Latest news with #sportsnames
Al Arabiya
20-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Trump's latest demand: Washington football and Cleveland baseball teams should change names back
President Donald Trump wants Washington's football franchise and Cleveland's baseball team to revert to their former names. Trump said Sunday on his Truth Social site that 'The Washington Whatevers' should 'IMMEDIATELY change their name back to the Washington Redskins Football Team.' 'There is a big clamoring for this. Likewise the Cleveland Indians, one of the six original baseball teams with a storied past. Our great Indian people in massive numbers want this to happen. Their heritage and prestige is systematically being taken away from them. Times are different now than they were three or four years ago. We are a Country of passion and common sense. OWNERS GET IT DONE!!!' For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app. Josh Harris, whose group bought the Commanders from former owner Dan Snyder in 2023, said earlier this year the name was here to stay. Not long after taking over, Harris quieted speculation about going back to Redskins, saying that would not happen. Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti indicated before Sunday's game against the Athletics that there weren't any plans to revisit the name change. 'We understand there are different perspectives on the decision we made a few years ago but obviously it's a decision we made. We've got the opportunity to build a brand as the Guardians over the last four years and are excited about the future that's in front of us,' he said. Both teams have had their current names since the 2022 seasons. Washington dropped Redskins after the 2019 season and was known as the Washington Football Team for two years before moving to Commanders. Cleveland announced in December 2020 it would drop Indians. It announced the switch to Guardians in July 2021. In 2018, the team phased out Chief Wahoo as its primary logo. The name changes had their share of supporters and critics as part of national discussions about institutions and teams to drop logos and names considered racist. The Guardians are the fifth name for Cleveland's baseball franchise. It joined the American League in 1901 as one of the eight charter franchises as the Blues. It switched to the Bronchos a year later and used the Naps from 1903 through 1914 before moving to the Indians in 1915. Washington started in Boston as the Redskins in 1933 before moving to the nation's capital four years later. Washington and Cleveland share another thing in common. David Blitzer is a member of Harris' ownership group with the Commanders and holds a minority stake in the Guardians.
New York Times
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Which college football rivalry has the best name? Ranking Bedlam, the Iron Bowl and more
Editor's note: All week, The Athletic is writing about college football rivalries at a moment of change in the sport. Read our ranking of the top 100 rivalries here and also vote for your favorites. What's in a name? In college football, a whole lot. Do you ever wonder why we have 'bowls' in football? It goes back to the Yale Bowl stadium, which inspired the Rose Bowl stadium name — and then the game's title. On it went, to the natural endpoint of eating a Pop-Tart mascot. Advertisement The point is that college football has some really weird names, especially when it comes to rivalries. So after Scott Dochterman ranked the top 100 rivalries in college football for The Athletic on Monday, this is my ranking of the top 25 college football rivalry names. Points for true originality. Games named specifically after a trophy don't count. The 'Battle for the Keg of Nails' (Cincinnati vs. Louisville) is cool, but that's more about the trophy than the game. I'm seeking epic eponyms. Don't be too simplistic. Nobody outside of Michigan and Ohio State calls it 'The Game,' even if that is the best rivalry in the sport. The quality of the rivalry doesn't matter, either. I'm just looking for cool names. Commonly accepted names that may not be official do qualify. Some of these you've probably heard of. Hopefully, there are some you have not. Let's start the countdown. It's a nickname used by a lot of rivalries, but considering these two states fought a literal war, they get to claim it. The Jayhawks and Tigers haven't played since Missouri joined the SEC in 2012, but thankfully, the rivalry returns this September. It's another great rivalry paused by conference realignment, but at least they're playing a four-game series now and have another on the docket. These are two words that accurately describe the matchup. It's only this low on the list because it's a bit generic. Plenty of schools with the same acronym play each other. These two put those letters on the line. No 'Game' or 'Classic' here. The stakes are clear. Another state-specific bowl, but being known for a rock formed from volcanic magma is pretty cool. Advertisement A rivalry named after a day on the calendar is unique. No adjectives, no ways to describe dislike. You know the day, you know the game … except the handful of times it's actually been played on the Fourth Saturday in October. They first played less than 30 years after the American Civil War and took on the moniker nearly 100 years ago, so they've earned it. The sides dropped the official name in 2020, but most people still know the rivalry by the name. It's actually a portmanteau of each school's acclaimed marching band — Jackson State's Sonic Boom of the South and Southern's Human Jukebox — and it's clear more than the football game is on the line when they meet. It sounds like a battle between two mountain monsters. It's better than the 'Rocky Mountain Showdown' between Colorado and Colorado State. The schools changed 'Shootout' to 'Showdown,' but the original name still holds for fans. It paints the picture of an Old West duel. We've got no room for that newfangled hate. This is the vintage stuff. If you're going to hate, be as specific as possible. Two New York schools that specialize in maritime studies AND alliteration? Yes, please. We need to figure out how to use 'seafaring' more in daily conversation. Also, points for something that isn't 'bowl' or 'showdown.' This is a matchup between 'Indiana' and 'California' universities located in Pennsylvania. It's confusing, but the name is fantastic: a local emphasis that rhymes. It's also better than the 'Friends of Coal Bowl' for West Virginia and Marshall. This is technically about the trophy, but it's not a proper noun. The Golden Egg trophy was created in the 1920s so fans would stop getting in fights. It's a name as weird as the play on the field. That's college football. An unofficial name the schools have acknowledged. No cocktails or fancy drinks here. We're getting into the serious stuff, and we're gonna fight at the end of it. Advertisement Mississippi's two largest HBCUs have played for nearly 100 years. It's the coolest name to say out loud. Try it. The most self-aware and humble rivalry name there is. Division III's most-played rivalry dates back to 1884 and even hosted ESPN's 'College GameDay' in 2007. It's not the official name, but it's one the schools have come around to accept since a K-State student coined it in 2009, so it counts. It leans into the local feel for two schools with strong agricultural reputations while merging with a serious name for a disaster. Other rivalries have hate. These two, who brought their rivalry from the FCS to the Sun Belt, have that topped. It's no longer the official name, but it still rocks. It's unique and accurately descriptive. Even if the rivalry doesn't always have juice, your drink will. Of all the 'bowls' out there, this is a rivalry name you can feel. While some other rivalries use this name, most people associate it with BYU and Utah, and the history, hatred and drama back it up. There are lots of rivalry 'wars,' but 'Holy' takes things up another level. While this also technically is named because of its trophy, a bronze rack of ribs, it's not a proper noun trophy rivalry name. It feels like a battle between two vultures, and it's two fantastic food cities that hold a barbecue contest leading into the matchup. A single-name rivalry is so cool. No one's quite sure how the name started, but this rivalry dates back longer than the history of the state. It's a shame conference realignment has ended this matchup for the foreseeable future. Advertisement The clear No. 1. This rivalry has had its name since only 1997, but the matchup goes back a century before that. These two FCS powers also play for the 306-pound Great Divide Trophy. Honorable Mention: Beehive Bowl (Weber State vs. Southern Utah), Battle of the Brothers (Utah vs. Utah State), The Old Mountain Feud (Appalachian State vs. Marshall), The Ninth Island Showdown (Hawaii vs. UNLV), The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry (Auburn vs. Georgia), The Rocky Mountain Showdown (Colorado vs. Colorado State), The Lone Star Showdown (Texas vs. Texas A&M), Battle of the Bricks (Ohio vs. Miami (OH)), The Rivalry (Lafayette vs. Lehigh) (Illustration: Will Tullos / The Athletic; photos: James Gilbert, Ali Gradischer, Tommy Martino / Getty Images)
