This past week I spent time in Milwaukee, Green Bay and back here in New York, even going to the Rangers-Devils game at MSG Thursday night. All of those teams are reflections of their community and have spent years weaving themselves into the fabric of their cities and towns. It is such a key part of the sports/fandom dynamic that builds a billion-dollar business, not just in North America but in many cases even more so around the world, where supporting the local club is a way of life, not just something to do on a weekend.
It is with that in mind that I sometimes cringe when I see startup leagues, especially in niche sports, suddenly grab city names as a way of building some sort of identity, or to figure out how a “franchise” can be merchandised. We saw it in Esports and have seen it in everything from table tennis to the PBR to lacrosse to so many of those leagues that call “The Ocho” home . We need something to relate to…people relate to cities, so let’s build a logo and say the team is part of the city that reflects something.
Do the athletes live there? No. Do they train there? No. Do they play there? Well, in some cases like the PLL and the PBR, the league makes stops or “homestands” in the cities they say they are part of, but is there an affinity like we know in traditional team sports? Nope. In a world where authenticity is key, just slapping city names on teams for the sake of some kind of brand building is well…pretty inauthentic.
When the USFL…now part of the merged UFL…returned, many of the team names came back. Great. Did the New Jersey Generals ever come close to New Jersey? Nope. In an inauthentic chance to sell a few shirts. The current UFL? Teams play in the cities they represent. What a novel idea in building fandom. Now you can say that some of these travelling names do work. The Harlem Globetrotters play the Washington Generals every night. Does anyone think that the Gens are looking forward to their homestand next month? No. It’s as much a show as it is a franchise, so it makes sense. With NBA2K and NHL league in esports, the teams actually for the most part lived and worked in the cities they represented. In the failed Overwatch League, rare was the time that those players knew or understood anything about the cities or the organizations they represented. In inauthentic loss.
In a short time, Unrivaled, the new women’s three on three league, will launch. The entire season will be played in Miami, so do the teams take on names from Toronto to Omaha? No. They have their own brand identities that have nothing to do with cities. Why? Because they are playing the whole season in Miami! Not that far away, TGL started this past week with their league play with some of the biggest stars in golf, and there they were again…city names. Maybe the plan is to build affinity in New York or San Francisco down the road and take those teams to events in those markets…but they all play in Florida? Is Tiger making a road trip to Brooklyn for an away game to meet with kids? Maybe create a school’s program…do some group sales? Nope. So why? No one said you needed a New York team to be successful…why do it?
In fact, some of the best team brand affinity stories of recent years have come from teams that play in a city but have taken the time to find the right identity, the exact opposite of slapping a city name on a team with no ties to community. The Washington Commanders found out that calling themselves Washington Football Club gave them the time to test concepts and listen to fans before they picked a logo and name, the same that Utah Hockey Club is doing, and the same that the PWHL did last year. It made sense, albeit a bit unconventional for a while. We play here, we train here, we want to learn about our fandom and the value of our supporters, then we can pick the proper name or names. It’s not forced or inauthentic, and the reasons for the delay make sense.
Now maybe there are good reasons for picking city names. Maybe it “feels” right to casual fans at least for a short time. But if I’m going to support a team, they better show up from time to time. What’s in a name…a city name? Without being there, not really much. Stick to the cool logos and the athlete storylines, it’s much more authentic.
The Knicks play in New York. The Aces play in Las Vegas. Heck even the Battlehawks play in St. Louis. Just ask the fans when they show up. They are our athletes…they need to be here.
