The Final 3 Names For the Charlotte Expansion Team

Discussion in 'Charlotte Hornets' started by knicks235, May 7, 2003.

  1. knicks235

    knicks235 JBB JustBBall Member

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    <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Posted on Wed, May. 07, 2003

    CHARLOTTE BOBCATS, Posted on Wed, May. 07, 2003

    CHARLOTTE BOBCATS, CHARLOTTE DRAGONS OR CHARLOTTE FLIGHT
    NBA name narrowed to 3
    Which has more bounce? Public asked to toss in feedback
    RICK BONNELL AND DAVID PERLMUTT
    Staff writers

    Charlotte Bobcats. Charlotte Dragons. Charlotte Flight.

    Those are the three finalists for the name of Charlotte's new NBA team.

    What do you think?

    Ultimately, team owner Bob Johnson will make the final choice, but the team wants your feedback before picking in mid-June.



    WHAT DO YOU THINK?
    TELL THE NBA: The team is soliciting public reaction at www.nba.com/charlotte. (Those without Internet access can write the team at NBA Charlotte, 100 Hive Drive, Charlotte, N.C., 28217.)
    POLL: Which of the finalist NBA team names do you prefer?
    EMAIL: Send reaction to The Observer
    FORUM: Discuss expansion with other fans




    The three names were whittled from more than 1,200 suggestions.

    "They represent three distinctly different directions," said team Executive Vice President Ed Tapscott, who estimated the cost of researching a name, design and legal fees would exceed $100,000. "There's something traditional with an animal. The dragon represents something mystical and whimsical. And flight is a concept -- a departure from a thing."

    Team officials have been researching names since January, when the league awarded a franchise to Johnson. The team hired a design firm to work through concepts, and also consulted with NBA Entertainment, the league's marketing and business arm.

    Tapscott said the team's top executives will meet in June -- having sifted through all the feedback -- and then Johnson will make the final decision.

    Whichever name is chosen will have to go with "Charlotte," instead of, say, "Carolina," like the city's NFL team. In its agreement with the city to build a new arena, the team obligated itself to do that.

    Names are important not only as connective tissue to fans and the region, but in merchandising a team, said UNC Chapel Hill advertising professor Tom Bowers.

    "The name needs to be something that people can identify with," said Bowers, associate dean of mass communications. "Teams think about how a name translates to apparel or symbols. They'll think about what a bobcat would look like or a mythical dragon."

    As word got out about the three choices, many fans spent Tuesday debating the best one.

    The Bobcats: It would be a play on owner Bob Johnson's name. Webster's Dictionary defines a bobcat as a wildcat with a reddish coat and short, stubby tail. Bobcats are found in the Carolinas. The name would permanently connect the team to its owner, in much the same way the NFL Cleveland Browns are permanently tied to former coach Paul Brown.

    Tapscott said Johnson has considered the pros and cons of the linkage.

    "That discussion has happened," Tapscott said. "Let's see what the public thinks about it."

    Choosing Bobcats would mean both major-league teams in Charlotte are named after big cats. NFL owner Jerry Richardson named his team the Carolina Panthers in 1995.

    Yet the NBA team might not want to pick an animal smaller than a panther, said Charlotte advertising and public relations executive Steve Luquire.

    "And there is the obvious opportunity for confusion," Luquire said. "For instance, the Panthers' dance corps is called the Top Cats. Bobcats are just far too close."

    Bobcats sit well with Kelli McRee, a teacher in Catawba County, though she would spell the name: "BobCats."

    "It goes with Bob Johnson and Panthers," she e-mailed The Observer to respond to the names.

    Sandy Dempsey of Charlotte, a longtime Charlotte Hornets fan, didn't much like the name. "Johnson would have to have a pretty sizable ego to have his name tied in."

    The Flight: It would be the most obvious historical link to North Carolina. Nearly 100 years ago, Wilbur and Orville Wright propelled the world into powered flight at Kitty Hawk in December 1903. It's also a natural for basketball, where leaping ability is so valued and the game seems to be played in the air.

    Luquire said many fans don't like inanimate objects and it would be the team's challenge to personify Flight.

    "Some people like to focus on some form of cat, or animal, something they can reach out and touch," he said.

    Bowers said The Flight might be awkward to some fans since it is in a singular form. "You tend to think of team names in plural."

    But Jessica Cullen of Charlotte said The Flight would "fit in on many levels."

    "Charlotte represents itself as an emerging town, a vibrant, dynamic town in the South and The Flight would demonstrate that," Cullen said. "It also works with the state's history.

    "...It's important to have a name and a team that really feels like the entire city of Charlotte and the region has ownership. We suffered in the past with some barriers between the owners and the fans who are really the financial backers."

    The Dragons: That name would be the fantasy option, and perhaps would be the choice among the three for merchandising potential to young fans, Luquire said. Selling T-shirts is no small consideration in the NBA, where licensing products generate more than $2 billion in sales annually.

    Orangeburg, S.C., native Henry Starks liked the name months ago.

    "There is something about a Dragon that is likable but also fearful," said Starks, who now lives in Newport News, Va., but will follow the new team. "There also is something very marketable about a Dragon. They can have a pretty cool mascot and logo. It is something unique."

    Whatever the name, there will be a public outcry, as there was when the Hornets almost became the Charlotte Spirit, Luquire said.

    "It always happens -- everywhere," he said. "But that will settle and people will associate the team more in their deeds than in their name."

    How to Vote

    The new NBA team wants your reaction to its three finalists for a team name at www.nba.com/charlotte. Or write the team at 100 Hive Drive, Charlotte, NC 28217. You can also tell The Observer what you think at: nbateam@charlotteobserver.com.


    DRAGONS OR CHARLOTTE FLIGHT
    NBA name narrowed to 3
    Which has more bounce? Public asked to toss in feedback
    RICK BONNELL AND DAVID PERLMUTT
    Staff writers

    Charlotte Bobcats. Charlotte Dragons. Charlotte Flight.

    Those are the three finalists for the name of Charlotte's new NBA team.

    What do you think?

    Ultimately, team owner Bob Johnson will make the final choice, but the team wants your feedback before picking in mid-June.
    The three names were whittled from more than 1,200 suggestions.

    "They represent three distinctly different directions," said team Executive Vice President Ed Tapscott, who estimated the cost of researching a name, design and legal fees would exceed $100,000. "There's something traditional with an animal. The dragon represents something mystical and whimsical. And flight is a concept -- a departure from a thing."

    Team officials have been researching names since January, when the league awarded a franchise to Johnson. The team hired a design firm to work through concepts, and also consulted with NBA Entertainment, the league's marketing and business arm.

    Tapscott said the team's top executives will meet in June -- having sifted through all the feedback -- and then Johnson will make the final decision.

    Whichever name is chosen will have to go with "Charlotte," instead of, say, "Carolina," like the city's NFL team. In its agreement with the city to build a new arena, the team obligated itself to do that.

    Names are important not only as connective tissue to fans and the region, but in merchandising a team, said UNC Chapel Hill advertising professor Tom Bowers.

    "The name needs to be something that people can identify with," said Bowers, associate dean of mass communications. "Teams think about how a name translates to apparel or symbols. They'll think about what a bobcat would look like or a mythical dragon."

    As word got out about the three choices, many fans spent Tuesday debating the best one.

    The Bobcats: It would be a play on owner Bob Johnson's name. Webster's Dictionary defines a bobcat as a wildcat with a reddish coat and short, stubby tail. Bobcats are found in the Carolinas. The name would permanently connect the team to its owner, in much the same way the NFL Cleveland Browns are permanently tied to former coach Paul Brown.

    Tapscott said Johnson has considered the pros and cons of the linkage.

    "That discussion has happened," Tapscott said. "Let's see what the public thinks about it."

    Choosing Bobcats would mean both major-league teams in Charlotte are named after big cats. NFL owner Jerry Richardson named his team the Carolina Panthers in 1995.

    Yet the NBA team might not want to pick an animal smaller than a panther, said Charlotte advertising and public relations executive Steve Luquire.

    "And there is the obvious opportunity for confusion," Luquire said. "For instance, the Panthers' dance corps is called the Top Cats. Bobcats are just far too close."

    Bobcats sit well with Kelli McRee, a teacher in Catawba County, though she would spell the name: "BobCats."

    "It goes with Bob Johnson and Panthers," she e-mailed The Observer to respond to the names.

    Sandy Dempsey of Charlotte, a longtime Charlotte Hornets fan, didn't much like the name. "Johnson would have to have a pretty sizable ego to have his name tied in."

    The Flight: It would be the most obvious historical link to North Carolina. Nearly 100 years ago, Wilbur and Orville Wright propelled the world into powered flight at Kitty Hawk in December 1903. It's also a natural for basketball, where leaping ability is so valued and the game seems to be played in the air.

    Luquire said many fans don't like inanimate objects and it would be the team's challenge to personify Flight.

    "Some people like to focus on some form of cat, or animal, something they can reach out and touch," he said.

    Bowers said The Flight might be awkward to some fans since it is in a singular form. "You tend to think of team names in plural."

    But Jessica Cullen of Charlotte said The Flight would "fit in on many levels."

    "Charlotte represents itself as an emerging town, a vibrant, dynamic town in the South and The Flight would demonstrate that," Cullen said. "It also works with the state's history.

    "...It's important to have a name and a team that really feels like the entire city of Charlotte and the region has ownership. We suffered in the past with some barriers between the owners and the fans who are really the financial backers."

    The Dragons: That name would be the fantasy option, and perhaps would be the choice among the three for merchandising potential to young fans, Luquire said. Selling T-shirts is no small consideration in the NBA, where licensing products generate more than $2 billion in sales annually.

    Orangeburg, S.C., native Henry Starks liked the name months ago.

    "There is something about a Dragon that is likable but also fearful," said Starks, who now lives in Newport News, Va., but will follow the new team. "There also is something very marketable about a Dragon. They can have a pretty cool mascot and logo. It is something unique."

    Whatever the name, there will be a public outcry, as there was when the Hornets almost became the Charlotte Spirit, Luquire said.

    "It always happens -- everywhere," he said. "But that will settle and people will associate the team more in their deeds than in their name."

    How to Vote

    The new NBA team wants your reaction to its three finalists for a team name at www.nba.com/charlotte. Or write the team at 100 Hive Drive, Charlotte, NC 28217. You can also tell The Observer what you think at: nbateam@charlotteobserver.com.</div>
     
  2. jjdaman20

    jjdaman20 BBW Member

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    I like Charlotte Flight...but Bobcat could be a possible choice too...
     
  3. jdub

    jdub JBB JustBBall Member

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    theyre all gay
     
  4. Sasha

    Sasha ...since the beginning.

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    I like Flight, Bobcat...ooh that's intimidating.
     
  5. Ghost

    Ghost BBW Member

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    I like flight the most.
     
  6. GatorsowntheNCAA

    GatorsowntheNCAA Omaha Bound 2010!

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    i think that they are all pretty stupid, but if i had to choose, probably bobcat :? dragon is gay to me, since dragons have nothing to do with charlotte :?
     
  7. dee still ballin

    dee still ballin JBB JustBBall Member

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    Flight.. Bobcat sounds like a middle school name.. Dragons is iight but Flight sounds the best to me
     
  8. vinsanity03

    vinsanity03 JBB JustBBall Member

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    they all suck. but i would take flight
     
  9. lildane1988

    lildane1988 JBB JustBBall Member

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    I agree they all sound like Arena Football Teams and there is nothing in those 3 names that sounds intimidating......
     
  10. Stockton

    Stockton JBB

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    They all suck, but Charlotte Dragons is OK but Charlotte Flight just sounds better. Bobcats doesn't sound good at all.
     
  11. knicks235

    knicks235 JBB JustBBall Member

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    i seriously wanted a 3 team switch man.... charolotte hornets,new orleans jazz, and utah mountains or somthin
     
  12. snownation

    snownation JBB JustBBall Member

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    flight i guess sounds the best, dragons just sounds stupid and bobcats and flight sound like wnba teams, but flight is the best outta those 3. how about the charlotte soft shelled crabs or something, those sound tasty anyway [​IMG] they should have put a couple funny names in that article like the charlotte mozzarella sticks, or something. the charlotte fighting bees would be really funny [​IMG]
     
  13. Flash Man 15

    Flash Man 15 JBB JustBBall Member

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    where would the "Charottle Hornets" history do to New Orleans or Charottle
     
  14. Hunter

    Hunter Administrator Staff Member Administrator

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    Charlotte Flight I think sounds the best out of those three listed. It sounds like a name a WNBA team would have though.
     
  15. Kid Canada

    Kid Canada JBB Banned Member

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    i agree with dexter the flight is the best
     
  16. Mamba

    Mamba The King is Back Staff Member Global Moderator

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    FLIGHT!!! haha...yea its the best one up there...
     
  17. Gee_Dupe11

    Gee_Dupe11 JBB JustBBall Member

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    but really where would the "Charottle Hornets" history do to New Orleans or Charottle???
     
  18. VinsanityMK

    VinsanityMK JBB JustBBall Member

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    flight sounds best out of those 3
     
  19. renuszm

    renuszm JBB Banned Member

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    Charlotte Flight sounds sexy
     
  20. jjdaman20

    jjdaman20 BBW Member

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    sounds sexy...ok....where'd u come from and what's wrong with u?
     

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