The Los Angeles Clippers shouldn’t change their name, but if they did…
By Jason Reed
We already know that the Los Angeles Clippers are moving to a brand new arena in 2024 and might be adopting a new name as well.
Los Angeles Clippers fans were thrilled when it was announced by Clippers owner Steve Ballmer that the team would be moving to its own Inglewood arena in 2024. Finally, a state of the art arena that the team does not have to share with the Lakers.
However, fans were less thrilled when Ballmer also toyed with the idea of changing the name of the team, indicated that this is a new page in the franchise’s history.
And while a lot of die-hard fans may be against the name change, it would make sense for the team to want to take a more LA-based named. The Clippers name has San Diego roots, as it represents the sailing ships that based through the San Diego Bay (per Clippers.com).
On the other hand, though, the Los Angeles Lakers were named after all of the Lakers in Minnesota and that name has not changed and has become more iconic in LA, but whatever.
There are so many die-hard fans that have stuck with the team no matter what that do not want to see this change. So while the Clippers name might seem silly now, it has adopted new a new meaning with the fanbase.
But if the Los Angeles Clippers really want to nail the LA-based name then they have to truly represent the city of Los Angeles and the team’s fans.
Inspired by The Ringer’s article, in which they came up with 11 new names for the Clippers, here are some of our name-change suggestions.
The Los Angeles Records
The Capitol Records building is one of the most iconic buildings in Los Angeles and Capitol Records itself was groundbreaking as the first major record company on the West Coast.
People love their music and Steve Ballmer loves to talk about how this is a new era of the franchise, so why not name it the records and hope the team sets some along the way.
The Los Angeles Coyotes
I mean, if I am being completely honest, this name does sound kind of lame as the Arizona Coyotes might be the only team to pull off the Coyote moniker. And even that is a questionable statement.
However, LA is known for having a lot of Coyotes and if Ballmer wants to go with an animal name that is accurate then this might be the best one.
Just think about it, Kawhi Leonard goes up and finishes with a ferocious dunk and the entire arena howls like a coyote.
Did I lose you…? Next.
The Los Angeles Metro
This name actually is pretty unique and is relatable to not just Los Angeles but a lot of people in Southern California. The Metrolink is Southern California’s attempt at public transportation and would be in line with the Clippers being named after ships, or the Dodgers being named after dodging trolly cars.
It also has some metropolitan feel as Los Angeles is the second-largest metropolitan city in the United States.
The one drawback of this name is that every time I would hear this name I would think that the team played in Metro City, the home of Megamind and Metro Man. But then again, Ballmer would love being able to call himself the Metro Man.
The Los Angeles Pobladores
I realized how little I actually know about the history of Los Angeles, which might be an indication of the public school system growing up or the fact that I actually live about an hour and a half outside of LA.
After doing some research on old reliable (Wikipedia, don’t judge), I discovered that the original 44 settlers that founded Los Angeles are dubbed the Los Angeles Pobladores, which translates to townspeople in English.
‘Townspeople’ seems kind of like a lame name for a city that is anything but a town — but Pobladores? Pretty cool, not going to lie.
The Los Angeles Commuters
Finally, if the Los Angeles Clippers want to save some money and keep the same acronym and target the people of Los Angeles at the same time, the Los Angeles Commuters would be a fitting name.
Everything is a commute in Los Angeles, whether you are going 40 miles or four miles. LA is notorious for its traffic, making every citizen a commuter in their own regard.
When we have self-driving cars in 50 years it might seem as out of touch as the Dodgers being the Dodgers for trolly cars, but hey, by then the name will hopefully have enough legacy behind it to stay.
Next. The overlooked impact of the new arena. dark
Chances are the Los Angeles Clippers will not change their name after all and the fans that want the name to remain the same will rejoice. Heck, we wouldn’t mind not changing either, as it means we don’t have to build up the SEO for “Los Angeles Commuters”.