A Rose by Any Other Name

Names are important in business. It is the first impression you make with a potential consumer and you always want that to be great. Or even if it isn't great, you at least want it to be memorable. I'm going to begin talking about basketball in a moment, and you may get confused why I would start a post discussing the importance of a name, and then delve into a conversation about sports, but bear with me.

New York sports teams are usually global brands or at least have a sizeable national following. Part of that comes with marquee players and championships, and the other part comes with the fact that the city they represent is the worldwide center for business. This is certainly a case with the Yankees, as well as the Giants and Jets (the football teams don't have a global appeal because it is very much an American sport despite how many games they stage a year overseas).

In basketball, it seems to be a different case though. In basketball, the storied franchises are the Celtics and the Lakers. New York just doesn't have the appeal of those other two. Part of it is the fact that they have become a laughing stock, and the other part is that they really have no identity. And here is where we come back to this name business.

They are known as the New York Knickerbockers. Knickerbockers are a pair of baggy knee-length trousers that were worn while playing baseball in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and was eventually adopted as the name of the sports club who played the first game of baseball in Hoboken in 1846. Because of this legacy the first owner of the basketball team adopted it as his team's name. It would work fine in baseball where teams are named after the color of their Sox (baseball apparently doesn't care for spelling), but in basketball it doesn't quite fit. Might as well call yourselves the Manhattan Pantaloons.

While we're on the subject of names, let's turn to a team that will soon make New York it's home. The current New Jersey Nets, who in three years will become the Brooklyn Nets. That's like a football team being called the New Jersey End Zones, or a hockey team known as the Brooklyn Goals, or maybe if the United States wants to try out a new name for their Ryder Cup golf team they can go with the Holes.

I understand the importance of a name and a tradition. The Devil Rays changed themselves to the Rays because omitting that one word was meant to erase their long penchant for losing (which it did). But teams need to understand the importance of a name as a marketing tool. Do you know how many people root for the Titans because of their awesome name and sweet uniforms. Or the Buccaneers because of their name, uniforms, and the fact that they have a pirate ship in their stadium. Are these true fans? Some could argue no, and if they don't follow the players and the teams progress I would agree with them. But do they buy jerseys, hats, and if they live around the area...tickets? Yes, and that's reason enough to do it.

Fans want to be excited by sports. And in order to attract new fans you need an enticing name, and stylish colors that even people who aren't fans will buy, so you can make money on merchandising. Do the Nets and their Navy, Silver, and Red appeal to anyone? Do the Knicks and their Orange and Blue?

No, but they have their history and to change a name would be to alienate the fans that are invested in that history. I would never expect a team with a legacy like the Knicks to do such a thing. But the Nets are a different story. They're moving to a new city in a new state, so why not have a new identity for your new fanbase. Especially after the historically bad season they're having this year.

-- Steve Creswick
Ad Doctor