$15 Names of Sports Teams That Don\'t Fit Their Locations$

15 Names of Sports Teams That Don't Fit Their Locations

By Jacob Kornhauser

Here are 15 team names that don’t fit their current home towns whether they moved or originated from there.

$15 Names of Sports Teams That Don\'t Fit Their Locations$

← Tip: Use keyboard arrows to navigate →

Detroit Tigers — With how cold Detroit gets in the winter, no tigers have been there for quite some time. Of course, this team name goes back over a century, but still doesn't make any sense. It's unknown how the team got their original name, but one theory says they beat the Princeton Tigers on Opening Day of 1901 and kept their nickname. However, the Detroit Free Press first used the nickname in 1895.

Nashville Predators — It's unclear what a predator is other than an animal that stalks and hunts its prey, but the animal that is on the front of Nashville's hockey jerseys don't look like anything that's been in the area in quite some time. Perhaps it's a throwback to the prehistoric days, but that doesn't make sense to have that as a mascot now.

Cleveland Indians — This team name is taken as offensive by many already and it's ironic because a lot of Native Americans lived in the Ohio River Valley once upon a time. If anything, it's inconsiderate to use this team name given the history of the area. So, technically the name makes sense, but it's insensitive.

Detroit Lions — Just like tigers, there haven't been lions in Detroit in quite some time. Apparently Detroit likes naming their teams after felines, but they aren't animals that are native to the area. I'm sure nobody would care about the weird team name if the team was winning, but they haven't done that consistently in quite some time.

St. Louis Blues — St. Louis isn't necessarily known for blues music, that's more in the area of Memphis. A team there would make more sense with this team name. Ironically, this team has sung the blues many times in the playoffs. Constantly, the team dominates the regular season and then caves in the postseason.

Memphis Grizzlies — At least this team name makes sense in the context of where they used to play. This franchise used to play in Vancouver, where grizzlies are plentiful. However, now that they're in Memphis, they're in a city where no grizzlies are. We're all in trouble if grizzlies start moving that far south.

Los Angeles Clippers — The Clippers were originally from San Diego and named after ships that go out of the bay, so even though they didn't move far away, their name doesn't make much sense anymore. Los Angeles isn't exactly a big sea port, so the name no longer holds any weight.

Florida Panthers — Apparently teams love naming their teams after cats that don't live where they're from. First of all, having a hockey team in Florida is pretty crazy. What's even crazier is that the state has two teams. In other words, nothing about this team makes any sense.

Pittsburgh Penguins — Sure, the polar ice caps are melting and penguins are having to find new places to live, but as of right now, Pittsburgh is not one of those places. The name makes sense because hockey is played on ice, but penguins don't live in Pennsylvania. They got it right with their football team, naming themselves after one of the biggest industries in the area.

Dallas Stars — This team was originally from Minnesota and called the North Stars, which makes plenty of sense. When was the last time someone saw an extremely clear star constellation in Dallas? It probably wasn't anytime lately and they're not even called the North Stars anymore. Looks like it's time for a name change.

Toronto Raptors — Maybe raptors roamed eastern Canada at one point or another, but that was millions of years ago. They could name themselves after maple syrup or flapjacks and it would make perfect sense, but a dinosaur? Even Drake has to question the naming of his hometown team.

Los Angeles Dodgers — The Dodgers got their name based on the people dodging trolley cars in Brooklyn back when the team was there. Of course, there aren't as many trolley cars in California, so the team name no longer fits. It's been their name for so long, though, that there's no sense in changing it now.

Calgary Flames — Calgary isn't exactly the hottest place on earth, so it doesn't make a ton of sense that their hockey team is named after flames. Everything about the team is cold and yet, their team is named after the hottest thing possible.

Utah Jazz — Salt Lake City is definitely not the hotbed of jazz music. The team is only named that because they used to be located in New Orleans. Maybe if the team started winning, jazz music would catch on in town, but for now the team name still makes absolutely no sense.

Los Angeles Lakers — There aren't a whole lot of lakes in Los Angeles and the team comes from Minnesota, where there are tons of lakes. It makes sense, but when they moved to L.A., the team should've changed their name.

Share On Facebook

Share