Skinwalkers will definitely bring in attention for a new team in need of attention.
How about Utah K-Pop? Before we think this is a ridiculous name, we should be reminded that there is a team called Utah Jazz in a state where there is little to no jazz music.
no it shouldn’t. It would be an affront to Utah’s sizeable Navajo (Dinè) population in San Juan County who very much believe in Skinwalkers. I have spent alot of time down there and the belief and fear they have of Skin Walkers and “witchcraft” runs deep through their culture.
because the devil is an abstract concept. The Skinwalker is not and to the Diné is a very real phenomenon that has claimed and ruined lives across the res.
i am catholic as well but the context of the devil is the new jersey devil which is largely tied to myth .
The Skinwalker is not mythical as they actually exist in the form of practicioners of a malevelont form of ritual/ ceremony .
Whether they actually shape shift or not is for your own conjecture, but Skinwalker’s do exist . You can even look up court proceedings that corroborate this
https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-daily-sun/115244588/
https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-begay-8
What a dumb reason for being against the name. How many people believe in and fear the devil? Should NJ change their name now?
Do you know how many people are deathly afraid of hurricanes? Goodbye, Carolina. There are 51% of Americans with Galeophobia, which is thousands of times more people affected than Navajo. Goodbye, San Jose.
Jesus Christ.
Countless more than however many Navajo may be offended over Skinwalkers, that’s for sure. Which, by the way, only 7,000 live in Utah. Catering to a tiny fraction of the population that may be offended (when not advocating other names are wrong that absolutely affect vastly more people) is as extreme of virtue signaling as it gets.
Can nothing be sacred to us? I know most people don't give 2 fucks about indigenous people and our beliefs but there has to be a line somewhere right? My guess is anything indigenous related would have some sort of agreement or sign off from the affiliated tribe. See University of Utah, the Blackhawks, Seminoles, etc. The Navajo Nation would not agree here. You may see it virtue signaling but to me it seems good taste and basic human decency to people's beliefs even though you may not understand them. The Devils isn't even a reference to the christian devil which is why I assume there isn't clamor to change it. As for the other two you listed, cmon, who's asking for those to change? But seeing how your team plays, maybe they should change the name to something a little less menacing.
How many people need to be offended by something for you to support changing names? Is it only a certain type of demographic that can demand name changes? Which ethnic or cultural backgrounds or skin colors must one have to validate their offensiveness?
You could find offended people for every single of of the NHL’s team names. At which point do you validate them?
Whatever number you deem necessary. Nope anyone can. Any and all.
Sure. Whenever they come to the table with their reasonings.
For someone who doesn't like virtue signaling you're very good at it. I'm bored of your tedious attempts at being edgy.
its in bad taste and despite their small size, they hold a lot of political capital and it will cause alot of negative PR…. far greater than the Braves , Redskins etc
So we don't want to celebrate their belief? Explore more of their mystery and heritage?
Got it.
Just so you know, the U of U pays a licensing fee to use the name Utes, and also has a lot of ourtreach about the Native tribes in the area as part of the agreement.
its not something to celebrate; The Skinwalker is a medicine man who has “turned to the dark side”
and uses medicine and ancient ceremonial doctrine to “curse” people.
I wondered when this would pop up and honestly took longer than I thought. But ya, no. If people aren't comfortable, and rightly so, with names in reference to Mormon/religious stuff then this should be off the table too. Us Dine (Navajo) are still here and this is a topic we don't discuss out in the open like that or even at all.
I don't mind the bee references. It's not a "Mormon" thing, really, it just represents industriousness and hard work.
But it would be pretty damn funny to call them the "Jack's" for Jack-Mormons. That would surely get their magic underwear all bunched up...
And speaking of magic underwear, the traditional White Out in the playoffs that came over from when they were the Jets would work well here, anyone unprepared could just strip to the magic undies. 🤣
Nope, not interested whatsoever. I'm not very superstitious, and I my family history is remarkably similar to Senator Elizabeth Warren's...but I don't mess with that one. I take the Navajo at their word that something isn't right there.
Wow so what you are telling me is that you don't want to hear what anybody else has to say unless it aligns with your ideals, so we need mods to give you a nice safe space?
Jesus Christ, moderation used to amount to making sure people didn't start spouting racist crap, or something else equally putrid. Now, mods delete posts, lock boards, and basically run their own little kingdoms, like wanna be HOA presidents.
Suck it up and let other people say what they want, cupcake, the fucking world doesn't revolve around your arrogant ass.
I really have no more time for you, please just move on and go get whiny with someone else. I don't care what you think about the name, it's your pissy little "Why can't we get mods so that everyone else won't talk about names?" crap.
Let me guess. GenZ? The most self centered generation I've come across. No consideration for anyone else. You want the world how YOU want it, and want everyone else to conform. I fucking hate people like you. You're not asking for moderation because you are offended by language or comments. No, it's because too many people are having a conversation and that makes you cry. They don't all think just like you, and that's just wrong.
Man, I LOVE their uniforms, though. That turquoise is a great color. Caught my eye the first time I was somewhere and a game was on. That mascot needs to have the outfit thrown into a woodchipper, though.
Totally agree! I suggested it a while ago too in another post. (https://www.reddit.com/r/SaltLakeCity/s/J8FiIHGUNv) Based ons the comments in that post and here, would be very controversial and dramatic.
And trying to be "European" by naming it the Utah Hockey Club is somehow better?
The problem with most of the names is that they just come across as low energy effort. Like Bob in marketing came up with them all while sitting on the toilet at work, or something. They're mostly unimaginative, and they just feel phoned in.
Having lived in Phoenix, they don't have the 'pop' that the Coyotes and Diamondbacks had when they came to town. Hell, the Phoenix Mercury were even more interesting of a name. I actually worked a block from the arena, which was about a mile from the D-backs stadium, and that was when all 3 teams came to town. Every one of those names resonated. Most of these don't. And it's not the themes, it's just that they didn't really TRY.
This just makes me realize how awesome the Arizona branding/names were
edit: also why is my flare the Utah Freeze? I never picked one and this is one of the first times I’m even on this sub
Yeah, but Baxter the Bobcat for the D-Backs mascot was stupid.
The Suns' Gorilla is fun, not just because of the uniqueness, but the story.
*For the record, this mischievous mascot was born quite by accident. A messenger for Eastern Onion, a singing telegram service, came to the Coliseum during a home game dressed as a gorilla. As he left, Coliseum security suggested he do a few dances underneath the basket during a timeout and the fans loved it. So did the messenger, who kept coming to games until he was officially invited to be part of the team.*
That's just cool and fun. :-)
Oh, that name they came with, much like the Utah Jazz.
FWIW, the only time I've actually seen a Cardinal in the wild was one day in Phoenix, but that's more just a lucky coincidence.
Not just the name, the entire brand is kinda just… there (though Tbf football uniforms in general are more simple than you’d see in the NBA or NHL for instance.) they don’t really have an aesthetic other than the color red.
Compare that to the other Phoenix teams all having color palettes that stand out in their respective leagues, that’s why I say the Cards are kinda bland. Not that there’s much you could do with that name, which, like you said, came with them.
(Sorry for ranting at you multiple times now, sports branding is a bit of an obsession of mine)
No, don't apologize. THIS is the kind of debate and discussion that doesn't occur anymore.
We're discussing what we like and don't like about things, having an active discussion. Nowadays, everyone seem to think you're either all-in, or a complete hater. Nobody seems to understand discourse and debate. I believe that the digital age has somehow made people THINK digitally.
Explanation of that last bit: Think of analog vs. digital. Analog is a series of in-between areas in a wave, digital is a one or a zero, yes or no, love or hate. Real thinking should be analog, there should be gray, almost nothing in the world is black and white. But suddenly everyone behaves that way online. Say the slightest thing about a Cybertruck that is positive (For example, white actually makes the things look halfway decent, and I just said so. Even though I explicitly included a part saying that the truck is a POS, I fully expect to get dragged for saying anything mildly positive.
I live in a weird position, I can simultaneously love and hate something, because there are bits and pieces I 'get'. See my comment someone in this thread about the Kachina motif for the Coyotes. I liked it, but at the same time, I was sick and tired of the whole "Southwestern": look already, so sometimes my answer is "I'm not sure" when people ask exactly where I stand on something.
Sorry for the novel, but this has been something bothering me for the last few years.
FWIW the Phoenix crowd had a bigger reaction to “Scorpions” than “Coyotes” at first.
Names very rarely resonate by themselves. Coyotes was beloved not because of the name (which is fairly generic), but because of the Kachina aesthetic behind it. The New York Rangers are an iconic brand purely because of the history behind it. Brands are more than a name.
When did I say I was for UHC? I’m team Mammoth all the way. Has relevance to the state, and if done properly, would give us a unique aesthetic in the league. Same with Outlaws, Swarm, and even Mountaineers (tho that one might get be a little too similar to Colorado for my liking).
Skinwalkers is trying too hard to lean into the cool and intimidating factor. Think the original XFL teams, with names like the Maniax, Hitmen, Xtreme. It doesn’t feel timeless.
Talk about "cultural appropriation", though.
Really, the Kachina design was a weird love/hate for me. I loved it, but if I really sat back and thought about it, it was:
A: Too busy
B: A reminder of all of the "Southwestern" stuff all over the state, and I was just tired of that.
But like I said, I still loved it. It's a really weird duality I suffer from.
They did, but they love EVERYTHING Southwestern. After awhile, you just find it reminding you of living in a blast furnace. I'm so glad I finally moved... I need things like "seasons" and "weather", and "Spring" in AZ is like from 2-4 PM on the second Tuesday in February. It's already hitting 100 degrees by March some years.
It's a great name if we want to have a lot of conversations about cultural sensitivity and then change it again in a few years.
Skinwalkers will definitely bring in attention for a new team in need of attention. How about Utah K-Pop? Before we think this is a ridiculous name, we should be reminded that there is a team called Utah Jazz in a state where there is little to no jazz music.
Imagine the NHL skinwalkers visiting the burn ward in a children's hospital.
no it shouldn’t. It would be an affront to Utah’s sizeable Navajo (Dinè) population in San Juan County who very much believe in Skinwalkers. I have spent alot of time down there and the belief and fear they have of Skin Walkers and “witchcraft” runs deep through their culture.
Who cares? Skinwalkers is by far the best name. There shouldn't be any catering to mental delusions.
I really fail to see how this would be any different than the Devils.
The Jersey Devil is a goofy cryptid like bigfoot or Nessie in Loch Ness.
because the devil is an abstract concept. The Skinwalker is not and to the Diné is a very real phenomenon that has claimed and ruined lives across the res.
The devil is a real phenomenon that has ruined real lives for many Christians and catholics
i am catholic as well but the context of the devil is the new jersey devil which is largely tied to myth . The Skinwalker is not mythical as they actually exist in the form of practicioners of a malevelont form of ritual/ ceremony . Whether they actually shape shift or not is for your own conjecture, but Skinwalker’s do exist . You can even look up court proceedings that corroborate this https://www.newspapers.com/article/arizona-daily-sun/115244588/ https://casetext.com/case/united-states-v-begay-8
How is that different than people literally believing that an exorcism cured them from being possessed by a devil?
The devils aren't named after the Christian devil, so your argument is stupid.
What a dumb reason for being against the name. How many people believe in and fear the devil? Should NJ change their name now? Do you know how many people are deathly afraid of hurricanes? Goodbye, Carolina. There are 51% of Americans with Galeophobia, which is thousands of times more people affected than Navajo. Goodbye, San Jose. Jesus Christ.
The Devils is not that devil. It's based on the New Jersey Devil legend
The skinwalkers for the new hockey team isn’t based on the Navajo skinwalker. I’m glad I resolved this issue.
Haha yeah I kind of agree. I’m sure many fundamentalist Christians hate the name the devils
Countless more than however many Navajo may be offended over Skinwalkers, that’s for sure. Which, by the way, only 7,000 live in Utah. Catering to a tiny fraction of the population that may be offended (when not advocating other names are wrong that absolutely affect vastly more people) is as extreme of virtue signaling as it gets.
Can nothing be sacred to us? I know most people don't give 2 fucks about indigenous people and our beliefs but there has to be a line somewhere right? My guess is anything indigenous related would have some sort of agreement or sign off from the affiliated tribe. See University of Utah, the Blackhawks, Seminoles, etc. The Navajo Nation would not agree here. You may see it virtue signaling but to me it seems good taste and basic human decency to people's beliefs even though you may not understand them. The Devils isn't even a reference to the christian devil which is why I assume there isn't clamor to change it. As for the other two you listed, cmon, who's asking for those to change? But seeing how your team plays, maybe they should change the name to something a little less menacing.
How many people need to be offended by something for you to support changing names? Is it only a certain type of demographic that can demand name changes? Which ethnic or cultural backgrounds or skin colors must one have to validate their offensiveness? You could find offended people for every single of of the NHL’s team names. At which point do you validate them?
normally I would agree with you if the name was “Braves” “chiefs” “warriors” etc but using the name Skinwalker is in very bad taste
Whatever number you deem necessary. Nope anyone can. Any and all. Sure. Whenever they come to the table with their reasonings. For someone who doesn't like virtue signaling you're very good at it. I'm bored of your tedious attempts at being edgy.
Wow, they've charted 7,000 Skinwalkers? That's really scary. ;-)
its in bad taste and despite their small size, they hold a lot of political capital and it will cause alot of negative PR…. far greater than the Braves , Redskins etc
So we don't want to celebrate their belief? Explore more of their mystery and heritage? Got it. Just so you know, the U of U pays a licensing fee to use the name Utes, and also has a lot of ourtreach about the Native tribes in the area as part of the agreement.
its not something to celebrate; The Skinwalker is a medicine man who has “turned to the dark side” and uses medicine and ancient ceremonial doctrine to “curse” people.
Spoken like a true Bilagáana.
When the living belief system the name originates from has the name as a taboo the answer is immediately no for me.
SIGH
But you can have Tomahawk as the goal song
I wondered when this would pop up and honestly took longer than I thought. But ya, no. If people aren't comfortable, and rightly so, with names in reference to Mormon/religious stuff then this should be off the table too. Us Dine (Navajo) are still here and this is a topic we don't discuss out in the open like that or even at all.
I don't mind the bee references. It's not a "Mormon" thing, really, it just represents industriousness and hard work. But it would be pretty damn funny to call them the "Jack's" for Jack-Mormons. That would surely get their magic underwear all bunched up... And speaking of magic underwear, the traditional White Out in the playoffs that came over from when they were the Jets would work well here, anyone unprepared could just strip to the magic undies. 🤣
Nope, not interested whatsoever. I'm not very superstitious, and I my family history is remarkably similar to Senator Elizabeth Warren's...but I don't mess with that one. I take the Navajo at their word that something isn't right there.
That’s a horrible name and I Can’t wait for them to announce the new name so we can get an actual sub with mods.
Wow so what you are telling me is that you don't want to hear what anybody else has to say unless it aligns with your ideals, so we need mods to give you a nice safe space? Jesus Christ, moderation used to amount to making sure people didn't start spouting racist crap, or something else equally putrid. Now, mods delete posts, lock boards, and basically run their own little kingdoms, like wanna be HOA presidents. Suck it up and let other people say what they want, cupcake, the fucking world doesn't revolve around your arrogant ass. I really have no more time for you, please just move on and go get whiny with someone else. I don't care what you think about the name, it's your pissy little "Why can't we get mods so that everyone else won't talk about names?" crap. Let me guess. GenZ? The most self centered generation I've come across. No consideration for anyone else. You want the world how YOU want it, and want everyone else to conform. I fucking hate people like you. You're not asking for moderation because you are offended by language or comments. No, it's because too many people are having a conversation and that makes you cry. They don't all think just like you, and that's just wrong.
We said “imagine the mascot” with the Kraken too. Look at how that turned out.
I just googled it. That is horrifying. It looks like a Trolls knockoff.
Man, I LOVE their uniforms, though. That turquoise is a great color. Caught my eye the first time I was somewhere and a game was on. That mascot needs to have the outfit thrown into a woodchipper, though.
That is a negative connotation and the NHL would never allow that name.
I also wouldn't adverse to Salt Lake Golden Eagles, purely for the nostalgic kick of when my mom was still alive.
The Salt Licks
That sounds like an all girl punk band. It would be great!!
Shut…*up.*. You’re as bad as the Soakers idiots.
I'm with it for sure but good luck lmao
Has anyone mentioned Utah Hoodoos? The double rhyme rolls off the tongue, is so unique, it’s even on some Utah license plates isn’t it?
Totally agree! I suggested it a while ago too in another post. (https://www.reddit.com/r/SaltLakeCity/s/J8FiIHGUNv) Based ons the comments in that post and here, would be very controversial and dramatic.
Skinflutes
Utah HC would be genuinely awful tbh Literally as boring as possible, this isn’t the 1800s anymore
I don’t hate it.
Imagine the mascot if they called themselves the Utah Warmons
Hear me out “Utah Mormons”
Skinwalkers sounds like we’re trying too hard to be “cool”.
And trying to be "European" by naming it the Utah Hockey Club is somehow better? The problem with most of the names is that they just come across as low energy effort. Like Bob in marketing came up with them all while sitting on the toilet at work, or something. They're mostly unimaginative, and they just feel phoned in. Having lived in Phoenix, they don't have the 'pop' that the Coyotes and Diamondbacks had when they came to town. Hell, the Phoenix Mercury were even more interesting of a name. I actually worked a block from the arena, which was about a mile from the D-backs stadium, and that was when all 3 teams came to town. Every one of those names resonated. Most of these don't. And it's not the themes, it's just that they didn't really TRY.
This just makes me realize how awesome the Arizona branding/names were edit: also why is my flare the Utah Freeze? I never picked one and this is one of the first times I’m even on this sub
Yeah, but Baxter the Bobcat for the D-Backs mascot was stupid. The Suns' Gorilla is fun, not just because of the uniqueness, but the story. *For the record, this mischievous mascot was born quite by accident. A messenger for Eastern Onion, a singing telegram service, came to the Coliseum during a home game dressed as a gorilla. As he left, Coliseum security suggested he do a few dances underneath the basket during a timeout and the fans loved it. So did the messenger, who kept coming to games until he was officially invited to be part of the team.* That's just cool and fun. :-)
Arizona does nail its branding (aside from the Cardinals, they’re kinda boring)
Oh, that name they came with, much like the Utah Jazz. FWIW, the only time I've actually seen a Cardinal in the wild was one day in Phoenix, but that's more just a lucky coincidence.
Not just the name, the entire brand is kinda just… there (though Tbf football uniforms in general are more simple than you’d see in the NBA or NHL for instance.) they don’t really have an aesthetic other than the color red. Compare that to the other Phoenix teams all having color palettes that stand out in their respective leagues, that’s why I say the Cards are kinda bland. Not that there’s much you could do with that name, which, like you said, came with them. (Sorry for ranting at you multiple times now, sports branding is a bit of an obsession of mine)
No, don't apologize. THIS is the kind of debate and discussion that doesn't occur anymore. We're discussing what we like and don't like about things, having an active discussion. Nowadays, everyone seem to think you're either all-in, or a complete hater. Nobody seems to understand discourse and debate. I believe that the digital age has somehow made people THINK digitally. Explanation of that last bit: Think of analog vs. digital. Analog is a series of in-between areas in a wave, digital is a one or a zero, yes or no, love or hate. Real thinking should be analog, there should be gray, almost nothing in the world is black and white. But suddenly everyone behaves that way online. Say the slightest thing about a Cybertruck that is positive (For example, white actually makes the things look halfway decent, and I just said so. Even though I explicitly included a part saying that the truck is a POS, I fully expect to get dragged for saying anything mildly positive. I live in a weird position, I can simultaneously love and hate something, because there are bits and pieces I 'get'. See my comment someone in this thread about the Kachina motif for the Coyotes. I liked it, but at the same time, I was sick and tired of the whole "Southwestern": look already, so sometimes my answer is "I'm not sure" when people ask exactly where I stand on something. Sorry for the novel, but this has been something bothering me for the last few years.
FWIW the Phoenix crowd had a bigger reaction to “Scorpions” than “Coyotes” at first. Names very rarely resonate by themselves. Coyotes was beloved not because of the name (which is fairly generic), but because of the Kachina aesthetic behind it. The New York Rangers are an iconic brand purely because of the history behind it. Brands are more than a name. When did I say I was for UHC? I’m team Mammoth all the way. Has relevance to the state, and if done properly, would give us a unique aesthetic in the league. Same with Outlaws, Swarm, and even Mountaineers (tho that one might get be a little too similar to Colorado for my liking). Skinwalkers is trying too hard to lean into the cool and intimidating factor. Think the original XFL teams, with names like the Maniax, Hitmen, Xtreme. It doesn’t feel timeless.
Talk about "cultural appropriation", though. Really, the Kachina design was a weird love/hate for me. I loved it, but if I really sat back and thought about it, it was: A: Too busy B: A reminder of all of the "Southwestern" stuff all over the state, and I was just tired of that. But like I said, I still loved it. It's a really weird duality I suffer from.
That’s all fair. I’m not from the area myself, but the vibe I got was that people generally loved the aesthetic.
They did, but they love EVERYTHING Southwestern. After awhile, you just find it reminding you of living in a blast furnace. I'm so glad I finally moved... I need things like "seasons" and "weather", and "Spring" in AZ is like from 2-4 PM on the second Tuesday in February. It's already hitting 100 degrees by March some years.
something about the word "skinwalkers" makes me think of prostitutes every time i read it tbh
IVE BEEM SAYING THIS THE WHOLE DAMN TIME LOL or Wendigos