Original Names of Some US Sports Teams

Last week, we looked at the original names of some famous bands. It’s not too much of a leap to do something similar with sports teams. For this one, I'll be focusing on the top 4 US sports leagues.

See if you can match the current team with their original name. Just match the number from the 1st group with the correct letter from the 2nd. Then, scroll down to see how well you did.

MLB

Current Name	Original Name
1.  Astros	A.  Americans
2.  Braves	B.  Colt 45s
3.  Cubs	C.  Doves
4.  Dodgers	D.  Expos
5.  Guardians	E.  Highlanders
6.  Mariners	F.   Naps
7.  Nationals	G.  Orphans
8.  Red Sox	H.  Pilots
9   Yankees	I.    Bridegrooms

NFL

Current Name	Original Name
1.  Bears	A.  Braves
2.  Commanders	B.  Oilers
3.  Jets	C.  Pirates
4.  Lions	D.  Spartans
5.  Steelers	E.  Staleys
6.  Titans	F.   Titans

NBA

Current Name	Original Name
1.  76ers	A.  Americans
2.  Clippers	B.  Blackhawks
3.  Hawks	C.  Bobcats
4.  Hornets	D.  Braves
5.  Kings	E.  Chapparals
6.  Nets	F.   Nationals
7.  Spurs	G.  Packers
8.  Thunder	H.  Royals
9   Wizards	I.    Supersonics

NHL

Current Name	Original Name
1.  Avalanche	A.  Cougars
2.  Devils	B.  Nordiques
3.  Hurricanes	C.  Scouts
4.  Jets	D.  St Patricks
5.  Maple Leafs	E.  Thrashers
6.  Hurricanes	F.   Whalers

Got ‘em all written down?  Well, let’s scroll down and see how you did.

MLB

Astros – Colt 45s

• After the "gun that won the west”

Braves - Doves (Boston)

• AKA Bees

Cubs – Orphans

• AKA Colts, White Stockings

Dodgers – Bridegrooms (Brooklyn)

• AKA Robins, Grooms, Superbas

Guardians – Naps

• After Hall of Fame player/manager Napoleon Lajoie

Mariners – Pilots (Seattle)

• Played 1 year, then moved to Milwaukee

Nationals – Expos (Montreal)

• After Expo 67 World’s Fair, held in Montreal

Red Sox – Americans

• “Red Sox” named after Cincinnati Reds

Yankees – Highlanders

• From playing games in Highland Park

NFL

Bears – Staleys (Decatur)

• After the A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company, who sponsored the team

Commanders – Braves (Boston)

• Not to mention the Redskins

Jets – Titans

• Because "titans are bigger and stronger than giants"

Lions – Spartans (Portsmouth OH)

• Portsmouth had a population of 18,000 in 2020

Steelers – Pirates

• AKA Philadelphia/Pittsburgh Eagles/Steelers & Chicago/Pittsburgh Cardinals/Steelers

Titans – Oilers (Houston)

• Not to be confused with the hockey team (Edmonton)

NBA

76ers – Nationals (Syracuse)

• Not to be confused with the “largest car show in the northeast”

Clippers – Braves (Buffalo)

• Have also played in San Diego

Nets – Americans

• AKA NJ Nets, NY Nets

Hawks – Blackhawks (Moline IL)

• Also played in Buffalo & St Louis

Hornets – Bobcats

• After owner Bob Johnson

Kings – Royals (KC)

• Not to be confused with the MLB team

Spurs – Chaparrals

• "A shrubland plant community and semi-arid biome characterized by mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. It is most prominently found in California and the southwestern United States, featuring dense, fire-adapted evergreen shrubs with leathery leaves."

Thunder – Supersonics (Seattle)

• Won NBA championship in 1979

Wizards – Packers (Chicago)

• AKA Bullets

NHL

Avalanche – Nordiques (Quebec)

• Were originally the San Francisco Sharks, moving to Quebec before ever playing a game

One of the weirder logos out there

Devils – Scouts (KC)

• Also played in Denver

Hurricanes – Whalers (Hartford)

• Connecticut’s only major league team

Jets – Thrashers

• After Georgia state bird, the brown thrasher

Maple Leafs – St Patricks

• AKA Arenas

Red Wings – Cougars

• AKA Falcons