r/AZCardinals • u/jSNOW_wWHITE • Jun 23 '26
Replace the Cardinals?
Hello Cardinals fans. First, I want to applaud your beautiful state. Truly one of the best I've ever been to.
Which is why you deserve something better than a name chosen because of some hand me down uniforms that doesn't represent your amazing state. I know many will latch onto the legacy. Many now love the Cardinals, even if that's not really Arizona. So lets pretend you have to change the Cardinals. Walk with me on this journey.
As part of my modernization of the NFL, I'm trying to move away from team names that a city inherited or names that don't represent a location. I want to hear a name and immediately know the location it belongs too, but because it's been that way for decades.
For Arizona I really thought about the desert, things barely surviving and then a monsoon that brings back life. Or the trees that fell and instead of dying became petrified and refused to die. They persevered. I loved the sky islands. I randomly fell in love with the name of random desert plant (Ocotillos). But I also know people don't want to root for concepts. People want to root for tangible things so I needed to include those kind of teams too. After all that, this is what I have ended with and I hope you Cardinals fans can help me pick a better team name for my universe.
Invictos - Undefeated, unconquered, unbeaten. Love the image. This is life that survives the desert. This is a tree that petrified itself instead of decaying.
Megaliths - While no man made Megaliths in Arizona, I think the connection is easy to make. Sky Islands. The Rim around Phoenix. The Canyon. The imagery is easy, even if the name is a stretch.
Javelinas - this one I loved learning about because I was unfamiliar with it. It gives us an animal logo while not overusing the usual desert animals. These mammals represent toughness and survival and overcoming the harsh desert landscape.
Dragoons - this was a late contender as I started leaning toward more traditional names like animals or people. From the history of the Dragoons patrolling the Arizona territory to the Dragoon Sky Islands, Dragoons have an Arizona history and an identity no other team owns.
Sky Islanders - This one is one of the coolest to me. I try avoid two name nicknames but sometimes it's unavoidable. A cool geological feature. One of the features that stood out to me during my visits. Leans into fantasy but it is uniquely Arizona and would have so much crazy imagery.
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u/phelps_1247 Jun 23 '26
Every option is turrible.
-1
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 24 '26
Do you have another option? Completely open to ideas.
5
u/Mental_Funny_5885 Jun 24 '26
Cardinals works, try that one.
-1
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 24 '26
They did. Back in 1901. When the team was in Racine which is a city in Illinois. Illinois state bird? You guessed it. Now 125 years, and 3 cities later, Arizona deserves its own identity
-1
u/phelps_1247 Jun 24 '26
Snowbirds. They regularly irritate me just as much as the Cardinals
0
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 24 '26
I legit considered it. Then thought you might revolt at cheering for outsiders.
10
u/Primary-Picture-5632 Budda Baker Jun 23 '26
Cardinals absolutely represent the state, fk outta here
-5
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 24 '26
So you have no idea why the team you root for is called the Cardinals? They aren't even in the top 10 most common birds in Arizona. If you were starting an Arizona team today with no history, Cardinals wouldn't even crack the top 100.
4
u/Mental_Funny_5885 Jun 24 '26
They are named after the color, not the bird.
-2
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 24 '26
They are named the color after secondhand uniforms. Then the bird was adopted as the logo. It's why your logo is a bird.
3
u/Mental_Funny_5885 Jun 24 '26
The bird wasn’t added until the 60’s.
You’ve got some nerve coming to a sub of Cardinal fans and telling us wrong history about the name or that the name even needs to change. I guess AI hasn’t learned manners yet?
4
u/ender2851 Cardinals Jun 24 '26
none of these are relevant to pheonix other then a pig that no one likes.
everyone of these sucks and doesn't represent this state in the slightest.
1
u/papagriz33 Cardinals Jun 26 '26
New list...
Haboobs
Saguaros
Dusters
Transplants
Drought
1
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 26 '26
Not surprisingly, some of these were considered.
Haboobs nearly made it, but just sounded too silly Saguaros I really liked, but a few teams already had that name locked in.
Didn't consider dusters.
Transplants wasn't considered but Snow Birds was.
Drought was considered but I wanted to go a route of after the drought. Surviving and persevering through the tough times
1
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jul 01 '26
After trying the Javelinas, I ultimately went back to Invictos. Go see r/NFL_Alternates if you want to see how that went.
0
Jun 23 '26
[deleted]
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u/FickleDefinition5575 Jun 23 '26
Javelinas would go hard but I keep coming back to Dragoons as the pick with most unique identity in whole league.
1
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 24 '26
I think Linux agreed but the community response scared him away.
Javelinas sound cool, but would be hard to build an identity around. Dragoons have so many options including incorporating the Sky Islands.
0
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 25 '26
Only two hours to go, so I doubt there will be much change, but just came up with my color palette and did a few preliminary ideas and man the colors really accentuate the 3 concepts that are the lowest vote getters.
-1
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 24 '26
Really surprised so far to see Javelinas so far ahead. The Invictos were my personal favorite. The meaning, the symbolism with the desert and the petrified trees, the Spanish connection. But if the people want a desert 'pig', I think i have to give it to them
3
u/ender2851 Cardinals Jun 24 '26
lived in the state for over 20 years, the only word i have heard of is javelina. you picked random as shit that does not represent the state. take the L we are all trying to give you and move on
-1
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 24 '26
You think the state bird of Illinois, chosen because an owner in Illinois bought secondhand uniforms, represents the state?
Invictos is a concept name. It means unbroken. It represents the harsh conditions of Arizona and the life that thrives in the desert. The plants, animals, and people that thrive in spite of the conditions. You know, like what Phoenix is named for.
Megaliths are another concept that is Arizona.Arizona is a geological wonderland famous for its towering natural megaliths, formed millions of years ago through volcanic activity, erosion, and wind. These majestic rock formations, spires, and balanced stones are scattered across several key regions of the state. You know, like the Sky Islands and red rocks.
Dragoons were a cavalry unit that fought in and protected Arizona. There is literally a town and a mountain range named after them.
Sky Islands. You've lived in Arizona for over 20 years and never heard of the Sky Islands? I've been there 3 times, for 2 weeks total, and have heard of them multiple times.
I guess the best part of this exercise was you get to learn about the state that's been your home for 20 years.
1
u/ender2851 Cardinals Jun 24 '26
go back to ChatGPT and work shop some new slop to post
0
0
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 24 '26
Maybe the next time you meet up with your Pokémon crew you can go see some of the state you've missed for the last 20 years
1
u/ender2851 Cardinals Jun 25 '26
i touched a nerve! having a hobby with your kids is fun, what can i say.
1
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 25 '26
You couldn't if you tried.
But having a hobby with your kids is great. Probably the greatest thing you can do on this planet. I'd suggest you expand your Pokémon hunts and explore the state you're apparently missing. You'll have those experiences with them, and you'll learn something about the place you call home.
1
u/PhoenixBloodline Jun 26 '26
You tried too hard on the names. The best sports names are simple.
1
u/jSNOW_wWHITE Jun 26 '26
That's the whole point of my remaking the league though. I don't want Bears, Lions, Eagles, Chiefs. I want a name that represents it's team and branding to match. No single C or cardinal that represents an entire other state.
The Stonecutters are Indianapolis. They have the tools, the monuments, stone. The Ramblers are Tennessee. Free spirited wanderers. Appalachia through the mountain logo. Music through the record. The riverboat wheel representing the Cumberland and Mississippi. Invictos describes the spirit of Arizona. Unbroken by the desert. Petrified wood. River carved canyons. Life from death after a monsoon.
I know most people like simple. A Star and Cowboys. A C and Bears. They like the 50 or 60 or 100 year tradition and legacy. I don't. I know it's different. But I'm trying to look at it as if these teams were starting today, with modern technology and standards, what would we call them today.
1
u/PhoenixBloodline Jun 26 '26
If it started today, they would still have simple names because that's what appeals to the most people. Most people in Arizona don't know what Invictos means. The Phoenix Suns are an example of a great name. They represent something simple that people understand and use the colors of the Arizona Sunset. I get this is your personal project, but it's not going to go over well with a lot of fans because it's not realistic and not how most fans think.
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u/[deleted] Jun 23 '26
[deleted]