Origins and Cultural
Significance of
Sports Team Names
By Jeroným Pazdziora,
professional sport
analyst and language
expert
Chicago Bulls
- strong meat packing tradition
- Matadors or Toreadors
-“Dad, thats a bunch of bull!“
Denver
Nuggets
- originally the Denver Rockets
- Gold Rush of the mid-1800s
- to make a fortune finding nuggets
of gold
Detroit Pistons
- originally in Fort Wayne, Ind.
- owner Frank Zoller owned
a piston factory for engines
- moved to the Motor City in 1957,
name stuck
Golden State
Warriors
- Oakland
- many moves
- team that belongs to all of
California
Houston
Rockets
- originally San Diego Rockets
- space industry was big there
- relocated to Houston – name still
fit
Indiana Pacers
- Indiana‘s history of harness racing
pacers
- pace car used during the
Indianapolis 500
Los Angeles
Clippers
- Buffalo Braves moved to San Diego
- name did not fit
- San Diego home to large sailing ships,
coined “clippers”
Los Angeles
Lakers
- makes no sense for LA
- used to be in Minneapolis
- Minnesota – Land of 10,000 Lakes
Milwaukee
Bucks
- contest in 1968 for the name
- Bucks reflected the fish-andgame
mentality
New Orleans
Hornets/Pelicans
- originally Charlotte
Hornets
- move to New Orleans
- hit with hurricanes
- “reflects our culture, our
community and our resolve”
- resiliency and
determination to come back
Philadelphia
76ers
- Syracuse Nationals
- signing of the Declaration
of Independence which
happened in the city of
Philadelphia
New York
Knicks
- Knickerbockers – short
version Knicks
- a name given to Dutch
settlers who came to the
New World
- lot of the in New York
Others
• Phoenix Suns
• Seattle SuperSonics
• Oklahoma City Thunder
Carolina
Hurricanes
- Hurricanes Bertha and
Fran
- owner chose name prior to
their debut
Columbus
Blue Jackets
- blue coats worn by Union
Soldiers during the Civil War
- Ohio had more soldiers in
the Union Army (320 000)
than any other state
Edmonton Oilers
- Alberta has the world‘s third-largest
reserves
Florida Panthers
- Florida‘s state animal
- only < 100 panthers remain
St. Louis Blues
- after W.C. Handy‘s famous 1914 song
- no matter where you go in town
there‘s singing
- spirit of St. Louis
Toronto Maple
Leafs
- St. Pats
- 1927
- to honor Canada‘s soldiers who wore
the Maple Leaf in WW1
Vancouver
Canucks
- "Canuck" is slang for Canadian
- Johnny Canuck is a political cartoon
character
- skating version of Johnny is
Vancouver’s secondary logo
Thank you for your attention!
• Sources:
• https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-team-nickname-origins-explained-
283976168
• https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1523132-the-origin-stories-of-
every-nba-teams-name