A Map Of The Most Absurd Team-Name Migrations In Sports

Two days ago the New York Islanders announced that they'd be making a short migration from Nassau County to the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Brooklyn's on Long Island so the name still makes sense (although the team might have to fix its logo), but franchises aren't always so lucky.

Sometime when teams move, their names—rich with local history—suddenly become meaningless. Here are the seven best instances:

For enlarged image, click here.

Most out of place: I'm tempted to give it to the Lakers, but the fact that Utah is only 1.1 percent African-American makes the Jazz's already-ridiculous name so much more ridiculous.

Best backstory: Tie. The Charlotte Hornets were named for the ambushes the city's inhabitants repeatedly sprang on occupying British troops, while the Atlanta Flames were named for the fact that Atlanta was burned to the ground during the Civil War.

Most soulless: Of Los Angeles's six major teams, three have names stolen from other parts of the country (Dodgers, Clippers, and Lakers), one is named after a movie (Ducks), one is named after the city itself (Angels), and the last sucks (Kings).

Just missed the cut: Minneapolis, in the northernmost state in the Lower 48, named its hockey team the "North Stars." They migrated to Dallas and became just the Stars in 1993. The Tri-City Blackhawks of Moline, Ill., were named after a Midwestern Indian tribe; they migrated in 1951 and changed their name to just the Hawks, and eventually ended up in Atlanta. Finally, while Vancouver has many grizzlies, Memphis has none. (The Grizzlies migrated in 2001.)

Best unnoticed logo details: I never realized how similar the Dodgers and Clippers logos were. Also, when the Hornets moved to New Orleans, their mascot started wearing considerably cooler shoes.

A modified version of this article was originally published on Sportsnationdivided.com.