Mavericks Decide "Little Cows" Is No Longer A Good Chinese Translation Of Their Name, Switch To "Lone Ranger Heroes"

A maverick is, literally, a little cow. An unbranded calf, so named for nineteenth-century Texas cattle farmer Samuel Maverick, who did not brand his cattle. For nearly two decades now, the Dallas Mavericks have been known in China by a translation that works out roughly to “little cows.” Accurate! And also, apparently, not good enough.

The team decided before this season that it would change its Chinese name, opening up to possibilities like “fierce colts,” “wild horses,” and “lone ranger heroes.” Basically, a bunch of translations that kind of work out to maverick-related terms but are all much tougher and fancier than the straightforward and correct “little cows.” Hundreds of thousands of Chinese fans have voted, and the Mavericks will henceforth be known in China as the ... Lone Ranger Heroes. A translation that’s not only rather presumptuous—the hero of the Lone Ranger is the Lone Ranger, not the horses, correct?—but also just not as cool as the sweet simplicity of the former version.

Rest in peace, little cows.