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1. The year is 1994, Toronto has been awarded an NBA franchise, and The Star and CFRB 1010 are running a name the team contest…
2. In April, after about a month, this list of names was posted, from which ten were randomly selected for voting.
3. Spielberg’s Jurassic Park had been released the previous summer, and dinosaurs were a thing.
On that theme, I always thought this proposed name was funny.
#TorontoSaurusRex
On that theme, I always thought this proposed name was funny.
#TorontoSaurusRex
4. Also, yikes!
5. Here are the ten names that were short-listed:
Beavers
Bobcats
Dragons
Grizzlies
Hogs
Raptors
Scorpions
T-Rex
Tarantulas
Terriers
Beavers
Bobcats
Dragons
Grizzlies
Hogs
Raptors
Scorpions
T-Rex
Tarantulas
Terriers
6. Full disclosure: I once had a Yorkie, and I loved that dog, but I’m glad I’m not currently cheering for the Terriers…
7. Rumour had it that the NBA marketing officials preferred Dragons, but we know how things turned out...
8. The Star’s Garth Woolsey had the right take:
“The thing about a team name is that people have to grow into it. It has to become their own; it has to gain a look and a feel, a history, an image, an attitude; they have to become fans.”
“The thing about a team name is that people have to grow into it. It has to become their own; it has to gain a look and a feel, a history, an image, an attitude; they have to become fans.”
9. …and here we are, 25 years later, watching that process continue; a team name becoming indelibly linked with players, events, and the personal & shared experiences of fandom. A richer history, by the day.
Enjoy the next few weeks!
#LetsGoRaptors
Enjoy the next few weeks!
#LetsGoRaptors
(my favourite thing about this thread has been people’s reactions to the names that weren’t chosen)
...and there also clearly remains much 
for John Candy.
for John Candy.
10. I learned a few new things:
As many suspected, based on the varied quality of proposed names in the larger list, the final top 10 was NOT the product of random selection, but was rather decided upon by judges.
As many suspected, based on the varied quality of proposed names in the larger list, the final top 10 was NOT the product of random selection, but was rather decided upon by judges.
11. Part of the due diligence seems to have been (understandably) ensuring the 10 final names were legally available.
All 10 finalists were also focus-grouped and run through a design process.
All 10 finalists were also focus-grouped and run through a design process.
12. Gallup Canada ran a survey that found ‘Beavers’ to be the most preferred of the 10 finalists for a new NBA team name.
The Gallup survey, however, was based on interviews with respondents 18 years and older...
The Gallup survey, however, was based on interviews with respondents 18 years and older...
13. ...the actual voting process, however, was geared towards those under 18. Only they were eligible for prizes, and their ballots were more heavily weighted.
Thus, Raptors and Dragons.
Thus, Raptors and Dragons.
14. I also like this Globe & Mail piece, providing odds for each of the ten finalists, and briefly discussing each name.
15. So, a team name voted on by youth, and selected for its marketability to youth. Nothing wrong with that, and over time it’s certainly come into its own.
Here are the full articles from which I just posted excerpts.
Here are the full articles from which I just posted excerpts.
