Originally posted by JeffGollin
Determining who you root for is probably 95% emotional and 5% rational (in fact, make that 100%/0%). It's hard, therefore, to know how our emotions might shift should they change the team name.
Do we root for the name? The uniform? The city? Certain players? The owners (hmmm)? The team's W's & L's? Because we always did root for them? It's hard to determine hypothetically how that would all sort out.
Jeff:
The only things that still endure about NFL teams, usually, are the name and ownership. And even those aren't guaranteed, any more.
Players no longer spend their careers with the same team. Even the best coaches are only one or two bad seasons away from unemployment. Teams switch cities at the drop of a stadium. Parity has almost eliminated both dynasties and the perennially downtrodden (I said, "almost.") Uniforms get freshened, if not changed completely, whenever the merchandise sales start to slacken.
All that remains for long-term fans like BuckeyeCardinal and others like him
are the name and identity--and, for now, the dated logo and uniforms--of the Chicago/ St. Louis/ Phoenix/ Arizona Cardinals. That, or his affection for the Bidwill family. If they show up in turquoise-and-sand unis for the 2006 season as the Glendale Gila Monsters, what's he
supposed to root for? The last vestige of the team he's followed since childhood will be gone.
I understand and agree with the concept of rebranding. The local example of Winnipeg Jets to Phoenix Coyotes is a case study. Heck, the Coyotes have already changed their unis
again, both to coincide with their new facility and to spur merchandise sales, which were disappointing. The team that beat the Cards last week, the Ravens, were more enthusiastically received by their current fans than they would've been as "the Baltimore Browns." I could go on.
But I think that window of opportunity has closed for the Cardinals, new stadium or not. I endorse a complete reworking of their logo and unis, which haven't changed significantly in decades and are less contemporary than many high schools'. However, after 15 years in this state, and 85 years in continuous operation, they're gonna remain the Cardinals. For better or worse.
WC