PRO Rugby announces Team Name shortlists

PRO Rugby has been running a fan-driven team name competition for the past couple weeks and has now revealed shortlists for each of the five franchises. Evidently thousands of team names have been submitted, and while it’s not entirely clear what the process has been or who has decided which ones should be picked, there are now seemingly three options for each team. Judging by the reactions of fans on social media some of the suggestions have not gone over entirely swimmingly. Below we reveal the apparent ‘finalists’ and our thoughts, with possible alternative suggestions.

BR – Sorry, I just can’t get behind any of these. The Stampede belongs to Calgary. I have no idea what Vipers has to do with Denver but it makes no sense for a forward-dominated team to have any kind of snake name. As for the Peak… seriously? I recommend the Mountainboks, for obvious reasons. Mountainmen would suffice. The Denver fans seem to like Cobras. I don’t, but it’s marginally better than Vipers.

PT – Of the three the name that I associate most closely with the city and region is Peak. Neither Vipers nor Stampede really suit Denver in my eyes. They seem more likely to be names for teams from Louisiana and Alberta. For these reasons I vote for Denver Peak.

TH – With that color scheme, it was inevitable that fans would flock to the Global Gym Purple Cobras references. The choice of Vipers seems to be a nod to what I expect was a lot of fan requests for the Purple Cobras. I kind of like Stampede, but the color scheme doesn’t match. I’m with Bryan on this one. Like the Moutainmen, but that ship has sailed, so I guess the Denver Peak will do.

BR – What? Awful, awful, awful. Three thumbs down. Ohio Players, end of.
(if they switch to a city name – which they should – Columbus Cavalry or Obetz Assassins)

PT – A really hard one. I think my nomination of the Ohio Heartlanders would be the way to go. Since there are three others though I will say no to Presidents as New York State and Ohio are tied on six U.S. Presidents. So Flight or Aviators? Close to the same thing really. At the flip of a dime I say Flight.

TH – Feeling bad for the Ohio guys with these choices. Saw some really good recommendations online. Ohio has a rich aviation history, so I’m going with Aviators.

BR – The Steamers has to be a joke. Not really sold on Express. The Pioneers is slightly palatable but seems better placed for Ohio. How about something menacing like the River Beasts? It’s too bad the Lions and Blackhawks are both already taken.

PT – None are overly capturing. When I think of Sacramento I think of it being the Californian capital and of it being an environmentally-friendly city. With the options being as they are it is Pioneers which grabs most attention for two reasons: (a) Sacramento is the first PRO Rugby team and (b) the city has produced many Great Eagles such as Eric Fry, Kort Schubert, Blaine Scully and Lou Stanfill.

TH – Sacramento was the toughest one to decide for me. I just don’t know enough about their history, but I really dig the Express. I think that can work. Please don’t let it be the Steamers.

BR – I can almost stomach Breakers, but these are all weak efforts in my opinion. I’m of course partial to the Canadians but I fail to see why the Dragons isn’t an obvious choice.

PT – Breakers is the clear choice. It combines what the city is famous for with an association with rugby.

TH – Shocked that Dragons wasn’t in the mix. Seemed to be a fan favorite. I can get on board with some mention of the ocean which is a big part of San Diego life. For that reason, I support the Breakers.

BR – Miners has some historical value but again just seems a bit… dated. Rush is off limits – already taken by Georges St. Pierre and the Canadian Armed Forces rugby side. I like the Baymen but then the Conception Bay South folks would complain. San Francisco Earth Shakers. Perfect.

PT – To my mind these are the three best options. Oddly enough I submitted Miners as my choice for the Sacramento team. For San Francisco I had wanted Quakers but Miners or Rush are both good options. I feel Miners too similar sounding to 49ers making Rush the option I have voted for.

TH – Solid choices. I could easily see both Rush or Miners fitting. Because I’d love to see some funky looking Miner mascot running around with a rugby ball, I’m going with the Miners.