DNB Forever...Raptors Forever?

There has been a lot of talk of change this off-season and we have seen quite a bit of it to this point. That said the idea of re-branding the Raptors and giving them a different name is not one of the ones I really care for. There are the obvious personal issues of having personally built a brand called the Dino Nation Blog. I am not changing it regardless of if the Raptors follow through and become the Huskies or whatever else they might choose to be. The last 18 years have been far from great and the bad memories likely out weigh the good. That said, your history is what it is and no new name or colour scheme can hide you from that reality. Not to mention existing NBA franchises that have names that don’t make any sense since franchises have moved from the L.A Lakers to the Utah Jazz, or to a more modern example of the Grizzlies in Memphis.

The fact the Hornets will now be called Pelicans is not going to convince a fan in New Orleans to go to basketball game. What convinces fans to go to a basketball game or watch them is as it always has been to win games and give fans hope. New names do not inspire hope and they don’t change anything. Ask the former Washington Bullets how much success they have had since going over to Wizards? This is aside from selling a lot of uniforms with Jordan not a heck of a lot.

How about our mascot the Raptor himself, Sure it is a guy in that suit and he could be no doubt the same entertainer as a Husky Dog, A Beaver, or whatever else he might become. For 18 years he has been a Raptor and I like him just the way he is. If the Huskies win a championship it will not seem the same as if the Raptors did. It will white wash away all the struggles that we have endured.

Your history is what it is. At the time the name Raptors was chosen and you live with it. There is no question all holy hell would be going on if this conversation was about the Toronto Maple Leafs. They have a losing history that dates back to 1967 maybe they should get a new name? That is ridiculous isn’t it, one of the most iconic brands in hockey, how could you even suggest such sacrilege. It is to make a point that as much as you may have an established brand it doesn’t make you a winner based on it. While changing your brand offers you nothing after the initial buzz of selling new merchandise and a few years of your crowd looking like they support two different teams.

You may not like the Raptors name; it really doesn’t matter at this point. This is who they are and to change it at this point spits on every memory they have created both good and bad since 1994 when the name was announced. If you had a beef, that was the time to act in 1994 not now.

If you disagree and can’t wait to give MLSE money for some fresh Huskies or whatever they become you will have to wait even if they did decide to make a name change. The process which also does have to be approved by the NBA takes roughly 18 months from when the league is informed. That is why the Hornets still might be a year away for the people of Charlotte. Speaking of Charlotte how are those new branded and new franchise Bobcats doing. Right, not so well are they. Again it is not about the name of the team it is about the results the players in those uniforms are able to produce.

Some people may have given in and call Ron Artest by Metta World Peace. I am not one of them. True legally he changed his name but for me he will be forever Ron Artest.

You might think this is odd coming from the wrestling fan that most are aware that I am. After all Joe Henning the son of Mr Perfect Curt Henning is working on what is his third character name of Curtis Axel. While the man we all know as HHH aka Paul Lesveque was once upon a time Terror Risin. We could list off 100 of these with many examples. The point being a name in wrestling only lasts as long as the gimmick is getting over and once it doesn’t they look to tweak it or tell you to go home for 3 months and come back with a whole new persona. Still fans remember who you were regardless, as Kane will always have to live with before he was a masked monster and the Big Red Machine he was Isaac Yankem the demented dentist of The King Jerry Lawler.

In wrestling you are expected to suspend your disbelief, like your asked to do in movies or television. That is why they coined the phrase sports entertainment after all. While the NBA is entertainment as well it is a sport first and in sports we are expecting something legit on the level. It would be foolish if say Andrea Bargnani changed his name to Bruno Marela. We would still know who he was and would not like him. The Raptors will still be how they are too.

What we all want at the end of the day is to be calling them….WINNERS and when you win that makes names like Raptors not so important.

Oh and if you had a tattoo of the team made in the last 18 years I am sure that MLSE will be happy to pay for the removal costs but the pain and suffering is on you. No they won't? Well there is that new show on T.V called Tattoo Nightmares maybe they can help you out.