NBA Team Names: Better/Worse than Pelicans

I'm so over it. The name has sunk in a bit nationally, once we play (and win) games no one will keep making fun of it. I liked it from the time it was proposed, love it more now, the reaction to the logo has been 90% very positive.

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Originally Posted by HornetGuru

lol i didnt, i just thought houston was the name for the home base and was randomly assigned that name, like in military. my mistake, i admit it.

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This post is the Sign of the Apocolypse. What are they teaching in school these days?

I can shed light on some of these the original poster was confused on:

Rockets: covered at length

Grizzlies: Yes there are bears in British Columbia. If I recall, they were thinking of changing the name after the move to something Fed Ex related, but I guess either they could not get a name to stick, or David Stern put the kibosh on that, fearing that it would sound like a corporate sponsorship.

Raptors: The movie Jurassic Park was huge at the time, so that's why the fans chose this name. There is a push to change it to something more Canadian.

Bobcats: Most i think believe this contest was rigged. Name is gone soon anyway, so whatever.

Magic: I would guess the fans picked Magic to connect the team to Disneyworld.

Kings...Before they were in Cincinnati, they were in Rochester. Rochester Royals has an alliteration aspect to it, and the name just stuck.

And they changed the names to the Kings when they relocated to Kansas City because the baseball team was already called the Royals.

The name itself was a bit off. But, once I saw the logo, it made a lot more sense. In the realm of sports, and not just basketball. Pelicans to me is no different really than The BUCKS, the Clippers, The Lakers, the NUGGETS, that's for basketball, and the Oregon Ducks???? The Browns. The logo is bad *** though.

I've noticed public opinion has swayed, just like we thought it would. The more you say a name, the easier it is to accept it. Thunder is still an awful name, but no one really notices because they say it a lot. The more you say Pelicans, the less people will complain about it. On /r/nba anyone who makes fun of the Pelicans name gets buried in downvotes, so you can tell that the attitude is changing towards it.

I think that most people that were against the name feel fighting it is useless. I still strongly dislike the name and it's top 3 worse names in the league if not the worst. However Benson did what he had the right to do. Pelicans really isn't exclusive to New Orleans and it's still as awkward saying as the day it 1st was mentioned.

We have a team that's better than not. That's all that counts in the end.

Pelicans is original and a badass bird. Good name that will grow on others in time.

The team names I dislike in any sport are the singular names like Heat, Magic, Thunder, Storm, Mercury and yes, Jazz. Jazz was OK when it was in New Orleans, but if it were the Memphis Jazz or St. Louis Jazz, I wouldn't have liked it at all.

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Originally Posted by HornetGuru

i dont think "houston" we have a problem refers to the city of Houston.

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little known fact...jim lovell was actually trying to reach whitney houston
the more you know

Houston was the epicenter of the Space race in the 1960s. It was (and still is) home to the Astronaut training program and Mission Control at the Johnson Space Center. It was nicknamed "Space City" and the names of the Astrodome and the Astros baseball team were byproducts of Houston's emergence as the Space Capital.

Take a visit to Johnson Space Center - the tour is great and ends with a visit to...the Rocket Garden...which houses a number of the variations of the rockets and boosters used throughout the space program.

While I was aware of the team origin in San Diego, the name makes perfect sense in Houston...then and now.

Only issue with Pelicans remains that there were better names available. But Benson already owned the rights to Pelicans. So unless the Jazz changed their name like they should, it was gonna be Pels.

Da well. Still better than the Nets.

Its funny with all the talk of Houston and I'm driving through it tight now and reading daThrones posts somehow makes me think of Randy Quaid I. Major League 2

Pretty sure that was referring to Allan Houston. He was just breaking out as a player when the movie came out in the mid-90s. He's also the reason Larry King always says (said?) "Houston, hello!".

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Originally Posted by Smirk

Wow.

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Pretty much summed it up

I love my team but pelicans is still the worst name in sports...its not smooth to say, and my prediction is in a couple of years they change the name again. You can't even say let's go pelicans! Without feeling awkward saying it.

Would you rather be the Pelicans or the Penguins? Pelicans or Ducks? It's probably not the name I would've chosen but it is NOT the worse name in sports. Did anyone think it was the worse name in sports when it belonged to the baseball team?

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Originally Posted by FlyGirl

Would you rather be the Pelicans or the Penguins?

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I like Penguins :)

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Originally Posted by BLT23

I love my team but pelicans is still the worst name in sports...its not smooth to say, and my prediction is in a couple of years they change the name again. You can't even say let's go pelicans! Without feeling awkward saying it.

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I don't think they're going to change the name again.

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Originally Posted by FlyGirl

Would you rather be the Pelicans or the Penguins? Pelicans or Ducks?

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This is the one logic of acceptance I don't like. Just because other team names are hideous doesn't make the name Benson choose any better or worse.

I'd rather be the penguins or ducks.

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Originally Posted by NOLa.

I like Penguins :)

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So you're saying you'd rather be the Penguins then?

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Originally Posted by FlyGirl

So you're saying you'd rather be the Penguins then?

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Would be memorable, plus haven't you been the the Audubon Aquarium? They are awesome!

Different folks different strokes.

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Originally Posted by BLT23

I love my team but pelicans is still the worst name in sports...its not smooth to say, and my prediction is in a couple of years they change the name again. You can't even say let's go pelicans! Without feeling awkward saying it.

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We can only hope. LOL

I think the thing I resent the most was that embarrassing poll they put out with names like Mud dogs and Mosquitoes to try and make Pelicans look better. That was an insult to the fans IMO.

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Originally Posted by BLT23

I'd rather be the penguins or ducks.

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May I ask why?

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

This is the one logic of acceptance I don't like. Just because other team names are hideous doesn't make the name Benson choose any better or worse.

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Sure it does, it's all about relativity. How can I hate my team name when there are several ones out there that are worse?

Because they're better names than the pelicans.

Money talks. And I don't see pelicans being successful in terms of merchandise sales.. so in 2-3 years I see the team giving it up.

I do love the logo though....

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Originally Posted by The JNR

Sure it does, it's all about relativity. How can I hate my team name when there are several ones out there that are worse?

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Easy. If the name is good or bad in your opinion how any other name factors in is beyond me. Either you like the name or you don't. Using others to find acceptance in your own opinion is a sign of weakness.

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Originally Posted by BLT23

Because they're better names than the pelicans.

Money talks. And I don't see pelicans being successful in terms of merchandise sales.. so in 2-3 years I see the team giving it up.

I do love the logo though....

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A lot of people said the logo was the most important thing about the brand. I strongly disagreed. Logo's for the overwhelming majority of the league change every 10 or so years. Team names tend to stay the same.

I'm not stoked about our name, but it doesn't bother me either. It could have been a lot worse Spirit (cough)

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

Easy. If the name is good or bad in your opinion how any other name factors in is beyond me. Either you like the name or you don't. Using others to find acceptance in your own opinion is a sign of weakness.

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lmao this is about to get good

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Originally Posted by BLT23

Because they're better names than the pelicans.

Money talks. And I don't see pelicans being successful in terms of merchandise sales.. so in 2-3 years I see the team giving it up.

I do love the logo though....

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In your opinion it's a better name than the Pelicans. People are used to those name so of course they're going to sound better.

Like I've said before, I'm seeing more people around town wearing Pelicans gear than I ever have of people wearing Hornets gear. My Lakers fan brother who claims his number 2 team is the Hornets/Pelicans had never ever bought any Hornets gear but recently he bought a Pelicans cap. Go figure.

In the end, it won't matter. Thunder was accepted, though maybe because the comments weren't directed towards me so my perspective is skewed, but it seemed like there was less of it.

But still. Even if you say you don't like the name now or ever, it won't matter. Time will press forward and no one will bring it up. It'll be about the team. Fast forward another 20 years, and it'll be just another name. Assuming the team never goes anywhere, of course.

I agree Eman.

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Originally Posted by JJackisangry

I'm not stoked about our name, but it doesn't bother me either. It could have been a lot worse Spirit (cough)

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And guess what? There would have been some that would have actually liked Spirit. Can't please everyone. Never have, never will.

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Originally Posted by BLT23

Because they're better names than the pelicans.

Money talks. And I don't see pelicans being successful in terms of merchandise sales.. so in 2-3 years I see the team giving it up.

I do love the logo though....

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I seriously doubt they "give up on it" unless Benson sells the team.
I can honestly say I've already seen more people walking around with Pelicans shirts / hats than i did with the Hornets.

The name won't be changed, but it will be shortened to Pels or Pellies or Cans. The logo and colors will placate those like me who aren't crazy about Pelicans.

I also think that main logo is here to stay like the Bears and Saints.

Somebody tell Zach Lowe to refer to them as "Pelicopters." It really rolls off the tongue.

I mean, some of the names you'd hear, the Carnival, the Vampires, the Flamebeaus, the Soul.

Someone would've loved it. Some would've thought it was absolutely terrible.

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Originally Posted by FlyGirl

Like I've said before, I'm seeing more people around town wearing Pelicans gear than I ever have of people wearing Hornets gear.

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This is very true. While on campus I see At least one or two people wearing the rebranded logo and colors. Doesn't sound like much but basketball isn't big up here and I never saw anyone wear Hornets attire. Never.

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Originally Posted by FlyGirl

I agree Eman.



And guess what? There would have been some that would have actually liked Spirit. Can't please everyone. Never have, never will.

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Don't make me run you out of town lol.

The team was was named after the friggin state bird not dog genitals, sounds weird at times but it makes sense. If your standards were to find the greatest name in all sports, you were going to be disappointed because unless they did a name completely unrelated to Louisiana/NO, it had a small chance of being so. Substance over flare people. I would rather be named the Pelicans than the Thunder, which is what they tried to do possibly, and it still sounds generic, stupid, and dosent make much sense still.

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Originally Posted by Eman5805

I mean, some of the names you'd hear, the Carnival, the Vampires, the Flamebeaus, the Soul.

Someone would've loved it. Some would've thought it was absolutely terrible.

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I would have prefer to swing and strike out with a name that was more progressive. Pelicans just seem old and dated. On top of being a clumsy word to say. A team name should be something that rolls of your tongue as in it's nature it will be repeated A LOT.

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Originally Posted by NOLa.

This is very true. While on campus I see At least one or two people wearing the rebranded logo and colors. Doesn't sound like much but basketball isn't big up here and I never saw anyone wear Hornets attire. Never.

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One thing is certain, people may not like the name all that much or hate it or whatever, but it doesn't look much like they'll be having a problem with merchandise. Will it be the #1 selling merchandise in the league? I doubt it. But I think it's cool to see more of it around town seeing as I hardly ever saw anyone wearing the teal/purple/gold.

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Originally Posted by JJackisangry

Don't make me run you out of town lol.

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:hihi:

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Originally Posted by BLT23

Money talks. And I don't see pelicans being successful in terms of merchandise sales.. so in 2-3 years I see the team giving it up.

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Not to mention you can't just GIVE UP on a name? It takes the NBA board of Governors to vote on it.
You cant just say..well this was a marketing failure..whoops lets try again.
You know what the board will say when it comes to vote? ?
http://assets0.ordienetworks.com/ima...ith_it_dog.gif

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Originally Posted by FlyGirl

One thing is certain, people may not like the name all that much or hate it or whatever, but it doesn't look much like they'll be having a problem with merchandise. Will it be the #1 selling merchandise in the league? I doubt it. But I think it's cool to see more of it around town seeing as I hardly ever saw anyone wearing the teal/purple/gold.



:hihi:

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Some people just like new things. The ability to sustain will be the true measurement of success when talking about a brand. Of course some of that will rest on a teams ability to win games.

I wanted us to be the New Orleans Bacchus...or Sacrebleus...Bleus for short...something witty. I'm good with the Pelicans though. Logo is nice. The colors aren't so outlandish, so now people who aren't fans will still buy the hats because its easier to match an outfit to. I was always confused as to why when we got the Hornets the colors didn't change to black and gold (yellow). The color of a hornet, and a color scheme no NBA team has.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

I would have prefer to swing and strike out with a name that was more progressive. Pelicans just seem old and dated. On top of being a clumsy word to say. A team name should be something that rolls of your tongue as in it's nature it will be repeated A LOT.

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It is an awkward string of syllables. Think Louisiana Pelicans could've sounded better. Or the Crescent City Pelicans. But meh.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

Some people just like new things. The ability to sustain will be the true measurement of success when talking about a brand. Of course some of that will rest on a teams ability to win games.

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Or maybe some people just didn't like Hornets or teal/purple/gold.

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Originally Posted by FlyGirl

Or maybe some people just didn't like Hornets or teal/purple/gold.

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Maybe. But I think we can agree that the Hornets was a global brand. So many places I go not even New Orleans I see the Hornets brand being wore.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

Maybe. But I think we can agree that the Hornets was a global brand. So many places I go not even New Orleans I see the Hornets brand being wore.

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Yeah, Hornets brand is a fashion statement.

It's being worn more global than it was in it's own city.

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Originally Posted by da ThRONe

Easy. If the name is good or bad in your opinion how any other name factors in is beyond me. Either you like the name or you don't. Using others to find acceptance in your own opinion is a sign of weakness.

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Thanks Dr. Phil.

But I always think in relativity and perspective. Comparison is the basis of the sports world. And if you don't, maybe you're just stronger than me. Kudos on being so strong-willed.