Which is worse, Charlotte Bobcats or Houston Texans? Both sound kind rediculous but I am going to have to go with the Bobcats. Sounds like the name from some elementary school team.
Owner Bob Johnson chooses Bobcats nickname -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Associated Press CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Charlotte's NBA expansion team will be called the "Bobcats,'' a nod to the owner who spent $300 million for the franchise, The Associated Press has learned. Bob Johnson selected Bobcats over "Flight'' and "Dragons,'' a source familiar with the process told the AP on Monday on condition of anonymity. The dominant color in uniforms and logos will be orange and official team apparel will be in stores Wednesday afternoon, the source said. An official announcement is planned for Wednesday, when city leaders plan to join Johnson and NBA commissioner David Stern in a downtown street festival to unveil the name, mascot and logos. Chris Weiller, a spokesman for the new NBA team, would not confirm or deny that Johnson has picked Bobcats as the name. In picking Bobcats, Johnson gets to see his own name used and continues the feline theme established by Charlotte's other pro team, the NFL's Panthers. Bobcats was one of three finalists for the team name, whittled down from a list of nearly 1,200 suggestions the team received from the community. Johnson's group used several focus groups and spent nearly $100,000 researching the names and their trademark status and designing possible logos. Team officials cut the list about 10 names, then matched them with potential colors, graphic designs and mascots. Chicago's NVU Productions was hired to help develop the logos. Reaction was lukewarm -- at best -- when the finalists were announced last month. But the same thing happened in 1987 when owner George Shinn was naming his Charlotte NBA team. Originally "Spirit'' was selected, but Shinn changed it to Hornets, a name that traced its roots to the Revolutionary War. That name -- and its lovable purple and teal mascot "Hugo the Hornet'' -- eventually caught on and then moved on with the franchise to New Orleans.
That was my elementary school team's name. We were the Belmar Bobcats. I believe Bobcats was on the short list for the team that ended up being the Texans, as well. Just FYI.
How lame and boring is Bobcats?!?! It sounds like a friggin High School team. I guess it goes with the equally as lame High School-esque Carolina Panthers. Godforbid they get baseball in NC and call the team the Carolina Jaguars.
No, I think Texans is worse. I think, over time, we'll get used to Bobcats and not think much about it. Every time I hear Houston Texans, though, I'll think, "I know where Houston is already." It annoys me that Bobcats is an homage of sorts to the owner. I hate it when things are named after living people; it's even worse when you name something after yourself.
i really like the name texans...bobcats, though...that was my junior high's nickname...it sounds perfect for a junior high. and orange??? ok, when the rockets switched colors they said, "no one will buy red and gold anymore...waaaahhhhh." how about orange? is there a big rush on orange?? how much orange do you personally own??? if the team wins...the jerseys and hats sell...if they don't, they won't. that simple.
Bobcats was the mascot of my H.S. So I am partial. I don't think its any worse than Timberwolves or the Nets or Lakers. Was so scary about a net or a laker? Whoa, watch out. You could get tangled up and hurt yourself. Watch out, you might get sea sick.
JuanV- I think the point is WOW TEXANS ARE BADASS AND BY BADASS, I MEAN TOTALLY SWEET! Like the Redskins and the Indains, Vikings, Irish we (Texans) are an ass-kicking stereotype!
Perhaps the "Bobcats" are the LEAST of anyone's worries. Perhaps we should be more worried about the BRIGHT ORANGE & SILVER uniforms that they will be wearing.
the nba should have done this: charlotte gets the name hornets from new orleans new orleans gets the name jazz from utah utah gets the name grizzlies from memphis memphis adopts the name rockers(rock n roll museum) bobcats sounds too middle skool type...
Hee hee. Charlotte always goes with the fashionable. And it has worked for them in the past. Orange is in and that's what they went with. I think Coral is in this summer too. But that color sucks. Teal was in big time when they went with that color too. I think bobcats will fit in nicely with the orange color scheme. We'll see.
I think orange unis could be bad-ass (that is, I suppose, totally sweet ). I hate it that teams always stick with the same tried-and-true colors. Right now, no one has orange so they'll be unique. I appreciate that.
The IQ of the average NBA fan is in the single-digits. Having 4 teams change names would confuse the living hell out of most fans.
Carolina pro teams have a weird tradition of feline mascots: not just the curent Panthers of the NFL, but also the Carolina Cougars, an ABA franchise. So going with Bobcats has an element of historical continuity to it. Of course they could have gone with a stock-car theme, a la Pacers, since Charlotte is sort of the unofficial capital of NASCAR.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted on Tue, Jun. 10, 2003 Bobcats join den of mascots Official announcement, merchandise sale scheduled Wednesday DON HUDSON Staff Writer There's a new breed of cat in town -- Bobcats. Six well-connected sources, including one NBA source, told The Observer on Monday that Bobcats will be the new franchise's name. Charlotte NBA team officials would not confirm the name in advance of their official unveiling party Wednesday. The official finalists are Bobcats, Flight and Dragons. Team spokesman Chris Weiller said the team's first souvenirs will be available at the party uptown at Trade and Tryon streets Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. The team name will be announced around 12:15 p.m. at the rally, headlined by team owner Bob Johnson and NBA Commissioner David Stern. "We will give away team memorabilia for anyone who comes down to the festival," Weiller said. "Whether you buy something or not." The team's color scheme will include orange, black and silver, as well as a fourth color, one source said. "It's a great name," city councilwoman Lynn Wheeler said during a break at Monday's council meeting. "It's a name that could create excitement long-term and reflect the man who is investing an incredible amount of money into our team and into our city." Bright orange billboards started going up all over town last week with hints about professional basketball's return to Charlotte. "The bricks, the paint, the spandex," reads one on West Boulevard. "Big and Tall stores get ready," says another on Independence Boulevard. The Bobcats have a hard act to follow, coming behind the Charlotte Hornets that moved to New Orleans in 2002. The Hornets set NBA attendance records here, and their purple-and-teal colors and Hugo the Hornet mascot were known worldwide. "It's marketable. It's conservative. It reflects Charlotte," councilman Harold Cogdell said Monday. The Bobcats name fits with the NFL Carolina Panthers cat theme. Team executive Tom Ward said last month said the name would likely be either Flight or Bobcats. "I was a flight fan," councilman James Mitchell said. "Putting my tourism hat on, the Charlotte Flight could have been the beginning of branding Charlotte." Clues to the Bobcats name started spilling out late last week. A package addressed to team owner Johnson and the Charlotte Bobcats arrived at team headquarters at the Charlotte Coliseum Friday. Also Friday, Observer columnist Tom Sorensen reported that Bobcats would likely be the name. And people in the know started cracking cat jokes. "I don't want to be the one to let the cat out of the bag," one source said. Twice. Michael Saya, a Cornelius real estate agent who registered the Web site name www.charlottebobcats.com in January, said the NBA called him about two weeks ago and offered him $1,000 for it. He wouldn't sell at that price. "I would have thought if they were interested they would have done more about it," he said Monday. Team officials have said throughout the process that Johnson liked the Bobcats name. Since he bought the team, Johnson, the Washington billionaire, has insisted on being called "Bob" instead of Robert. It would not be the first time a major league sports franchise was named after its owner. The NFL Cleveland Browns were named after their late owner, Paul Brown. At least four colleges use the Bobcats nickname, including Ohio University, Montana State University, Quinnipiac University and Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk. "This makes us official," councilman Malcolm Graham said. "We've got our identity and our colors. Now it's time to play ball.
I expect it to be Syracuse Orange. I dont think the colors will be that bad, but "Bobcats" still suck. Dragons was better.
