The Creation of a Team Name or Mascot

1
The Creation of a Team Name or Mascot

• When Geographics, Psychographics, And
• Business Collide

2
Geographic Associations

• Some team names are directly associated with a
  long standing feature of the area.
• This is a very common way to connect with local
  fans.

3
Geographic Examples

• Miami Heat
• Indianapolis Pacers
• Chicago Bulls
• Seattle SuperSonics
• Denver Nuggets
• Philadelphia 76ers
• San Antonio Spurs
• Detroit Pistons
• Minnesota Twins

• New England Patriots
• Miami Dolphins
• Pittsburgh Steelers
• Green Bay Packers
• San Francisco 49ers
• Dallas Cowboys
• Colorado Rockies
• Houston Rockets Astros

4
Geographical Anomalies

• Many times a teams name can be linked to the
  area it came from
• However, sometimes the name seems to imply a
  different location altogether

5
Indianapolis Colts

• Question I know car racing is big in
  Indianapolis, but is horse racing big too?
• Answer No, but it was big in Baltimore around
  the time the Colts came into existence.

6
Los Angeles Lakers

• Question You would be hard pressed to find a
  lake within 50 miles of Staple Center, so why are
  they the Lakers?
• Answer They used to be the Minneapolis Lakers.
  Minnesota is the land of 10,000 lakes.

7
Utah Jazz

• Question What do Jazz and Utah have in common?
• Answer Nothing, they used to be the New Orleans
  Jazz. Now New Orleans has the Hornets, which
  arent actually indigenous to the region.
  Hornets are much more prevalent in Charlotte,
  which is where the team was initially formed.

8
Memphis Grizzlies

• Question Are there a lot of Grizzlies in
  Memphis?
• Answer Not nearly as many as near Vancouver,
  which is where the team once played.

9
New York andSan Francisco Giants

• Question Why do two teams share a name, but not
  a city?
• Answer They used to. They both used to be from
  New York.

10
St. Louis and Arizona Cardinals

• Question Is this the same as the Giants?
• Answer Yes, the Cardinal football team used to
  be located in St. Louis. Now the Rams are there,
  although they came via Los Angeles and Cleveland.

11
Psychographic Explanations

• Sometimes a mascot is picked to elicit a
  particular emotion or reaction from fans
• A mascot can also be used to tie into popular
  culture

12
Names Associated With Battle

• Historical or mythical links lead to mascots like
  the Titans, the Giants, the Trojans, the
  Warriors, the Buccaneers, the Pirates, the
  Vikings, the Cavaliers, the Kings, the Mavericks,
  and the Yankees.
• This can also relate to Native American tribes
  which were associated as savage, such as the
  Indians, the Braves, the Chiefs, and the Redskins.

13
Names Associated With Wild Animals

• Many high schools, colleges, and professional
  teams have dangerous wild animals as mascots,
  such as the Wolverines, the Badgers, the Bears,
  the Tigers, the Lions, the Ravens, the Eagles,
  the Jaguars, and, of course, the Gators.
• Then, there are schools like the Omaha Benson
  Bunniessee the difference.

14
Toronto Raptors

• Question Are there a lot of dinosaur bones
  found around Toronto?
• Answer Yes, but the name owes a lot more to the
  movie Jurassic Park, which created public
  awareness of Raptors as ferocious dinosaurs just
  prior to the creation of the team.

15
Buffalo Bills

• Question Are there a lot of ducks in Buffalo?
• Answer Despite having Bills and Wings in
  Buffalo, the Buffalo Bills are named after a
  figure in popular culture, Buffalo Bill Cody, not
  a bird of any kind.

16
Orlando Magic

• Question Is Orlando the home of David
  Copperfield?
• Answer Actually, it is home of Disney World,
  otherwise known as the Magic Kingdom. This is
  partially geographics also.

17
Now its your turn

• Yesterday you chose a destination for your sports
  franchise. Today you will choose a team name /
  mascot.
• Brainstorm 5-10 ideas of possible mascots. Share
  them with neighbors to gauge opinions. Pick your
  favorite.
• Create a logo for your franchise.