I Got What I Asked For
One thing that has bugged me about soccer teams in the U.S. is their tendency to try to cash in by approprating names of more famous teams. D.C. United, indeed.
But there's a new twist to team naming that even Rita Moreno of Arte hadn't conceived of yet.
Red Bull is buying Major League Soccer's MetroStars, and the first order of business for the energy drink maker was to give its club a new team name.
As in, brand new. Goodbye, MetroStars. Hello, Red Bull New York.
OK, we've named stadia, we've plastered endorsements all over uniforms, but now we're naming the teams? Are we going to see the Seattle Microsofts in the future? The Tennessee Jack Daniels? The Atlanta CNNs? The Washington Senators?
I don't think I like this. AdWeek notes that, team name or no, the team is living in an alternate reality:
Red Bull New York, the newly purchased and renamed Major League Soccer club, has wasted no time in getting its new Web site up. The new Red Bulls logo is everywhere, and there are already images of Red Bull season-ticket brochures. There’s also a reader poll, but [it] has only...three options as answers. You’re either “Pretty excited,” “Very excited” or you “Can’t wait” for the new season—good to see they’re ignoring reality from the very first day.
But after some research, I found out that they're still stealing names from other teams. Credit The Hoffman's Heresy:
In a time when the 4 major sports are going strong and it is very hard to try and break into the fold things like these should not be happening to a league that considers itself serious....
[H]aving a team renamed by a company crosses a line in professional sports.
And what’s even worse is that it is directly taken from a European Soccer team. And they didn’t even bother to try and change the logo other then replace Salzburg with New York. At least make an effort people!
Red Bull Salzburg's web site is here. The New York web site is here. And New Jersey anger is here:
All you have to do is mix Major League Soccer with New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority president and CEO George Zoffinger and you get some controversy....
In a statement released by his office on Thursday, Zoffinger said that "we are not happy with their announcement that their new name is Red Bull New York. Their home stadium is a New Jersey landmark, and it is an insult to us for them to remove the name of the state. We strongly object to this lack of respect for the State of New Jersey. I have reached out to the team and Major League Soccer and told them of our displeasure."...
"How should the taxpayers of Hudson County feel when they learn that the team will not have the name “New Jersey” on their uniform?" he asked.
Talk to Rita Moreno of Arte, d00d...
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