Sorry little lady, but your Sonics are gone.
Sure, that is old news. As is the fact that the former Seattle Super Sonics had to leave the name, trademark, and colors in Seattle when they turned out the lights for the last time. What's new out of the team's new home, though, is the six finalist for the new team name.
OKC has filed for trademark rights with the league for the names that made the latest cut: the Barons, the Bison, the Energy, the Marshalls, the Thunder, or the Wind.
First and foremost, where is the swagger behind the Wind? Sure there are names in the league that do not merit any sort of latent aggression (See: Nuggets, Knickerbockers, and Pistons) but the Wind? Sounds more like a name more suited for the WNBA.
The Energy could create some hype I suppose. It's possible to get revved up about the word "energy"
. That word leaves the door open for all kinds of marketing schemes and mascot possibilites, but again, it is awfully similar to some WNBA monikers like the Indiana Fever or the Detroit Shock.
The Marshalls and the Barons are popular choices as they connect the history of the area to the new team, but lack a modern flair. The word baron is found more commonly in grocery store frozen pizza aisles than in daily conversations, and unless someone is discussing the latest happenings (and criminal accusations) with Brandon Marshall of the Denver Broncos you aren't likely to hear that one either.
I would like to throw a name in the hat. The Oklahoma City Mustangs. Oklahoma was once considered part of the Wild West when the west was still wild, and mustangs are the symbolic figure of that untamed spirit; A force that cannot be controlled and never goes down without a fight.
Sounds nice for a team that will need to fight nightly to identify itself as a contender in the Western Conference, does it not?
Of all the possibilities out there, and for a team that has been given a new start in every aspect of the team dynamic, the six that OKC settled on are hardly symbolic of the city, let alone of their people. Add some fire and power to the name of the team. Push the fans and city toward a fiery first season by using a title that defines the soul of the city.
Wind? Energy? Bison? C'mon. Light the fire.
