New NBA nomination: Spiders
Maybe you’ve read my column about Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti. I twice referred to the team as the Durantulas, a tribute to budding star Kevin Durant and to Sports Illustrated’s Dan Patrick, whose radio listeners came up with the name.
The Durantulas inspired me. Here’s my latest idea for Oklahoma City’s NBA nickname: Spiders. Stay with me.
No, Spiders does not tie in with Oklahoma culture, other than the fact that we have spiders, like most every place south of Duluth. And any elaborate marketing plan that included real spiders would turn off the arachnophobia crowd, of which my wife is a charter member.
But otherwise, Spiders is a cool name. You could do a cool mascot. And better yet, the uniform potential is limitless. Pinstripe lines going in all directions, forming a weblike design. I didn’t describe that very well, and I’m no graphic artist, but I think you give Spiders to a uniform maker, and they will produce some cool threads.
Now that I think about it, the name is a tribute to some Oklahoma history. The Guthrie Black Spiders were a Negro Leagues team more than 50 years ago, and Guthrie still hosts the Oklahoma Negro League reunion each summer.
Now that I think about it, the Negro Leagues in baseball are a rich treasure of potential names. Here are some examples.
Black Barons (Birmingham): Some believe Barons is the favorite in OKC.
Grays (Homestead): The Reds, the Blues, the Browns all are long-time major-league franchises. Some have suggested Black Gold, which I don’t like but which would tie in with Oklahoma’s oil industry as well as follow in the history of sports teams named after colors.
Elite Giants (Baltimore), Royal Giants (Brooklyn), American Giants (Chicago): Hadn’t really thought about an adjective in front of a nickname, and I can’t really find a good reason to do it in OKC, though these names all are cool.
Monarchs (Kansas City): An elegant, historic name that KC should have adopted for its Royals in 1969. So what about OKC’s history? In baseball, the Indians, 89ers and RedHawks. In hockey, the Blazers and Stars. In football, the Wranglers, the Twisters, the Drillers, the Yard Dawgz, the Bullfrogs, the Mustangs. Mustangs has been frequently mentioned and isn’t half bad; the 89ers always has been a quality nickname but might not pass the American Indian test.
Potomocs (Wilmington, Del.): Name a team after a river? I’ve heard a lot worse than the Oklahoma City Cimarrons. It’s got a western feel to it.
Clowns (Indianapolis): Uh, I don’t think this one will fly.
Spiders it is. Let’s go Durantulas.
-------------Berry Tramel can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including AM-640 and FM-98.1. You can e-mail him here and follow him on Twitter @BerryTramel. Visit Berry's website here.
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Comments
Can’t believe it but I like the spiders. Only because of what you said of the unies. Given to the right graphics guy they could be amazing.
I’m just not real big on things that have to tie in totally with our state. I’m with you on black gold… lame. I think copperheads or barons is silly too. We are gonna get blasted by the national media regardless so we don’t want to help fuel the fire with something like “Oklahoma City Trailer Parks”. I guess it could have a picture of a trailer house with some kids in diapers playing in the dirt and then a tornado in the distance.
Durantulas is very clever, ought to excite the rest of the team! As fine as Black Barons is, historically, Robber Barons seems apropos today. Copperheads, while unique, points thoughts towards the ownership group of metal-heads, here and afar. So why not!
Its too bad we can’t have a Native American tie-in. We can be proud of the tribes represented in the state (even if the displacement was a tragic beginning). Driving by the Capitol building, I am still impressed with the top of the dome and am inspiried by it. Intensity, power, vigilance. All powerful qualities to emulate. The Oklahoma City Guardians.
Really interesting article. I wouldn’t have necessarily referred to them as “Spiders,” but to each his own. Wonder what kind of logo that team would have. In the Graphic Design Indianapolis scene, I’ve seen many people create great and interesting logos based on the names.
What about the Copperheads? Go with black and copper team colors. But I like Spiders as well.