@Willi Said 
name the sports teams that don't end in s
Whaaaat...? What a pointless exercise. I can only assume this is an American thing, where sports teams adopt the most peculiar association with animals such as Hawks, Bears, Lions, Eagles, etc. The S at the end of the name is simply there to denote that the name is in the plural.
The British tradition is somewhat different where sports teams (historically, at least) are named according to their origins or communities. In football (real football that is, not armoured rugby)teams have suffixes such as "City" or "United" or "Albion" or "Athletic". Think Manchester City, Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion or Charlton Athletic, for example.
Sometimes, the name of a team can reflect the club's origins. Southampton FC are known as The Saints because the club was founded as a club side for St Mary's Church in the city. Likewise Rugby League team Wakefield Trinity reflects the clubs origins within a church group.
There has been a slight shift in Rugby League towards Americanisation in recent years, mostly driven by commercial satellite television station Sky Sports. Wigan Warriors, Huddersfield Giants and (laughably) Halifax Blue Sox.
Halifax Blue Sox..?? I'm sorry, but that is absolutely risible.
I think it would be more interesting to look at club nicknames, and where they come from, rather than clubs "brand" names. Some team names are nowadays driven by commercial interests. Tradition and history can get swamped by the money men's desire to "brand" the club in order to sell more replica shirts or any other form of cheesy merchandise that the club name can be stamped on.
Some clubs have sold out to Mammon and become whores to Sky Sports and it's American system of hard-sell sports coverage. They have sold out on what in many cases was a rich and interesting tradition in order to make fat wads of greasy money to line the pockets of imported superstar players. Yep... that's Americanisation for you.
Not all clubs have gone down this road though. They've stayed true to their roots. Why are Everton called "The Toffeemen"? Where did Charlton Athletic get such a bizarre nickname as "The Add***s" from..? Actually, I know the answer to both, but do any other British football fans not actually associated with those clubs know... or even care..?
But in this country, I think that for many, tradition and history can be a powerful binding force. It engenders loyalty and devotion. Football is a very tribal sport and something like a club badge, or a song.......or even a nickname, can assume immense importance to fans.
I personally would find a discussion on club nicknames and traditions more interesting than knowing which team names end in a specific letter. Indeed, I think I'll start a thread on it.
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Dec 05, 2010 @ 02:04:11
