippers in Las Vegas and Seattle
West Coast Coyotes in Portland and Seattle as well.
California Angels in Sacramento.
Eastland Pirates giving docking time to Charlotte or Nashville.
Eastland Phillies in Louisville.
Southern Rays in Charlotte.

...and on and on.

Click:  More Major League Cities with No New Teams in the Big Five Sports


If the leagues expand, perhaps they should toe-tap into questionable markets, certainly if they had to do it these day, gun to their head.  Instead of questioning contraction and expansion in the number of teams, they could get creative and expand their brand altogether.  If the Raiders or A's are in trouble, rename them West Coast and share them with Portland.

Just a neato thought on the next expansion:
Southtown Soundawgs or Southern Blues playing baseball in Nashville, Memphis and New Orleans.
or dump Tampa and move them to all of these places... .

I know there is something to be said of "hometown proud".  But let's face it, our athletes are mercenaries from all over other American towns and the globe.

West Coast Flights?  Las Vegas Pilots? If an artist adds some roots to a logo what about calling a team the West Coast Redwoods?

Any thoughts?

For more examples, combination possibilities of team co-location and big leagues expansion, check out the index or table of contents in my blog.

 See more expansion, co-location and relocation talk for football, baseball, basketball, hockey and soccer on my blog http://prosportsexpansion.blogspot.com/