One of the most beloved teams in Australian basketball are changing their stripes and the response has been savage.
The Melbourne Tigers – four-time champions and synonymous with Australian basketball’s first family the Gazes – will become Melbourne United for the upcoming NBL season.
Club owners Larry Kestelman and Michael Slepoy announced the move on Tuesday, which comes despite massive fan opposition.
In the doldrums two years ago, the club has taken a northwards trajectory under Kestelman and Slepoy, who is also leaving as chief executive in favour of Vince Crivelli.
“When we took over we had a grand total of 400 members, not a lot of interest from media or the basketball community,” Kestelman said.
“We found it very difficult to unite the basketball community behind the Melbourne Tigers brand.
“The only way we could see it going forward is to believe united, to live united and to be united as a basketball community.”
The immediate response from many Tigers fans was vitriolic.
On the team’s Facebook site, which was also “rebranded” as Kestelman spoke, the most supported comment read “DISGUSTING. You have alienated EVERY basketball fan in Victoria… You have united us AGAINST you.”
Club legend Lanard Copeland said he was gutted.
“It’s for financial gain,” he said.
“It makes you sick to your stomach.”
Kestelman claimed the support of the league and of Andrew Gaze for the move, although Gaze told SEN Radio on Tuesday that he was “extremely disappointed” to lose the Tigers from the league.
“It’s not without logic but it’s flawed, and I don’t agree with it and it’s gut-wrenching,” Gaze said.
It seems the club is intent on total Victorian domination – though it risks the wrath of Tigers faithful picked up on their 30-year NBL journey.
The rebrand borrows heavily from soccer language – United is a traditional soccer moniker – and stylistically seems to be based on A-League side Melbourne Victory.
As the sole Victorian club, United has also taken on the state colours of navy and white as Victory did a decade ago with the birth of the A-League.
Saying he felt basketball was stronger than every other sport at a junior level, Kestelman used an Australian rules metaphor to make the case for the United name.
“To us it was like every AFL club that was here disappeared and we were left with one club, be it North Melbourne, it would be very hard for every other supporter to be a strong barracker.”
Expecting the negative sentiment, Kestelman said after the new colours, name and logo comes the sell-job.
“When it’s a surprise to people, unless they understand the full vision… we don’t expect them to just believe us at the first glance.
“We’re prepared to work hard to earn their respect.
“We’re not here to forget the legacy of the Melbourne Tigers.”
Seanoinc
Guest
The NBL has enough trouble being taken seriously without the atrocious name change to one of their iconic teams. United? Seriously? Basket popularity is biggest in NBA, and it's an americanised culture they have to replicate because that's what will draw the fans. "Tigers" is what they would expect. "United"......WTF IS THIS SOCCER?
Nth Melb Giants Fan
Guest
They need to go back and look at history. I am a North Melbourne Giants fan and always will be. We all know the history of what happened to them when they rebranded....... where are they now? Changing a name & colours creates a new club which doesn't necessarily carry over existing members and passion. My friends and I would travel interstate to watch the Giants play, tried to go to a few Titans games but it just wasn't the same and I no longer follow any NBL team. If I show any interest its for the Tigers, certainly will never be for United......
Johnno
Guest
Heck this isn't soccer. Basketball teams never call there teams United. Im not sure even any Euro basket teams, call themselves United. This name is too Soccer. Manchester city are coming too Melbourne via the Melbourne Heart, not Man United. Stone the crows as Alf Stewart would say. What's funny with all this name change, was this name was designed by the new owners after so called expert market research with the view that there'd be no 2nd Melbourne team too unite Melbourne and the United team made sense. The NBL ceo yesterday said talks are still afloat with investors to have a 2nd Melbourne team get a licence. Hearing Andrew Gaze and Lindsay Gaze on the radio yesterday was interesting. Lindsay Gaze, made a good point about the old Melbourne Church team, which transfered and re-branded too the Melbourne tigers. In the 1970's in 1975 Melb Church changed to the Melbourne tigers. The in 1984 entered the NBL for 30 years of history good and bad times. But Lindsay Gaze said, when they changed to the Tigers there was alot of opposition in Melbourne, as many saw it as a sell out. But Lindsay, made the good point after, that back then Melbourne church was a community club transferring into a semi-pro comp, unlike todays times where it's a pro comp team re-branding into another pro-comp team. The Victoria Titans never worked(SE Magic/North Melb Giants), sad the SE Magic went, the old SE Melbourne specteres, were rebranded the SE Magic. But this doesn't feel right. This is such an old heritage club, with such strong links to it's past before it became the Melbourne tigers. The Melbourne Tigers a few years back re-changed there uniform to recognise the old Melb Church club more. This is a sell-out. Maybe it's not quite so much the boston celtics, reb-branding, shock horror at that thought. But maybe the new Melb United owners, should look at the Cardiff City Blue-Birds, in re-branding disasters. They went from blue shirts to red shirts, to attract the Asian market, as red is a very popular colour in Asia, the Malaysian owner wanted. All that history wiped away. Outraged supporters have given him stick ever since. Now he's thinking of going back to the traditonal blue shirt. Yes pro sport evolves, and changes, but not change for change sake is good, and also changes can cause mistakes, hence not change for change sake. And the Melb Unite market research has been flawed. They say Melb Tigers fans, are like "where are they" no crowds, theyv'e left the game etc like state cricket fans, well that's the whole NBL. Only this year has the NBL picked up again. Perth Wildcats the runaway success story of the NBL revival. The old NBL halcyon days were great, but basketball is back on the up, big junior base. The Melb tigers junior teams will still stay. Next NBL TV deal will be bigger, and losing an Iconic NBL brand hurts the NBL. Just look at Brisbane Bullets The NBL won't be the same until a Brisbane team comes back, and preferably the iconic Birsbane Bullets. A Tassie team is being looked at. But with the Perth Wildcats,Sydney Kings, I thought the Melbourne Tigers had strong brand sticking power, big mistake from the new Melb United owners. Alot of Victorian and Melb Tigers basketball fans , will feel isolated from the game, big mistake this, I hope this teams works out though, but I see it being another Melb Heart, not representing anything, and it's too soccer in it's name anyway.