Column: Unique team names a must
Published May 7, 2010
I must confess: I have a problem. I suffer from an embarrassing infatuation with team nicknames and mascots. This isn't a new illness (I've been captivated by the various team names since I can remember), but it is a consuming one.
I could name all the professional teams from major sports before I could dribble a basketball. I can name most of the MLS and WNBA teams. I pride myself on the fact that I can come up with most of those from NCAA Division I and many from Divisions II and III.
If your school or team comes up in a social situation, I'll be compelled to name its associated animal or object. I have no life or shame.
Now, to clarify, when I say nicknames, I'm talking about the title that follows the school or city the team represents (i.e., Duke BLUE DEVILS, Oregon DUCKS, etc.). I've heard a nickname sometimes referred to as the mascot, but when I think mascot, I think of a person in a character costume or animal (i.e., Truman the Tiger, Bevo the Longhorn), and I can certainly not name all of those.
Those mascots don't interest me nearly as much, and many teams boast more than one with various cutesy names. It would take me a considerably longer amount of time to become fluent with every single one of those, from the 122 professional teams in the four major sports to the hundreds of college teams. I'll save that for next week.
The perfect school team name has to be intimidating. I wouldn't want to face a bear or cyclone, but might be a little more comfortable taking on a literal cornhusker. I also like it when the team name is unique and representative of the state or school.
I wish I could say the team name didn't have anything to do with my college choice, but pathetically, in the back of my mind, I'm sure it at least had a small part to do with it (please don't let my parents know). There are some, let's say "unique," team names out there, and though they might not be for me, those nicknames are some of my personal favorites and keep it interesting. If every team was known as the Eagles or Mustangs, match-ups would be boring and repetitive.
I would like to thank the educational institutions of California for helping relieve that fear in part. The University of California, Santa Barbara, calls itself the Gauchos. If you go to Whittier College, you cheer the Poets on to victory. With the University of San Francisco Dons, UC Irvine Anteaters and UC Santa Cruz Banana Slugs, you can't lose in the Golden State.
Ultimately, however -- as hard as it is for me to admit this -- it is the school itself that makes the program, not the team name. The logo on the jersey means nothing compared to the person in it. It's the concept of the school or program you're playing for, the experiences you have and the people you meet that truly make the team what it is. I am certain I would be content representing the University of Missouri regardless if they were the Tigers, Blue Jays, Bulldogs or any other nickname used in athletics.
Except maybe the Jayhawks.