It’s not the same color. And no, they do not own a color. Also, each team gets a share of merchandise sales don’t they?
I wonder when Fanatics is going to produce more hats? They’ve been out of the H and blue bull logo for a while now.
https://www.fanatics.com/nfl/housto...-9-2550462769?_ref=p-DLP:m-GRID:i-r14c2:po-44 https://www.fanatics.com/nfl/housto...-8-1569891200?_ref=p-DLP:m-GRID:i-r15c0:po-45
And Modell leaving Cleveland was contentious! He blindsided the city/fans, and they fought back. They did not want the team to leave. Here? Yes, Bud had long worn-out his welcome - but so had the team. Those three consecutive playoff losses soured fans in a really deep, meaningful way. There was widespread apathy and, I think, near-sightedness with many fans. Cleveland was the first city to actively fight back in a meaningful way. But by then, the Oilers were long gone. Had Modell gone first, it might've set a precedent and Houston might've fought to keep the Oilers/history - but, again, the Oilers were so linked to Adams -and had caused way more disappointment than success - I'm not sure there would've been a fight.
I think a huge part of it (at least for me at first) was just not believing him...thinking it was a bluff. The way Jacksonville was before for him not that long before. It was very difficult to take Bud Adams seriously. And he made it so much worse when he said the Rockets had already indicated they'd love to play in his new "Bud Dome" and the Rockets were like, "uhhhh, wut?"
It's not about "owning" a color - colors are part of a team's brand. Teams fiercely protect their brands. This is not new and not unique to the Titans.
I think Bud was a petulant child; he kept expecting someone to step in as he took more and more steps to leave until he had simply passed the point of no return and ****ed himself. He never wanted to leave. But you can't fully understate how much Denver/Buffalo/Kansas City paved the way. Fans had had enough.
I've said this before here...but it's still remarkable to me that man made his living here...his wealth was all created here...he spent his adult life here...and not one person stepped up in the community to help him, because no one could stand him. When McLane threatened to sell the Astros, the local business community stepped up and ended up buying the land on which MMP sits today. No one did anything close to that for Bud, and Drayton wasn't even a Houston guy.
To be fair... McClane had the "luxury" of a football-less landscape. The city was not going to let a second team leave. But, yeah - Bud had worn out his welcome, for sure. So much so, I think, it blinded people. They were so amped to get rid of him, they didn't really see the baby while they were tossing out the bathwater.
Think about it this way. If you choose to rebrand, the old brand is like trash on the curbside and FAIR GAME.
That's .... not remotely how it works. They still own the Oilers brand - or did you sleep through them wearing the throwbacks twice last year (and all the other teams wearing throwbacks over the past several decades??) Teams have every right to protect their brand when they feel it is being infringed. Trust me, the Titans are not the first - and certainly won't be the last team to flex some legal muscle in this arena. The only difference here is that the Texans are airing dirty laundry. 99.999999999999999999% of this happens - and it does happen - behind closed doors. But no, a rebrand does not even remotely mean your former uniform is "trash." Do you think if the Spurs or Mavericks created red and gold alternate uniforms, the argument would be, Welp, the Rockets threw those in the trash - fair game! No. The Rockets would (rightly) throw a fit.
