Fans for Originality

[timpcrk]

I've been very saddened lately at all the posts supporting a copycat name such as Arsenal. Even more saddened that Colorado is apparantly going to become the fourth MLS club with a flat-out copied name (Chivas, RSL, Dynamo) before St. Louis can even get a team, though it is probably for the best from a St. Louis standpoint.

Originality is a great thing and instills pride. As a student at Indiana University and a lifelong fan of the Hoosiers, I am extremely proud of the original traditions of my school. Noone else goes by the nickname Hoosiers, uses the initials IU or the IU interlock, wears the candy stripes, or can match the classic court design. All those identify immediately and only with IU.

I don't care if St. Louis used to have an arsenal. I don't care if Arsenal is a great club and it would be good to have ties to them. I don't care if you or even whoever buys the team is a fan of Arsenal or any other already existing club. It would always be better to have an original name that in the years to come will identify entirely and uniquely with St. Louis soccer.

[sirfallsalot_2000]

I must say that I liked the name Arsenal, mostly cause they are my EPL team. But now that I have seen the Colorado logo I see what you mean. When I think of an arsenal in the US, I don't think of Colorado (or STL)

But it is hard to come up with a name that doesn't sound like it belongs in the Arena league or the WUSA. Especially one for the STL market where our history is French, Royalty and Lewis/Clark. Those don't have any specific mascots/team names, so we look to borrow. It's the American way.

I like STL Gunners, but that will have been blown by CO Arsenal. After that, what American names do we have? The Rivermen? I'm not sure about that one. I personally like the Barons, because it is royalty from pretty much every heritage in our city. I like STL Select because it is a soccer name not used in Europe.

I don't like Olympique STL because how long are we gonna ride the 1904 World's Fair? We are better than that people. You want to remember the times go to 6 flags. I'm not thrilled with STL Wanderers because I feel that name makes our team look soft, like we are wandering through a game.

It's tough to think of a name that just has a "ring" to it, which is why we turn to European names. But whatever happens with expansion teams, please not just STL AC or FC STL. I want a mascot dammit!

[m16t]

No matter what the name will be (IF we get a team), people will complain. A traditional soccer name means people will whine about Europosing and unoriginality. A more "North American" style team name will most probably sounds just as silly -- how many more animals/forces of nature/natural disasters are left to use as a nickname?

[Angus Podgorney]

I've been very saddened lately at all the posts supporting a copycat name such as Arsenal. Even more saddened that Colorado is apparantly going to become the fourth MLS club with a flat-out copied name (Chivas, RSL, Dynamo) before St. Louis can even get a team, though it is probably for the best from a St. Louis standpoint.

Originality is a great thing and instills pride. As a student at Indiana University and a lifelong fan of the Hoosiers, I am extremely proud of the original traditions of my school. Noone else goes by the nickname Hoosiers, uses the initials IU or the IU interlock, wears the candy stripes, or can match the classic court design. All those identify immediately and only with IU.

I don't care if St. Louis used to have an arsenal. I don't care if Arsenal is a great club and it would be good to have ties to them. I don't care if you or even whoever buys the team is a fan of Arsenal or any other already existing club. It would always be better to have an original name that in the years to come will identify entirely and uniquely with St. Louis soccer.


Surely you know how the term hoosier is used in St. Louis.:D I still vividly recall the day that my 5th grade teacher, the ink still wet on her diploma from IU, stood before the class on the first day of school and proudly announced that she was a Hoosier. She was mystified when we started laughing hysterically.

You don't have to worry about an MLS team in St. Louis ever copying the team name of Hoosier.;) (I know that wasn't your point, and I agree that when St. Louis gets a team, the name should be original.) BTW, being an engineer, I do have several co-workers that proudly call themselves Boilermakers.

[Logos]

I agree with Tim. We should not copy off other clubs and we should make the team name unique.
What about the St. Louis Cardinals. We have the baseball team and we named a football team after the name. Why don't we do the same to an St. Louis MLS team? Lets keep a St. Louis sport tradition up.;)

[KeeperDad30]

I agree with Tim. We should not copy off other clubs and we should make the team name unique.
What about the St. Louis Cardinals. We have the baseball team and we named a football team after the name. Why don't we do the same to an St. Louis MLS team? Lets keep a St. Louis sport tradition up.;)

We want the team to flourish and giving it the same name as, arguably, the most popular team in the area would be monumentally stupid. Hopefully, the ownership will decide on a good name that alludes to the history of soccer in the St. Louis area.

[Nerazzuri]

I agree with Tim. We should not copy off other clubs and we should make the team name unique.
What about the St. Louis Cardinals. We have the baseball team and we named a football team after the name. Why don't we do the same to an St. Louis MLS team? Lets keep a St. Louis sport tradition up.;)

Uh, we never named an NFL team the "St. Louis Cardinals."

They were already the "Cardinals" when they came to St Louis from Chicago. The nickname had absolutely nothing to do with trying to capitalize on the (baseball) Cardinals' succes, it was due to the team, in 1901 (while still in Chicago), buying used football jerseys from the University of Chicago, which were supposed to be maroon, but since they were used, they had faded. The owner described them as "cardinal red," and the team name was born. The team then moved to St Louis in 1960, and kept the name, because it was already their name.

http://www.azcardinals.com/history/index.php

[ironhead]

I still feel that St. Louis Wanderers is the best name.

If you want originality, St. Louis Blackbirds would also be cool. I think of it as a reference to the Cardinals, but the black color coming from the familiar hexagonal black and white soccer ball.

If you want something original and a historical reference, there are several names to choose from, coming from the Association Football League of St. Louis (1903-1907) http://www.sover.net/~spectrum/slsl.html

Here are a few choices from these old clubs:

St. Louis Blue Bells - I dig this one
St. Louis Thistles (a Scottish team)
St. Louis Shamrocks
St. Louis West Ends (though this wouldn't work if the team is in IL, sadly)

Most of the rest of the names from the old league are from company sponsorships or churches.

[ironhead]

Another name from the old St. Louis leagues, and a successful team, was Innisfails.

That's an odd name, I don't know if that was someone's last name or a company or what. I believe that it is of celtic (probably Irish) origin. It would definitely be a unique name, perhaps too esoteric.

More and more I like St. Louis Blackbirds.

[Mizzou117]

St. Louis has a strong background with soccer, and is a hotbed for it... something every native Louisan (?) should be proud of.... therefore, a great name would be St. Louis Pride

[Sport Billy]

St. Louis has a strong background with soccer, and is a hotbed for it... something every native Louisan (?) should be proud of.... therefore, a great name would be St. Louis Pride

Sorry - I have to disagree - MLS has to get away from the concept names.
Yes, I know its a group of lions also. ;)


I still like ethnic names

St. Louis Shamrock
Celtic St. Louis
Deutsche St. Louis (line up Deutsche Banc as a corporate sponsor)

I also like
St. Louis Kings
St. Louis Knights
St. Louis Select (nicknamed Knights or Saints or Le Blues)
Nine St. Louis (St. Louis IX)

Brew St. Louis - just kidding

[sirfallsalot_2000]

I also like
St. Louis Kings
St. Louis Knights
St. Louis Select (nicknamed Knights or Saints or Le Blues)


These have to be my favorite three. I LOVE the idea of using Select with a mascot. I want my mascot, I think that is huge in marketing. Except not the Saints....the football team has been too bad for too long.

Isn't the Real Salt Lake mascot already a lion? and the KC Royals?

[Mack_Dundee]

Tim, I TOTALLY agree with you on this topic. Personally, I find these knock-off MLS nicknames, sush as "Real" Salt Lake, to be insulting and embarrassing. Let's see: I can't imagine a SINGLE American fan going to see a RSL game simply because they are called "Real," the name becomes fodder for critics of soccer in the USA and for the elitists in Europe and elsewhere. Even American soccer fans seem to cringe at these names.

I don't know if any of you saw "American Soccer" on GolTv on Feburary 7th, but the panel were highly critical as well. Usually, in my opinion, Lindsey Dean strikes me as having a tendency to be a bit eager to buy into the USA Soccer and MLS hype, but he was rather passionate in his criticism. Go Lindsey!

The talk on this forum, with names like Olympic St. Louis or St. Louis Olympique is more of the same. Why are so many US soccer fans so opposed to have more traditionally American-style nicknames for soccer teams. What's wrong with St. Louis Kings (the city is named after a king), St. Louis Saints (that same king was a saint), St. Louis Eagles (Budwiser symbol), or one of the others that have been suggested elsewhere.

As for "Pride," I'm not a fan of that one at all. Besides the non-soccer conitations that that conjures up, I think the name would be an albatros both in St. Louis and elsewhere. Wanderers and other rip-off names are just more of the same. I ask St. Louisians, if you would like it if say, Kansas City, were to build an Arch that looks exactly the same as the St. Louis Arch? I imagine the answer is no. To me, that's the same logic as ripping off a name in soccer.

To me, on this issue, MLS has shown a lack of imagination and only manages to humiliate and further marginalize the fan base because of "phoniness" of these names. For bigoted elitists in Europe and elsewhere, it gives them ammo to their argument that Americans don't "get" the game and are only superficial. Even in the States, it makes the league look like a joke! It's like taking a cheap ass watch and writing "Rolex" on it. It's an insult. It's an exercise in pompousness. It's pretentiously weighty.

Finally, on another topic, why do so many people take such offense to the very word "soccer"? In my opinion, it's just another example of the SOCCER fans in this country, who are so quick to play up the the sport as the "world game," completely underminding the "world" idea by snobbishly taking an elitist view to something as trivial as symantics. As soccer fans I believe we need to me MORE inclusive, not exclusive. The worst are those evangelist "football" fans that act like all American sports, all American traditions, are beneath them and their "beautiful game." That anyone who doesn't like soccer MUST not understand the game. I mean, it's not like a thinking person could possibly not thrill to nil-nil draw. I think it only hurts the game's standing in this country.

[jasontoon]

Everybody knows the sport is actually called "calcio." Anybody who uses any other name is a total sellout.

No, despite some lukewarm support from me for names like Arsenal or Olympic, I have to agree that an original name is better. But the problem is coming up with an original name that still has a classic soccer feel. With a few exceptions, the standard American sports naming convention - a plural animal, that sort of thing - just feels wrong for soccer. And the less said about names like Wiz, Burn, Pride, Kixx, etc. the better.

So, with that goal in mind (original and American yet soccer-appropriate):

St. Louis Ramblers (more American-sounding analogue to "Rovers")
Team St. Louis (keep it simple)
St. Louis '50's (commemorating 1950 World Cup team)
St. Louis '64's (founded in 1764, Arch built in 1964)
Union St. Louis (American-sounding analogue to "United", echoes the widespread use of "union" after the Civil War, a la Union Station)
Two Rivers-St. Louis (two of the world's biggest rivers meet here)
St. Louis Pilots (another river reference)
St. Louis Explorers (Lewis & Clark)
St. Louis Renaissance (revival of the city, plus refers to French heritage)
Royale St. Louis (more Frenchiness, although the owner of my favorite bar might object)
Mound City SC (but I really prefer names with "St. Louis" in them)

No, I didn't make all of these up, they're just ones that I like. But I dunno, even as I post them, it feels like most of these names aren't that exciting. We'll probably get stuck with some horrible Arena Football-sounding crap like the St. Louis Flow or the St. Louis WharfRatzz.

EDIT: Almost forgot, I also like Blackbirds, Kings, Knights, Shamrocks, and Select.

[mitchs3]

As with most, let's get the team first, and after that, almost any name will do. That being said, if going 'American-style' my favorites would be:

Explorers (I like it a lot more than Wanderers, and gets across the same point)
Pilots (gets both the river aspect and Lindbergh)
Steamers (if not for the previous indoor team baggage; it's still a great name)
Knights

If going for a European copy-cat name, Arsenal was the best of the bunch that I had heard, but it's off the table now. If the Real Salt Lake thing had worked out, "Real St. Louis" is actually a lot better than "Real Salt Lake" with the King Louis reference to royalty, but again, that has passed.

While both a copy-cat (of a previous American team this time), and an American style name, St. Louis Strikers isn't bad.

For a laugh, check out this list of names someone put out for youth soccer teams -- http://www.decatursports.com/articles/team_names.htm (http://www.decatursports.com/articles/team_names.htm).
How about 'Ball Hogs', 'Flood Minotaurs' or 'Junkyard Dawgs'?

This is actually a lot harder than one would think. Just hope there is something to name some day soon.

[pemurill]

Perhaps Saint Louis can have a Euro Snobbish "official name", but an americanized name can come of it such as, (this is just an idea not necessarily a name I think would be best)

The American Soccer Club St. Louis, however most people would call the team the Saint Louis Americans. I am just using Americans, similar to how the Montreal Canadiens, officially are Le Club de Hockey Canadiens. Just an idea.

[ironhead]

I'm cool with an American-style moniker (again, I think Blackbirds is best) but the name NEEDS to be not over-the-top. Examples of over-the-top retarded, names that only a child should like include: Strikers, Wizards, Rage, Whoopass, etc.

The best American-style names are found in baseball. Red Sox, Cardinals, Yankees, Dodgers, White Sox, Athletics - these are all somewhat understated, respectable names that can be appreciated by adults, but are still fun and quintessentially American.

Blackbirds would be great. It's a reference to the Cardinals (Redbirds) and incorporates the black and white color of the familiar hexagonal soccer ball. It would easily allow for a mascot but would still be cool - how about Jack the Blackbird? The club crest could even incorporate two blackbirds hanging on the Arch with a soccer ball underneath it. Or, you could have several blackbirds hanging on top of a goal, with the arch or King Louis statue underneath it.

[Logos]

I personally don't like names such as Wanderers, Strikers, Archers, and such. These are rather boring team names that are only put in, because it represents St. Louis. I wouldn't mind having a team name being St. Louis FC. We can make up some kind of a cool crest that goes along with the team.

[firefan25]

St. Louis Blue Bells sounds pretty original and classy. I think it needs to be reborn.
I also agree on the Real Salt Lake, Chivas, and Dynamo. Should be Royal Salt Lake, Los Angeles City (or some better name than Chivas) and should be Houston 1836. Why would you change a name because of a general dying the same year a city was created? Two different country histories and not part of the USA's.

St. Louis Blue Bells sounds like the way to go.

GO CHICAGO FIRE! WE ARE LOYAL TO THE FIRE!

[Angus Podgorney]

St. Louis Blue Bells sounds pretty original and classy. I think it needs to be reborn.
I also agree on the Real Salt Lake, Chivas, and Dynamo. Should be Royal Salt Lake, Los Angeles City (or some better name than Chivas) and should be Houston 1836. Why would you change a name because of a general dying the same year a city was created? Two different country histories and not part of the USA's.

St. Louis Blue Bells sounds like the way to go.

GO CHICAGO FIRE! WE ARE LOYAL TO THE FIRE!

Blue Bells sounds much too close to Blue Balls. Surely some other team's supporters would start chanting that when the team hadn't scored for a while.