Potential City Team names

[Crewbasher]

Philadelphia Pharaohs sounds better because of alliteration. I think somebody mentioned that a while back.

[DavidP]

Originally posted by furie
Is it a requirement that the team name start with the same letter as the city it's in? :)

How about the Seattle Sunshine (It's one of those ironic names)

Philadelphia Pride

Atlanta Admirals

Oklahoma Overlords

How 'bout Boston Shamrocks, and Atlanta Aeros (we have quite a little aviation industry down here)?

[theSunshinePatriot]

Team nickname idea-

Oklahoma City Resiliance

Think about it, honestly... name another city that deals with more crap than Okla City. Name it, we've had it save volcanoes and hurricanes.

We've had duststorms, earthquakes, economic destruction, floods, tornadoes, terrorism and the list goes on. But we always get up. We're like the turtle in Steinbeck's _Grapes of Wrath_. I would suggest Oklahoma Turtles, but I just don't think I could rally behind a turtle.

Its definately hard attempting to create a name for a team, especially for Okla City, who rarely gets good team deals. The longest (logical) name tradition is the Blazers. Originally named the Warriors, way back in the 1930s - when we sold out the Stockyards Arena - our hockey team was awesome. However, due to a "blaze", the arena burned down. Yeah, congrats, you figured out the name "Blazers". Since then (except for a brief period of stupidity) our hockey team has been the Blazers. We just don't have that history in soccer...

We musn't allow ourselves to fall into a crap name like the AFL did... the Wranglers? How the heck do you cheer for that? "Tie 'em, Wranglers"? That's almost as bad as "Crawl, Turtles!"

While wanting to capture part of our history, we don't want to come off as a bunch of dumb Okies [Wranglers, Cowboys, Outlaws, etc.] Also, if we want to keep with the MLS doctrine of having neato little singular team names, few things come to mind in Oklahoma City. The Storm is alright, but if OC steals Enid's USBL team [yes, we should... Poor Cav's never should have wanted to leave] the name will be gone. The Wind doesn't sound quite as nice.

This leaves us with at least one-step in logic, which is why I came up with Resiliance. That is what we are - OC has proven this since 1889. Why not celebrate our one common bond with each other, our undying Resiliance.

Just a thought...

Heck, it's gotta be better than the alternative...

Oklahoma City Bombers

(Yes, you know you thought that, too.)

[Stomper]

Hey SunshinePatriot, 2 questions:

1) Do you have a favorite soccer team? This is a soccer message board after all.

2) Are you going to the game March 29?

Is there a problem with Bombers? That's better than some of the other crap I've heard. Plus, Tinker AFB is a big deal around here.

[Crewbasher]

That would be like naming a team the New York Hijackers.

[Stomper]

Originally posted by Mike Segroves
So is April 19, 1995

I'm not saying it's not important. I lost a good friend that day. But, Oklahoma City Resilence. I just don't think it sounds good. I like the thought behind it though. I hope this guy is at the game.

[Wallydrag]

U. of Maryland gets behind turtles, though they have the cooler sounding Terrapins.

I wouldn't mind somthing like the Oklahoma (City) Barons after the oil barons during the hey day of production.

Barons sounds cool, give homage to our past but isn't cowboy or western.

[SankaCofie]

Originally posted by caputobd
They DO speak English in England also, as well as Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Canada and a few other places in this world. Would you say that people from Scotland speak Scotch?

i'm american and i speak scotch. in that my breath reeks of the stuff when i slur my way through conversations.

why is everyone so concerned with avoiding european team names..

it could be worse. you could have people advocating America of Oklahoma, Hearts of Corn (like Ghanas Hearts of Oak), Al Oklahoma or Oklahoma Grampus Eight.

why not just go through the list of teams that have won the Open Cup since 1900 and pick the most popular (among oklahomanites.. oklahomanoids? whatever) name.

[theSunshinePatriot]

I'm actually just beginning to convert over to soccer... I always loved to play in elementary and middle schools, I just blew my knee pretty bad. And since a one-wheeled soccer player is kinda funny and all, but not a big contribution to the game [especially if you suck like me :)]... I still play with friends, quite a bit though...

As for having an MLS team, I really have not had enough time to become accustomed to a team.

At any rate, hell yes I'm going to the game. I've been promoting this game as much as I can at OU (my home away from home) and unless something major happens, I will be there... Speaking of the game, I noticed a tailgate party for Bigsoccer peeps, is that really going to happen? I would tailgate, but I drive a Sentra which isn't conducive to tailgating, so I'm pretty much out...

As for the nickname the Okla City Bombers, it was just something that could be noted. I heard that the Cavs (CBA Basketball team) were nearly named the Bombers because of Tinker. If we did name the team the Bombers, it would almost show that we've transcended terror, but I really don't think that the PR machine could spin that well.

BTW, I have no clue what I was thinking spelling it Resiliance... shows what midterms can do to you :(
Nonetheless, I still believe that the name works (especially if the league wants singular names still)... plus it'd be kinda cool if we had a team that makes comebacks...

In any case, the more I watch or play with friends the more I love the game, and I can't wait to finally have MLS in the Big Town.

[Stomper]

Sunshine, you're good people. I wasn't trying to be insulting. I drive a sentra as well, and the trunk of a sentra is as good a place as any to put the cooler. Anyway, hopefully people will get some tailgating going before the game.

[DoyleG]

Oaklahoma Pioneers
Rose City FC (Portland)
Seattle Summit
Minnesota Freeze
Houston Riders
Utah Glory
Atlanta Athletic
Florida Privateers

[DavidP]

Originally posted by SankaCofie
i'm american and i speak scotch. in that my breath reeks of the stuff when i slur my way through conversations.

why is everyone so concerned with avoiding european team names..

it could be worse. you could have people advocating America of Oklahoma, Hearts of Corn (like Ghanas Hearts of Oak), Al Oklahoma or Oklahoma Grampus Eight.

why not just go through the list of teams that have won the Open Cup since 1900 and pick the most popular (among oklahomanites.. oklahomanoids? whatever) name.

The main reason I, and a lot of other people want to avoid European nicknames is that, while they sound perfectly normal and logical for European teams, they sound perfectly stupid for American teams. Even the Australians have a soccer team named Cosmos, and there is a team in South Africa called the Chiefs (their owner, Kaiser Motaung, played for the Atlanta Chiefs, and named it after them). Names like Dynamos are fine, but all of the AC, FC, Racing, HSV, Sporting, United, City, etc. names just don't work. It also makes us look like we can't come up with anything original, or rather, we feel we must duplicate to the finest detail in order to "look" right.

I also am very much against the WUSA's asinine rule that teams can't be named after animals, and must be a one word nickname. To me, all except the Breakers and CyberRays are really dumb (Courage? Beat? Come on! I thought the ABL names were stupid, but these take the cake).

You also don't want to have a team changes its name every so often like Detroit's old CISL franchise, which was sponsored by Chrysler and GM, did, to spotlight a new product. Neon was kind of cool, Safari was dumb (could've been worse, either Caprice Classic or S-10 Blazer), but imagine if Hoover, Royal, or Eureka had gotten sponsorship one year (Come see the Detroit Vacuum--We Really Suck!).

Seriously, an American soccer league must appeal to the American sports fan, not just to the various pockets of soccer fans around the country (I'm talking about the real fans, not the forty zillion people who play the game, but don't always watch it on TV or support any teams). Soccer people have lost the battle that it is the "real" football; the mainstream just won't hear it, and we just turn them against us by trying to further force it down their throat. You start off on the wrong foot with European sounding nicknames (and MLS sounding nicknames, for that matter), because it alienates people from a game that is just as American as baseball.

If we want to enlarge the tent (and I know some people really don't, they just want to hit people with the poles), we need to have teams named by American naming conventions (i.e. Lions, Astros, Red Wings, Cavaliers, Braves, Reds, Blues, Kings, etc.), as teamshave been in years past. Disagree if you want, but it's just the way it is. We're fighting an uphill battle as it is, playing, watching and promoting a perceived "foreign" sport, without having to add another piece to the anti-soccer crowd's puzzle (the teams all have dumb names, like United, City, FC, AC, HSV, which makes it look, in their eyes, like M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E).

It's sad, but it's true. Personally, I'd like to see a team called the Blue Sox, that actually have blue socks (the White Sox hardly ever do :D)

[mellon002]

Originally posted by DoyleG
Oaklahoma Pioneers
Rose City FC (Portland)
Seattle Summit
Minnesota Freeze
Houston Riders
Utah Glory
Atlanta Athletic
Florida Privateers

God have mercy on our souls if any of the names from Rose City FC down come into fruition.

[Wallydrag]

Hey Doyle G,

Just to let you know, it's spelled OKlahoma, not OAKlahoma.

[butchiesboy]

I don't care in what city it's located, I just think there should be a team called Pompey.

[BixB]

Originally posted by Wallydrag
I wouldn't mind somthing like the Oklahoma (City) Barons after the oil barons during the hey day of production.

Barons sounds cool, give homage to our past but isn't cowboy or western.

I agree that the name Barons is good for an Oklahoma team, but this is a name for a TULSA team, not OKC. Tulsa actually was built by oil barons.

OKC was built in a day by people looking for free land. Thus OKC could be the "Landgrabbers" or "Freeloaders." An even better name for OKC really is the "OKC Wind" - both for its constant annoying presence there and for the only product created by the democratically-controlled State Legislature sitting in the capitol city.

I really do like Barons for Tulsa, although Roughnecks has great history behind it. I fondly remember watching the old Roughnecks play pro soccer in a full Skelly Stadium (an event that has NEVER happened in OKC, BTW, which is just another reason why Tulsa is the only logical choice for an expansion team in Oklahoma!).

An additional suggestion for Tulsa is the Wildcatters. This keeps the city's petro theme going (Drillers baseball, Oilers hockey), but has the advantage of providing an easy marketing step to a cute "wildcat" mascot for the kids to love!

[theSunshinePatriot]

Perhaps my Oklahoma history is failing here, but if I remember, most of the oil barons were in Oklahoma City for the first half of the 20th century and then they moved to Tulsa...

Let's be honest, too... Oklahoma City has more people, resources and desire to support a team. Have you gone to a Drillers or Oilers game? The only time the fans tend to care is Oilers/Blazers, and most of the Blazers fans make the drive.

We actually are considered by major leagues (NHL) when it comes to expansion, while Tulsa is looked to expand in AAA leagues (PCLB). With all due respect, Okla City out-attends Tulsa in baseball and hockey events by 33%. Express Sports has drawn 16,500+ people to an event in Oklahoma City, while the largest draw I've seen for Tulsa is shy of 10,000 (baseball v. Oklahoma City's team.) Does MLS really want a team in ***************ty Skelly or a brand new SSS in Oklahoma City's suburbia?

Perhaps a team would work in small Tulsa, but why bother when everything is in place in a larger Oklahoma city, Oklahoma City? (hehe, I saw the pun, and I took it.... yeah, it sucked... oh well...)

Expand in OC

[BixB]

Originally posted by theSunshinePatriot
Perhaps my Oklahoma history is failing here, but if I remember, most of the oil barons were in Oklahoma City for the first half of the 20th century and then they moved to Tulsa...

SP, I can respect that you are a booster for OKC just like I am a booster for TULSA. That kind of enthusiasm will ultimately be good for Oklahoma. But I have to answer that, yes, your Oklahoma History is failing you.

TULSA was established more than 50 years before OKC (1836 v. 1889). It grew through the years, but the real force for growth was the discovery of the Glenn oil pool 20 miles south of Tulsa in 1905. Soon after that Tulsa became known as "The Oil Capitol of the World" because of the FACT that it became the headquarters for more oil companies and oil related industries than any other city in the U.S. (admittedly, a title now clearly Houston's). Oil BARONS such as SKELLY, PHILLIPS, GETTY and Gilcrease built great mansions, established two world class museums, and, by the office buildings they constructed, created the largest collection of art deco architecture (a popular and beautiful style from the 1920's) in any city other than Miami. They also had the good sense to zone the city in a manner that prohibited oil wells within the city limits, thus preserving its natural beauty.

Pehaps these are among the reasons that in 2002, Southern Living Magazine named TULSA one of its Five Favorite Southern Cities (along with Dallas, Atlanta, Nashville and Charleston, S.C.). I don't see OKC on that list.

As to the extremely offensive post by the very unclever Mike Seagroves regarding the tragic 1920 Tulsa race riot, I suggest he apologize to this forum for his lack of maturity and/or poor sense of humor.

Now, as to whether Tulsa can support a MLS team, I return to a point made in my earlier post. Tulsa is the only OK city to have had a major league soccer team, and it supported it in a big way! Even playing at the less than perfect Skelly Stadium, the Tulsa Roughnecks drew crowds of over 20,000. I know, I was there in the late 70's and early 80's. I was there on April 26, 1980, when 30,831 fans turned out to watch the Roughnecks take on the New York Cosmos.

I also know that Tulsans loved the Roughnecks enough that in November 1983 when DJ Fred Campbell launched a “Save Our Soccer” campaign in a last ditch effort to make the payroll and save the franchise, 12,350 fans gave over $65,000 dollars by the next day - $25,000 more than was needed to make the payroll.

Lack of fan support was not a problem. Bad management definitely was. Now, rather than providing apples-oranges comparisons of OKC's support for hockey and baseball, please provide an historic example of OKC's support for pro soccer in that city.

(Even though I don't think it is relevant, I will respond by providing the facts that paid attendance for Drillers baseball in 2002 made Tulsa the first franchise in Texas League history to exceed the 300,000 mark for ten seasons in a row, and that the Oilers hockey support has held steady and profitable for many, many years. While OKC has unquestionably led the CHL in attendance, and has thus been mentioned for a possible NHL team, I submit that your average hockey fan and your average soccer fan are not the same. I'm glad OKC might get an NHL team, but it doesn't say anything to me about why they should get a MLS team, and I doubt it says anything to the MLS either.)

[Wallydrag]

The best shot that Oklahoma has of getting an MLS team is going to be Oklahoma City. OKC has the I/O, stadium plan and exposure. I've seen quite a few articles or the OKC bid but nothing on Tulsa. Even with the exhibtion game on April 5th.
The OKC exhibtion game and bid has updates on a mostly regular basis, there are TV and radio commercials promoting the game and over all more people are just more familiar with OKC than with Tulsa.

Tulsa peaked in the late 70's/early 80's and hasn't moved on since. They've remained stagnant, living on past glory all this time. Not much has changed in Tulsa while down the turnpike OKC is having a renaissance. Buildings and improvements are popping up all over the place. Voter's in Tulsa repeatedly turn down propostitions to improve their city while their counterparts in OKC believe in their city and future and are willing to invest in it. First with MAPS, then a MAPS extension and then a MAPS for Kids to completly overhaul and almost reinvent the OKC school district.

OKC also just plain gets more national exposure. Whether it's hosting the NCAA tournament this week or hosting a bevy of high profile concerts such as Britney Spears, the Eagles, Cher, Elton John & Billy Joel, Rolling Stone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Justing Timberlake & Christina Aguilerra, Pearl Jam, Coldplay, et al.

True, you got to be the running joke of "Friends" for the first half of the television season, but that only goes so far.

Don't get me wrong, Tulsa did a lot of things right early on and OKC did a lot of things wrong. No one can say that Tulsa isn't asthetically more pleasing to look at than OKC, but that's changing. Tulsa used to have more culture, but that's changing. Tulsa used to have more money, but that's changing.
With the addition of KSPY 105.3, our radio is even better now.

Also, it was claimed that Barons would better suit Tulsa since that's where they all lived (though Phillips Petroleum is in Bartelsville and Marland was in Ponca City) then Roughnecks, Drillers and really Oilers would be much better for OKC since not a drop of oil comes out of Tulsa however OKC has plenty of oil rigs and derricks around. OKC sits on one of the largest oil resevoirs in the state, so much so that an oil derricks sits in front of the state capitol building.

[pokefan]

Not sure if this topic has been discussed, but what are some possible name if/when OKC gets a MLS team?

I kinda like something along the lines of "Thundering Herd" or something along the those lines.