I'll give you 5 reasons, listed in increasing importance, why I am certain they will stay with "Whitecaps": 1. The press conference. Despite the ambiguous logo, the parties referred to the Vancouver Whitecaps several times. 2. Steve Nash's reaction. When asked what he thought about the team being renamed, he said that he hadn't heard that before and that he was 110% behind the Whitecaps name. 3. Lenarduzzi. He won a championship as a player for the NASL Whitecaps, and has been a part of the CSL/A-League/USL-1 side from the get-go. He knows what the Whitecaps name means to soccer fans in Vancouver...and himself. 4. The fans. For those of you who didn't know, the USL-1 Whitecaps were actually born as the 86ers and wore yellow. Do you know why they switched to Whitecaps and the original colours? Because that;s what Vancouver fans wanted -- IOW, we've been down this road already. I never once saw anyone outside the stadium wearing 86ers gear, but I often saw Whitecaps gear. Teams, leagues, and corporations kill for that kind of market penetration and brand recognition. 5. The world. If you want to make lots of money, you need to expand your market -- BC/west Canada is only so populous. The Whitecaps had players like Alan Ball and Peter Beardsley in the 70's, so the English are familiar with them. The Whitecaps won an NASL Championship, so the sportswriters know them. The Whitecaps have developed a fairly comprehensive youth system, so European clubs know them. The Whitecaps have been featured on Transworld Sport, an international sports show, so have some far-flung awareness. The Whitecaps have hoisted the USL trophy, so today's hardcore soccer fans know them. It's a premium brand 35 years in the making.
I completely agree with everything you said ---- but it's MLS and they could f-up a wet dream. So yes. It should (and probably will) remain Whitecaps. Just keep MLS away from it and you'll be fine.
The thing the vote does is it makes people feel involved. Everyone is going to vote Whitecaps anyways, so at the end of the day all you get is people saying “I choose this name, I'm special”.
If they were forced to rename it I think Vancouver City would be pretty simple and doesn't sound too bad.
You guys should start an online poll like Seattle did. Seattle Sounders wans't even on the running because Garber & Co didn't want it on but they won out......I'm sure there is enough time within the next 1 & 1/2 years to give the fans a chance to vote for it......
Okay, lets put this issue to rest for good. Lenarduzzi was on the Rick Ball show on the Team 1040 yesterday and had this to say about the team name: Source: http://team1040.ca/contentfiles2/Lenarduzzi%20with%20Rick%20Ball.mp3
Yeah, the only people who think we should/will be renamed the "BC Whitecaps" are people who are from the other side of the continent.
This kind of thinking should die, right now! BTW, who do we write to (and whats the e-mail address) in the organization to voice our oppinion on keeping the name Whitecaps? For those of us who would like to help.
so far i have seen lots of designs where all the work goes into the badge how about some designs that surround the badge....
wow. i hate all this redtape BS.... seems like teams have to change names and jump through hoops all in the name of $$$$ these days.... i seriosuly hope all you van city supporters dont let them strip you guys of YOUR name... a UNIQUE name which has sooo much history behind it.... seems to me this is another ploy by MLS to start fresh with the city of vancouver and leave the name WHITECAPS in the past.... IMHO this is pathetic...i can see MLS executives being scared of vancouver being the most storied franchise in MLS since the name dates back yearssssss..... as a TFC supporter, i would have welcomed the name TORONTO BLIZZARD but in the end i was happy with the choice (or lack of choice)....hopefully if they rename your Whitecaps its not something silly.... good luck to you guys and an early WELCOME from us on the right-coast...
Here's a quote from Lenarduzzi on the Whitecaps name, I apologize in advance if this has already been posted: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/story/2009/03/27/sp-lenarduzzi-qa-whitecaps.html Sounds like a pointless marketing ploy to me. The interesting and telling thing will be that it is likely that Portland will likely be just as successful as Vancouver and Seattle without this nonsensical song and dance.
Why vote if the issue is already resolved? Or maybe they want to take a smart, methodical approach towards their business.