They team can't "downsize" the FC, because there is currently a very visible, very vocal, and very well recognized organization Minnesota United fighting for legal recognition of gay marriage. In other news, Zeus Jones, who designed the logo and jerseys have images up of two more kits, which I assume will be the simplified ones we'll start the season in. Full article here
Minneapolis Millers, St Paul Saints, Minneapolis Lakers. It would be a welcome change if they strayed from Minnesota.
From my perspective it was the perfect name for the new-to-soccer owner. It's shared by the biggest brand in England and the most successful (historically) side in MLS, and it was also in the name of the health care company of which McGuire used to be CEO. It also catches the new-to-soccer fan for the same reasons, and it's instantly recognizable to "euro-snobs," who are a completely untapped market for soccer in MPLS/STP. On top of that, we're currently pretty fractured as a soccer fanbase, with many older fans still associating with the Kicks, many associating with the Thunder, and some very vocal, newer fans identifying strongly with the Stars. So in that sense, the team hopes to "unite" the many, fractured fanbases.
And of course Bruce and Wes on the Du Nord show got team president Nick Rogers to go on record about the name change.
I did not know the Saint Paul Saints are a defunct club, I guess the new ballpark near the Riverfront is going to be built for no reason at all. Most teams use their city names. In MLS, only one team uses a state name, Colorado. In NBA, two teams use state names, Twolves and Pacers In NFL, four teams use state names, Panthers, Vikings, Cardinals and Titans In NHL, five teams use state names, Devils, Hurricanes, Panthers, Avalanche and Wild In MLB, four teams use state names, Rangers, Twins, Diamondbacks and Rockies. In fact, only 13% of teams do, and MSP is the only market that uses their state name for every team. Why? If the team being named after the city its located in rather than the state made a difference, why does Denver have two teams named after Denver and three named after the state? Wouldn't the Broncos and the Nuggets have terrible attendance if it made any difference? No, because it doesn't have any difference. People from St Cloud don't drive an hour to watch the Vikings play because the team is named MINNESOTA Vikings. They drive an hour because its their team. So its not the convention, its actually a very low occurrence in sport names.
I actually disagree pretty much completely with you. I think that many people have and do support Minnesota teams because their names say 'Minnesota.' There are other options out there, so it's not as though people have to follow their local team anymore. Most people in outstate will never get a chance to see an NFL game in person, and having been to a great many, there's actually not much incentive to do so. With the internet, there's no longer such a thing as an "out of market" game. And the television product is better than the live product, and it doesn't cost $100/game. That means people can decide to be fans of any team they want. My brother, for instance, state-betraying-traitorous-scum that he is, follows the Arizona Cardinals. People support the team that they identify with. And if they don't have a lot of Minnesota pride, they probably won't follow Minnesota. The same is true of the Twin Cities. Minnesotans are proud that the Twin Cities are ours, but there are a lot of people who don't identify with them personally. And a number of people--from St Cloud--have so much pride in their small home cities that they "prefer" it to the Cities themselves. That said, I actually love the name Twin Cities, and in an ideal world, I'd have like to see the team called Twin Cities SC/FC (TCU just sounds too much like a college or a bank to me). I just think that, practically, naming the team after Minnesota is a much smarter move.
Thanks. Do we still need to go down to the customer service area to request a name change/addition for the club field in our profile?
That's the point, chief. Minnesota Vikings Minnesota Twins Minnesota Timberwolves Minnesota Wild Minnesota Swarm Minnesota United Hell even our lingere football league goes by Minnesota Valkyries. So hey, break that convention for an abstract reason, or stick with our tradition. I guess you get to pick your preference, I certainly have mine.
I think using black as the background for the banner is a better look, so I changed it. In that thumbnail you can't see the loon's top feathers but if you maximize it there is a slight grey border around the wing which you can see.
I think you forgeting some. in the NBA, the New York Knicks also use the state name, same with baseball New York Yankees and Mets, in the NHL the New York Rangers and Islanders use state name, in football, the Giants and Jets uses New York. First time poster and just wanted to add those in.