Late last week it finally became official. Next season the New Orleans Hornets will become the New Orleans Pelicans. The name and logos were unveiled early Friday morning Australian time.
Although, leading up to the official announcement, the Pelicans rebrand was as bout as well kept of a secret as Dwight Howard having the mental age of a three year old.
I was going to use the ‘act you’re age, not your shoe size’ saying, before realising Dwight probably wears size 27s anyway.
The dominant view among NBA fans outside of New Orleans is that ‘Pelicans’ is a ridiculous name.
I’ll admit that I had similar thoughts when the word first got out months ago. However, should you delve a bit deeper, or at all, into the reasoning behind the rebrand, you’ll see it’s that actually a very good decision.
Pelicans are extremely significant to those in New Orleans and around Louisiana. It’s not only the state bird, but also a reflection of them as people and everything they’ve been through.
In the 1960s, pelicans were on the brink of extinction in Louisiana before recovering so well that they were removed from the endangered species list in 2009.
Just five months later, the most disastrous oil spill in history hit the gulf coast and threatened their existence once more, before they bounced back yet again.
Pelicans in Louisiana fought for their existence and successfully battled back against all odds in the grimmest imaginable circumstances, just like the people of New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina.
You see, folks from New Orleans aren’t ordinary people, and I mean that in the best possible way.
They’re just different.
They are as proud a group of people as you’ll ever meet, proud of where they have come from, proud of their one-of-a-kind city, and proud of bouncing back from unthinkable adversity, further bonding them to their city and to each other.
New Orleans is such a unique place. The physical beauty of the French Quarter, the Garden District, the culture, the jazz, the festivals, the atmosphere. In New Orleans, every day is a celebration of their resilience, of their town, of life in general.
It’s impossible to do the people and the town justice with words, you simply need to go there and experience it to truly understand.
Why am I telling you all this? Well, for a city this unique, for a population this proud, a name like ‘Hornets’, imported from other city, just isn’t going to cut it.
Don’t get me wrong, like so many others I love the Hornets brand.
The colours, the logo and the mascot are great. But it isn’t New Orleans. As a result, most New Orleanians struggle to embrace the team as their own.
The Hornets might technically represent New Orleans now, but they’re still packaged as Charlotte. This isn’t Oklahoma City, a town which craved professional basketball and was willing to support anyone.
‘Hornets’ doesn’t bring out that New Orleans pride. It doesn’t feel like New Orleans’ team, but rather a team that just happens to play in New Orleans.
Additionally, the timing of the Pelicans rebrand couldn’t be more fitting. As well as symbolising New Orleans so beautifully, the identity change will also symbolise a fresh start. The Hornets struggled mightily last season following the loss of Chris Paul.
They’ve also struggled this season in the early stages of their rebuilding process.
However, with the recent additions of Anthony Davis and Ryan Anderson (combined with the return of Eric Gordon), local owner Tom Benson keeping the team in town (allowing fans to know this team is theirs and here to stay), the 2014 All Star Weekend, new sponsorships and TV deal, as well as a highly respected coach and GM in place, every sign suggests this team is on the upswing on and off the court.
Just like the city of New Orleans and the Louisiana pelican species, the team was on the brink of disaster.
Last season, the Hornets had the equal-fourth worst record in the league, and more crucially, no owner and hence a strong threat of leaving town.
Having battled back against the odds like their city and their new namesake before them, they’re back and in great shape. The change to the Pelicans name will symbolise and bookmark the franchise’s dramatic turnaround in the team’s history.
As far as the Pelicans supposedly being the silliest name in the league, Zach Lowe from Grantland put it best. “You’re all mocking the pelicans? Other NBA mascots include a pair of pants; two different weather systems; a large deer; a space rocket; a person who performs magical spells; the act of magic itself; the inanimate net attached to a basketball rim; a music genre; the sun; and a small chunk of gold.”
I know what you’re thinking: “Pelicans is still the worst”. It may seem that way to some because they’re used to all the other wacky names in the NBA. They don’t seem strange at all anymore.
Can you imagine your team being renamed after knickerbockers today? Or magic? Or the long bearded gentlemen who produce it? Crazy names right?
But we’re used to them now, we hear them and rarely bat an eyelid (and when we do it’s usually due to our uncomfortable knickerbockers). As time passes we get used to seemingly weird things, regardless of how strange they seem initially.
Just ask anyone who’s ever met me.
A common comment from fans outside of the Big Easy is that pelicans aren’t intimidating or fearsome. People who’ve read this blog (mind the language) know this isn’t entirely true.
Even if it was, an NBA team mascot being fearsome simply doesn’t matter anyway. Lakers, Celtics, Knicks. Intimidating? Hardly. Great names? Of course.
Hell, lots of people wouldn’t know what each three of those team names even are, and yet they’re three of the most loved names in the NBA.
When asked his favourite thing about the Pelicans rebrand, Chris Trew from Hornets247.com answered: “That not everyone else gets it. I’m being a total New Orleans hipster right now but I don’t care – I think it’s awesome that millions of people think Mardi Gras is about plastic beads and partying but really they just don’t get it.”
“I think it’s awesome that millions of people don’t know that Pelicans are locally significant. It’s so local and anything this local makes us feel stronger about where we live and each other.”
In a more recent article, Trew hit the nail on the head again. “Non-New Orleans folks are still confused by the name Pelicans as if they think the team got in a room and said “what name is awesome, oh Pelicans, good enough, bye” as opposed to “what name is significant to this city?”
While international fans are great, it’s the people in New Orleans and the surrounding regions that the franchise is trying to capture. They’re the people providing crucial support by buying tickets and attending games.
This is for them. Those on the outside may not understand, but this name change will be great for the team and great for New Orleans, and that’s all that matters.
Follow: @nickjungfer
Build your own ultimate team! Pick your key players and take a shot at big cash prizes every day with Draftstars. For great odds on NBA games every day head on over to PlayUp. Imagine what you could be buying instead. Set a deposit limit.
A Serbian, a Canadian, a Slovenian and a Greek fellow walked into a bar … Well, they’ve actually walked into the NBA and now…
Nikola Jokic has scored 32 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead defending NBA champions Denver past LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers…
There will undoubtedly be upset results here and there in the NBA playoffs but there’s an overwhelming sense of fait accompli that Boston will…
LeBron James is going back to the Olympics for the first time in 12 years. Steph Curry is headed to the games for the…
The only realistic threat to Boston’s chances of strolling through the Eastern Conference is a team that could still end up in the play-in…
Australian guards Dante Exum and Josh Giddey have both come up big for their NBA clubs in crucial wins in the lead-in to the…
