Ottawa plays another home game this weekend in front of another capacity crowd. If you were like me, you were shocked when the team brass announced that they had decided to call their new football team the Redblacks. However, it did get me thinking about sports nicknames in general. There are a lot of perplexing nicknames out there that we just accept and don’t even think twice about.
Most of these teams have a long and strong history, so the nicknames seem to just roll off the tongue. In order for this list to make sense, throw away the history and imagine you were being introduced to these team names for the first time.
Here’s the top 10 list of sports nicknames which we accept as normal, but are even more puzzling then Redblacks.
10. Blue Jays
Judges selected the name Blue Jays after a “choose the team name contest”. The explanation by the board’s chairman: “The blue jay is strong, aggressive, and inquisitive. It dares to take on call comers, yet is down to earth, gutsy, and good looking.” Just like a baseball team.
9. Pittsburgh
The team’s ownership had a contest for the original team name. Combine that with the original arena nickname being the “Igloo” and now we have the Pittsburgh Penguins.
8. 49ers
The name 49ers ties back to 1849 when miners could move to Northern California in search of gold, tax free.
7. Browns
The team was nicknamed in honour of their first vice president and head coach, Paul Brown. Think of the other possibilities: the Smiths? The Simpsons? The Wilhelmssons?
6. Bills
Named after wild west figure Buffalo “Bill” Cody. Upstate New York is not exactly the wild west, fellas.
5. Heat
The heat name was the result of a contest held in 1988. Heat beat out other names such as Barricudas, Flamingos, Palm Trees and Beaches. In retrospect, it’s not that bad.
4. Nuggets
In 1974 Nuggets was chosen as a tribute to the history of mining in Colorado in the mid 1800s. Nothing to do with chicken at all, as it turns out.
3. Lakers
Originally the team was the located in Detroit and called the Detroit Gems. Then the team moved to Minnesota, also known as the land of 10,000 lakes, where they changed their name to Lakers. By 1960 the team had moved to Los Angeles, and despite there being significantly fewer lakes, the name was never changed.
2. Nets
The Nets nickname was used obviously as it has a direct association with basketball, but also because it rhymes with other sports teams who play in New York: Mets and Jets. Pure poetry.
1. Maple Leafs
Conn Smythe changed the name from the St. Pats to the Maple Leafs in 1927. The name came from a fighting unit he was involved in during World War I called the Maple Leafs. Not much fight left in ’em, these days…
Owner of the Ottawa Redblacks, Jeff Hunt, has explained the decision by saying it pays tribute to the history of Ottawa sports colours. The “R” on the helmet is now surrounded by a circular saw blade, which also salutes Ottawa’s history as a logging community. Additionally, in an attempt to lure fans in from Quebec, the name Redblacks translates to “Rouge et Noir”. Given the context of how some of the other names in the sports world have originated, Redblacks might not be so bad after all.
Just for kicks, I’m throwing in my top ten list of greatest nicknames in North American pro sports, too:
10. Dallas Mavericks
9. Minnesota Vikings
8. Dallas Cowboys
7. Saskatchewan Roughriders
6. New Jersey Devils
5. St. Louis Blues
4. San Diego Padres
3. Detroit Pistons
2. Milwaukee Brewers
1. Winnipeg Blue Bombers
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