[Towered]

I've always thought Raptors was a stupid name, and I blame Spielberg and the zeitgeist-chasing Bitove for putting that into our nomenclature.

Look at the other NBA team names: Bucks, Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Clippers, Grizzlies, Hawks, Heat, Jazz, Kings, Lakers, Mavericks, Nets, Knicks, Pacers, Pelicans, Pistons, Rockets, Suns, Spurs, Thunder, Timberwolves, Blazers, Warriors, Wizards, 76ers, Hornets, Magic, Nuggets. There are some other bad ones, what's a Nugget? Denver's team name was chosen by a contest... which is how you end up with Boaty McBoat Face. But there are others that are evocative, like the Pistons, Rockets, and Bulls.

Apparently Toronto was also considering the name T-Rex, which would have been even worse.

I don't mind Nuggets that much really - it's different than everything else at least by romanticizing the gold rush (or uh, breaded chicken chunks)!

 

[SubHuman]

I've always thought Raptors was a stupid name, and I blame Spielberg and the zeitgeist-chasing Bitove for putting that into our nomenclature...

"Raptor" can refer to a bird of prey, and not necessarily a dinosaur, although the team's logos have always made the dinosaur connection.
A lot of teams have carnivorous predator names, including mustelids like wolverines and badgers, yet I've never heard of a team calling itself "weasels". Weasels were used as symbols on coat of arms (in a manner similar to lions and bears), I suppose before the negative connotation arose in modern English speaking areas.

 

[Jonny5]

Too bad this one is already taken by a minor league baseball team in the US.

Rocket City Trash Pandas Unveil Full 2024 Schedule

The Rocket City Trash Pandas are excited to reveal the schedule for the 2024 Southern League season. The fourth season in Rocket City history will open on the road on Friday, April 5 at Tennessee before Opening Night at Toyota Field, scheduled for Tuesday, April 9 against the Birmingham Barons.

www.milb.com