Less than six months before it comes back to life, the XFL revealed the nicknames and logos of its first eight franchises Wednesday.
It is a big step for Vince McMahon’s professional football league that is scheduled to debut in February 2020 after the NFL’s Super Bowl.
The eight franchises and nicknames are:
- Dallas Renegades
- Houston Roughnecks
- Los Angeles Wildcats
- New York Guardians
- St. Louis BattleHawks
- Seattle Dragons
- Tampa Bay Vipers
- Washington Defenders
“The XFL is about football and fun, and our team identities are intended to signify that,” said XFL President and COO Jeffrey Pollack. “Now it’s up to our fans and players to help write the story.
“What happens on the field and in the community, in the years ahead, will determine the true spirit of each team.”
Odds are the newest incarnation of the XFL (the original version in 2001 lasted just one year before it folded) won’t be around for too long as it attempts to find a large enough audience that is capable and willing to support the new league — both emotionally and, more importantly, financially.
So while it’s here, I’ll give XFL officials some praise for some of the nicknames they’ve come up with. Most of the logos, on the other hand, leave a lot to be desired.
New York’s nickname, Guardians, and its dark logo make me instantly think of Gotham and the team’s identity of being ‘watchdogs over the metropolis’ is kinda cool.
While New York may have the best combination of nickname and logo, the Dallas Renegades have the best logo, a menacing-looking cowboy that plays to the franchise’s identity of ‘where big meets bold meets badass.’ Now tell me who doesn’t want to cheer on that team?
The best nickname belongs to the St. Louis BattleHawks. I’m not sure what a battlehawk is, but any nickname with the word hawk (Blackhawks, Seahawks, Jayhawks) works for me.
That’s the good. Now for the bad, and there’s plenty of it.
WATCH: XFL announces franchises, stadium locations
As a whole, the XFL’s team logos are just bad. While three teams (Dallas, Houston Roughnecks, New York Guardians) get a passing grade, the five other teams should go back to the drawing board.
At the bottom of the heap is Los Angeles and Tampa Bay. The L.A. Wildcats’ attempt to stylize the letters L and A into a memorable logo fell awfully flat. The Vipers’ logo may be the saddest thing I’ve ever seen.
A green and yellow letter V? Worst. Logo. Ever.
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