Professional Sports Teams That Don’t End In S: The History Behind Them

Professional sports teams that don’t end in “S” are a rarity in the USA but outside of it, you will find that majority of the team don’t end with this letter. Let’s jump into the world of sports and find out more about this.

All Professional Sports Teams That Don’t End In S

Here are all the professional Sports Teams, that Don’t End in S. Keep in mind, these are professional Sports Teams, and we aren’t looking at fourth or fifth division teams. All are well known, highly established, and one of the best in Sports.

Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox was founded in 1901 and is one of the most prestigious basketball team in the world and it is one of the two rare teams in major league baseball whose name doesn’t end with a letter “S” but the letter “X” which mimics the sound of the former.

MLB

Chicago White Sox

The Chicago White Sox have first named the white stocking just like their competitors from Boston who were named the red stockings. But when the American baseball league began both changed their names and replaced stockings with the word sox. This is a standout name and it makes them distinctive from other teams in the league and is one of the few Professional Sports Teams That Don’t End In S in the United States.

Miami Heat

Who doesn’t know Miami Heat? A few years back when they had the likes of Lebron James and other greats alongside them, they were the talk of the town not just in the USA where basketball is a religion but even outside of it where the NBA doesn’t get much viewership. They got their name “Heat” after a lot of brainstorming and were first to be named Miami Suntans, then Miami Floridians but ultimately they settled with Heat.

NBA

Orlando Magic

Walt Disney and his world were one of the biggest attractions in Orlando and it was like a magical little world for everyone. The dream destination of many families around the globe and at that time, in 19786 when the basketball team of Orlando was looking for a name they took inspiration from this magical world and called themselves the Orlando Magic.

Utah Jazz

Utah Jazz was a team from New Orleans in the 1970s and Jazz is the most popular music in that area and thus they called themselves New Orleans Jazz but after 1979 the team went into a financial struggle and to combat that the owner shifted the team to Salk Lake City, Utah and they kept the Jazz name but replaced New Orleans with Utah. Professional Sports Teams That Don’t End In S in the USA are very few and this one has a weird history. The people of Utah know that Jazz has nothing to do with it but still, they are loyal to the team and haven’t a complaint.

Oklahoma City Thunder

In 1967 the city of Seattle had a new representation for them in the basketball arena, the Seattle SuperSonics and it remained a prestigious name for them till the middle of the 21st century. In 2006 the owner at that time Howard Schultz decided to sell the team for $350 million to a group of investors who wanted to shift the team to Oklahoma City from the Key  Arena, but this brought legal issues as the owner was trying to move it by breaking a contract with the local government. Ultimately the government of Seattle was given a whopping $45million by the owner and the team was shifted to Oklahoma and given the name Oklahoma Thunders because of how Oklahoma has roaring thunders and storms.

WNBA

Atlanta Dream

Atalanta is the city where Martin Luther King gave his famous speech and told us about his dream and how it changed the course of American history needs no telling. In 2008 when Atalanta was announcing a name for their women basketball team for the WNBA they were heavily inspired by the speech Martin gave and used it as their name. Some Professional Sports Teams That Don’t End In S has been inspired by history too.

Chicago Sky

When the team was announced in 2005, WNBA Chicago was not very creative and appealing. But in September 2005 they changed the name to Chicago Sky because of the beautiful blue sky and the tall buildings in Chicago. This is something very uncreative and even worse than the previous name because no creative thinking or associating it with something noteworthy from the city was done.

Indiana Fever

The people of Indiana have paid great sacrifices to bring the team into existence and are perceived to be having a fever for basketball. Thus this name was given to them, it does sound like the team is suffering from a disease and not much brainstorming took place before giving them this name.

Connecticut Sun

The team was known as Orlando Miracle but when the new owner Mohegan Sun took over he took the team to Connecticut and called it the Connecticut Sun. The word sun in the name pays tribute to its owner and also the casino that sponsors the team.

New York Liberty

It was founded in 1997 and one of the pioneers of the WNBA in 1997. The name liberty is a reference to America’s most recognized monument, the statue of liberty. The team has achieved many historic feats and some great players have worn their jerseys. The name is simple and has associated itself with what everyone in this city can recognize.

Seattle Storm

The logo to the name depicts the stormy conditions and the generally rainy weather of Seattle. The logo and the jersey are very similar to what the Seattle Supersonics a team that no longer exists in the NBA used to wear.

Minnesota Lynx

The owner of Minnesota Lynx and the Minnesota Timberwolves is the same and they picked the names of both the teams concerning the two most distinct animals from the region. The Timber Wolves were once an endangered species when the team was founded and their women team which was named after the lynx is an animal that is seriously under threat because of global warming. Professional Sports Teams That Don’t End In S also helps in preserving animals.

Phoenix Mercury

In Phoenix, it’s scorching hot during most parts of the year. The city is named after a mythical bird that erupts in flames, so that should tell you why they went with this name. Mercury is also a cancer-causing compound as well as the planet in our solar system closest to the sun, which is, well, pretty hot around, 800 degrees Fahrenheit in the day.

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Colorado Avalanche

Minnesota Wild

Wild was selected in 1998 as a homage to the state’s natural and outdoor heritage. It was kept over other names in the competition like the Blue Ox, Northern Lights, Voyageurs, White Bears, and Freeze. Minnesota has diverse wildlife and has animals like deers, foxes, raccoons, porcupines, minks, weasels, skunks, muskrats, woodchucks, and squirrels. Black bears, moose, elk, wolves, coyotes, lynx, bobcats, otters, and beavers.

Tampa Bay Lightning

Tampa Bay is known as the lightning capital of North America and it is the reason they went with this name in the year 1992. Again we see that most teams in the USA are named with regard to the weather, heritage, and monuments. Tampa Bay is no different and their performance pays homage to the name they have as they are famous for scoring at the speed of lightning.

Atlanta United FC

The city of Atalanta was thought to have very lazy sports fans and the Atalanta United had forecasts around it that indicated ti would doom to fail but the owners made a very clever move by allowing the fans to choose the name, the kit colors, and the way the club operated and this had made them one of the biggest soccer teams in the United States.

Columbus Crew SC

MLS

The 2020 MLS Cup winners and the team with very passionate support. The crew in their name has a lot of importance to the fan and when the club’s hierarchy tried to change the name, there was a huge uproar. In the year 1995, almost 25 years from today. A guy named Luis Orozco suggested the name “crew” which linked the team to the famous voyager Christopher Columbus but as years have passed by the name is now associated with the hard-working community of the mid-west which can be seen even on their logo, which has 3 construction workers.

FC Dallas

FC Dallas before 2005 was known as Dallas Burns. At the time the hot weather of texas and the incident of oil field fires was the reason this name was given to them. Great stars since its inception have played for them including the greatest Mexican footballer of all time Hugo Sanchez, Jason Kreis one of the greatest strikers in the league since its inception, and many more.

Chicago Fire

The great Chicago Fire of 1971 killed many people, which was roughly about 350, and made over 0.1 million people homeless while engulfing a big chunk of the city. O the 126th anniversary of the fire, the Chicago Fire in the MLS came into being, and to pay respect to that event, they picked the name fire. Soccer Professional Sports Teams That Don’t End In S like the NBA and other major sports leagues in the states have great historical reasons behind their names.

 LA Galaxy

LA Galaxy outside of the USA and even in the USA is known to be the team that David Beckham, one of football’s most handsome and recognizable players picked to play for when his tenure in Europe came to an end. The name they picked for the team when the club came into being was Galaxy because of the Hollywood stars that resided in the city and their first mega buy, David Beckham was no less than a Hollywood star.

David Beckham is still famous

Houston Dynamo

After the year 2005, the MLS tried to adopt the European football culture and ditched the names that were American. The Houston Dynamo was originally a team from San Jose and was known as the San Jose Earthquakes but it was moved to the city of Houston and they picked the name Dynamo for it which paid tribute to Dynamo Kyiv an established football club from Europe. The name Dynamo surely has some communist ties and it has come under a lot of scrutinies, the current owner Gabriel Berner is trying to sell the team according to the report, so here is a chance they might drop this name for a new one.

Sporting Kansas City

Prior to 2010, the sporting Kansas city was known as Kansas City Wizards. The club was a very small time and there was a lack of passionate supporters. There was virtually not advancement of making the game of soccer flourish in the city of Kansas but in 2010 the club turned a new direction. Robb Heineman the president of the club took the fans into consideration and with them rebranded the team calling it the Sporting Kansas City. The stadium was renovated, the criticism of the local media was fought and the Kansas City finally had a great football team that is working on the advancement of soccer in the area.

Los Angeles FC

The club came into being only 6 years ago in 2014. The MLS decided to expand the league which it does to spread the game across the USA and the city of Los Angeles was awarded another team. They picked a very simple name which is according to the norms set by the league after 2005 to become more European in nature. In 2020 the team was valued at a whopping $700 million which is very big for a club that is still in its infancy.

D.C. United

The team for which the captain fantastic Wayne Rooney recently played and is known to be one of the grittiest teams in the league. When the club came into existence in 1994, there were two teams in England. Leeds United and Manchester United were fighting for the biggest title in English Football day in and day out and they took inspiration from them. Fast forward 24 years and one of the biggest stars to have played for Manchester United, their captain Wayne Rooney came and played for DC United. This shows how far they have come from mimicking their name to grabbing one of the biggest stars from their league.

Wayne Rooney

Minnesota United FC

In 2013 the NSC Minnesota Stars changed their name to Minnesota United FC making them a Professional Sports Teams That Don’t End In S and their rebrand started. Before joining the MLS they played in the NASL in 2011 which was the relaunch of the historical NASL which for many years was the top tier soccer league of the United States but after this folding due to a bad financial structure, the NSC Minnesota Stars changed their name to Minnesota United FC and eventually joined the MLS but they ran into legal issues with DC. United had tried to build a brand around the name United for many years but till now there has not been any major advancement in the case.

New England Revolution

The region of New England led the American Revolution to great success and eventually it was one of the major reasons for the revolution reaching its aims. The New England Revolution thus pays a levy to the sacrifices of the region in that historical event.

New York City FC

The club is part of the famous Etihad group who owns many mega teams around the club, including Manchester City. the finalists for the greatest price in Europe, the champions league. Greatest stars like Frank Lampard, Pirlo, and David Villa have played for this club. The name was picked before the takeover from the Etihad group and was named the New York City FC. The then-president Chance Michaels said this team will power the footballing culture in the city like the third rail powers the city.

Orlando City SC

There is not much history behind the name but the club was indicted in the MLS in the year 2013 and since the early 2000’s they are the first team to play from the region of Florida and Tampa Bay in the MLS and are doing really unlike its predecessors who folded.

Club de Foot Montreal — or CF Montreal

The club was formerly known as the Montreal Impact but the owners decided to change the name and logo of the club which saw big backlash. The owner and the ultras (the most violent and passionate fans of a club) went head to head and there was huge displeasure but the owner said ti will be good for the brand and the team will go ahead in the latest season of MLS to play with the new name. The crest of the club has given a huge salute to the 1976 Montreal Olympics and the 1976 expo.

Real Salt Lake

In 2004 the city of UTAH was awarded their MLS team and picked the name “Real”. Which pays homage to the greatest club in the history of European football and probably the most recognized club worldwide. For which the likes of Hugo Sanchez, Alfred Di Stefano, Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ronaldo, and Puskas played. One of the other reasons they took picked this name was because in 2004 Real Madrid was splashing money like crazy and most megastars in Europe played for them. The word “Real” is not the English word, which means genuine, it is a Spanish word for royal.

Philadelphia Union

The Thirteen Colonies Union, of which Philadelphia was the first capital, is reflected in the Philadelphia Union. Philadelphia’s extensive colonial heritage and crucial role in the formation of the United States Of America is incorporated into the club’s name and crest.

Toronto FC

In 2006 the club was founded and via an online poll, the name was chosen by over 40% of the fans. The name gave them a great start according to the stakeholder at that time. As it was deep-rooted with the actual football that was being played in Europe and it was easy for the fans to set a nickname for them. The MLS at that time wanted to create their own sporting culture instead of copying the other American Sports and this name reflected the aims of the MLS.

Conclusion

Sports teams and their names have changed over time in the United States because of the will of the owner, the new culture introduced by the league, or because the fans wanted it. The majority of them don’t end with the letter “S” but we had digged deep to get you the most notable ones that end with other letters.

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