During Fantasy Football season, Mark and I spent a lot of time discussing football - it’s not the usual conversations that most football fans usually have. I for one really don’t know (or care) about who coaches a certain team, what the team rankings are, who is in line to make the playoffs, etc. etc….. Mark does, however, and is my go to resource for defense information. He REALLY studies that stuff and even has spread sheets! As for me, I only study individual players. I could care less about what team wins. In fact, I often root for a team to do poorly so my tight end (for example) gets one more chance to touch the football and get a couple points for me. It’s all about ME!
I understand the Super Bowl is coming up this weekend, so my goal is to get this post out before that game. I don’t care who wins or loses, because since Fantasy Football season is over, I have no stake in that game.
I want to share the last conversation that Mark and I had about NFL football because it was a fun one. It had to do with team names, three team names in particular: The COLTS, CARDINALS and the BROWNS. I asked my question in all seriousness, but by the end of the conversation, we were both laughing so hard it hurt! Let’s get to it:
My question was serious - whatever possessed Indianapolis to select the name “COLTS” for their team? A Baby Horse? Why not just call them BAMBI? I understand that the name originated in Baltimore where the team was originated. It was from a fan contest in 1947, honoring the region’s rich horse racing and breeding heritage. Indianapolis later acquired the team and kept the name. What I don’t understand is why COLTS? Why not call them Stallions, Thoroughbreds or Mustangs? Almost all the NFL teams have powerful names to represent this rough and tumble sport, such as CHARGERS, COWBOYS and VIKINGS. There are several strong and powerful animal names represented too: LIONS, TIGERS (Bengals), and BEARS. And then there’s the COLTS - baby horses! Why not just call them the INDIANAPOLIS BAMBIs? Geeeez!
The Arizona CARDINALS is another team name that I question. The “Cardinals” originated in 1901 when founder Chris O’Brien bought used, faded maroon jerseys from the University of Chicago, describing the color as “cardinal red”. As the oldest continuously operating pro football team (founded 1898), they have used several names, including the Racine Street Cardinals, Chicago Cardinals, St. Louis Cardinals, and Phoenix Cardinals, finally becoming the Arizona Cardinals in 1994. What a wonderful history, but still, the Cardinals are named after a color and their logo is a bird! A bird!
Cardinals are beautiful birds and can be aggressive. They will aggressively defend their own territory (sounds like football), but they mark their territory by breaking out in song! They are known for their distinctive, cheerful whistling songs. Can’t you just see the Arizona Cardinal singing a beautiful song just before hiking the ball! The team needs to adopt the “Angry Birds” logo. At least that seems more powerful than a color or birdie!
Another color related team name that I wonder about is the Cleveland BROWNS. I asked Mark. “Why are they named the Browns and wear orange? And, I found out that their mascot is Brownie the Elf and a Brown Dog named Chomps. This seems crazy to me!
Here’s the story: The Cleveland Browns were founded in 1944 and named after Paul Brown, their first coach. He used the facilities at Bowling State University for training camp and liked the color combination of Brown, Orange and White that were used at the university and adopted those colors for his new team. The Browns originally had white helmets, but a later ruling by the NFL said that helmets couldn’t be white, so the Browns started using Orange helmets. Brownie the Elf was adopted by Paul Brown after seeing a newspaper that featured the cartoon version of the elf. Brownie the Elf was depicted as a mischievous, hardworking figure - a perfect mascot! So, this whole story makes me wonder if the CLEVELAND BROWNS who wear ORANGE and has a BROWNIE and a DOG for mascots eat Girl Scout Cookies in the locker room at halftime? Mmmmm…..
This was definitely a fun conversation between Mark and me. The last team we pondered (for about two seconds) were THE DOLPHINS - named because the owner, Joe Robbie, felt that the Dolphin symbolized speed and intelligence, fitting for a Miami team. I can see his point, but FLIPPER? Really? I have no more words……..
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