In very recent history we have seen in the NFL Washington become the Washington Football Team and then most recently the Washington Commanders. This season in the MLB Cleveland changed to the Guardians. Both teams made name changes out of the combination of respect to Native Americans and also the outcry against these team names even though they were widely accepted for decades. But as the times change so do the names. But not all name changes happen to be politically correct. Sports teams often change names when they move cities to better represent the areas they represent. In the NBA there were the New Orleans Hornets that were previously based in Charlotte. New Orleans rebranded as the Pelicans and then the Charlotte Bobcats changed their name to the Hornets. It can get very confusing. Certain names get passed around and reused too much. Other names just don't seem to fit. Without further ado let's address some team names. Fair warning this is going to be very opinion based and wildfire so strap in. I know there are a lot of bad team names among semi-pro teams and less popular sports. So for the sake of this exercise I'll be keeping it to NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB teams.
New England Patriots: You have the Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics. Why are you not the Boston Patriots? Massachusetts Patriots would be fine too but to claim an entire region of several states is too much.
Golden State Warriors: They play in Oakland. Their logo is the Golden Gate Bridge which is in San Francisco. What does a warrior have to do with a bridge? Golden State is a weird location to claim. Are they trying to claim they play for all of California? The location name needs to change and then they need to change either the logo, the name Warriors or both.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: How are you claiming two cities in your name? Los Angeles and Anaheim are not the same place. Drop the Anaheim from your name please. Los Angeles Angels is just fine.
Oklahoma City Thunder/Tampa Bay Lightning/Colorado Avalanche/Carolina Hurricanes: There is definitely a lack of identity when you name your team after weather. Especially Carolina, Hurricanes are devastating natural disasters and what we have seen in recent years with Katrina, Harvey, Rita, etc. The damage these hurricanes are causing might be enough cause for a rebrand.
Orlando Magic/Anaheim Ducks: This might be a bit conflicting but naming your team Magic because of Disney World seems odd. What would you even do for a mascot? They actually have one, Stuff the Magic Dragon. Not quite Puff, the Magic Dragon but an obvious inspiration. As for the Ducks I just personally miss them being the Mighty Ducks. That duck shaped face mask and crossed hocked sticks logos made kids want to root for the team. Although it is a far cry from the first couple Mighty Ducks movies there is a Mighty Ducks: Game Changers television show that is about to start it's second season.
Washington Wizards: If Magic is a bad team name so is Wizards. To the best of my knowledge there is absolutely no correlation between Washington and wizards. If you are going to have a super random team name just go with an animal.
Utah Jazz/St. Louis Blues: Previously the New Orleans Jazz it at least made sense given New Orleans rich history of jazz music. But even so naming a sports team after a music genre is not the "coolest." It just feels like a bad name. They don't even play jazz music at sports games. It's rock with hip/hop and pop becoming more common. The Blues logo being a BlueNote has a similar backstory of the Jazz being that St. Louis had its blues singers. But it doesn't translate to ice hockey very well in my opinion.
Cleveland Browns: While I respect the honor they show to their former coach they could really use a real team name. A new helmet to go with it too as a team named the Browns having an orange helmet was confusing to me when I was younger. The stadium has the Dawg Pound and I personally think something with a dog, particularly a bull dog would be fitting. Seeing an elf at the 50-yard line this season makes me pity one of the most loyal fanbases in sports.
Washington Commanders: I know they had to change their name and Washington Football Team felt like a protest but going with Commanders just feels like a generic place holder. When team names were being teased the Red Wolves stuck out the most to me but regardless Commanders didn't seem like a name they even wanted.
Boston Red Sox/Chicago White Sox: The logo is red socks and socks is spelled incorrectly. I know the franchise has been around over a century and the name is not offensive so it is highly unlikely to change but objectively I don't think it's a good name. If Red Sox is bad White Sox isn't much better.
Phoenix Suns: Although the name seems to fit the dry heat of Phoenix when the Suns were an expansion team in 1968 other team names in consideration were Scorpions, Rattlers and Thunderbirds. All three feel better to me.
Brooklyn Nets: This name is just lazy. There is indeed a net on a basketball hoop. Very little meaning in that. It could also be noteworthy that Nets rhymes with two other NY sports teams, MLB's Mets and the NFL's Jets.
Is there a particularly bad team name I missed? I know in the past there were several less than spectacular team names that have been since changed. A lot of names have deep historical meaning. Others are simple but classic.
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