350+ Banned Team Names
Team names usually reflect diversity and diversity breeds contention. With such diversity, team names become contentious, offensive, or inappropriate. Over the years, literally thousands of team names have been abolished by leagues, organizations, or communities because of issues with the name being stupid, not culturally sensitive, or just plain inappropriate. The article discusses the most popular examples of prohibited team names, their causes, and their implications for teams and societal grounds.
Why Are Team Names Banned?
Team names are considered identifiers, rallying symbols, and representations of a group’s identity. However, when these names are used to perpetuate stereotypes, include inappropriate language, or exhibit cultural insensitivity, they can create backlash and, in some cases, are banned by governing bodies. Some common reasons why team names might be banned include:
- Cultural Appropriation and Stereotypes: Names that use cultural elements or caricatures of specific ethnic or racial groups can be insulting and marginalizing to people from those communities. Names that appropriate Indigenous cultures, for instance, have recently been one of the prime points of contention.
- Offensive Language or Imagery: Names that include explicit, derogatory, or violent language are generally inappropriate for a competitive or public setting. They will offend fans, as well as stakeholders who may also be offended.
- Political Sensitivity: Names that relate to political ideologies, figures, or events may offend or annoy sections of the population, hence creating controversy and calls for change.
- Community Standards: Some names, not necessarily objectionable, can be prohibited due to community standards as determined by leagues or organizations.
High-Profile Examples of Banned Team Names
1. Washington Football Team (formerly Washington Redskins)
One of the most famous name controversies of any professional team was that of the NFL’s Washington Redskins. The team had used their name for decades despite the outcry against the term being both an insult and a slur used towards Native Americans. Ultimately, in 2020 after years of protest, along with growing social concerns, the team ended use of the name and was simply referred to as the Washington Football Team. It was recently renamed the Washington Commanders.
2. Cleveland Guardians (formerly Cleveland Indians)
Major League Baseball’s Cleveland Indians faced criticism for the name of its team and its mascot, “Chief Wahoo.” Native American groups and advocates were calling for a change in the name and imagery because they felt that it was disrespectful. In 2021, the team announced that it would change its name to the Cleveland Guardians.
3. The Quebec Nordiques (suggested team name ban)
It appears that even in hockey, it is also a name that caused so much talk and controversy concerning the name and logo of the Quebec Nordiques. Although no official statement regarding a ban was given, recommendations had already been submitted to change it if the team gets back into the NHL since “Nordiques” is the term referring to French Canadians that many deem archaic.
4. High School and Collegiate Bans
Banned team names are also found in high school and college sports. Several U.S. states have banned mascots and team names such as “Chiefs,” “Warriors,” and “Braves.” Many of these names had used Indigenous symbols and continued stereotypes, so educational institutions shifted to more neutral or locally significant names.
5. Online Gaming Team Names
Banned team names also appear in eSports and online gaming due mainly to the use of offensive language or forbidden subjects included in names. Most websites have an automatic policy regarding the flagging and ban of names that include a slur, inappropriate word, or violence-related terms; this helps to make an environment more safe and open for a global audience.
Famous Banned Team Names based on Cultural Sensitivity, Racism, or Trademark Conflicts:
- Washington Redskins (NFL) – Renamed to the Washington Commanders in 2022.
- Cleveland Indians (MLB) – Renamed to the Cleveland Guardians in 2021.
- Edmonton Eskimos (CFL) – Renamed to the Edmonton Elks in 2020.
- North Dakota Fighting Sioux (NCAA) – The nickname was retired in 2012 due to pressure from the NCAA.
- St. John’s Redmen (NCAA) – Changed to the St. John’s Red Storm in 2000.
- Syracuse Orangemen (NCAA) – The nickname was changed to the Syracuse Orange in 2004.
- Dartmouth Indians (NCAA) – Retired the name in 1974.
- Miami Redskins (NCAA) – Renamed to the Miami RedHawks in 1997.
- Colgate Raiders (NCAA) – Changed to the Colgate Red Raiders, with ongoing discussions about the name.
- William & Mary Tribe (NCAA) – Ongoing discussions about changing the name, but officially retained as of now.
- Cincinnati Reds – The “Reds” name has been controversial; the team has had to navigate issues related to its history, especially during the 1919 World Series.
- Lafayette College Leopards – The name has faced criticism, and there are ongoing discussions about potential changes.
- Utah Utes (NCAA) – The name is still in use but has faced scrutiny and discussions about cultural appropriation.
- Catawba College Indians – The name was changed due to cultural sensitivity.
These names reflect a growing awareness and sensitivity towards cultural issues in sports. Changes often come after community discussions, pressure from advocacy groups, and a desire to be more inclusive.
357 Banned Team Names
Here’s the list of banned team names :
- 10 Balls & 3 Racks
- 13 Balls 2 Pockets
- 14 Balls and a Rack
- 2 Ball’s Blue
- 2 High 2 Make Rank
- 2 Racks
- 2 in Da Blood 1 in the Mud
- 4 Pockets & 8 Balls
- 4 Poles, 2 Holes & a Bowl
- 4 Racks & 8 Balls
- 420
- 5 Hour Wetness
- 5 Innies & 6 Dead Balls
- 5 Sticks 2 Racks
- 5 Sticks and a Rack
- 6 Balls & 3 Pockets
- 6 Balls Short
- 6 Balls Too Many
- 6 Boys and 9 Toys
- 6 Sticks 2 Pockets
- 7 Cues and a Pocket
- 7 D’s
- 7 Sticks & a Nice Rack
- 8 Balls & a Rack
- 8 Balls Deep
- 8 Balls Matter
- 8 Balls and a Rack
- 8 Deep
- 8/9 Banks & Spanks
- 8/9 Banks and Spanks
- 9 on the Hump
- A Few Sticks Shy
- Aca
- Active Shooters
- Alchoholics Anonymous
- All Balls
- All Balls Matter
- All Bust & No Balls
- All Bust No Bull
- All Bust, No Balls
- All Busts No Ballz
- All Chalked Up
- All Felt Up
- All Jacked Up
- All Liquored Up
- All Luck Matters
- All Meat, No Taters
- All Poke No Stroke
- All Time Löw
- Allupnu
- Alpha Cue
- Alpha Cues
- Always High
- Always on Top
- Any Hole Counts
- Aren’t Baggin’
- Assorted Nuts
- Assume the Position
- Athletic Butt Fuchs
- Athletico Basturt
- Athletico Free Palestine
- Azz Kickers
- A’lil Back Door Action
- B.a.m.!
- B.s., Inc.
- Back in the Whole
- Backway Donkies
- Bad Wc
- Badas Balls to the Wall
- Ball Breakers
- Ball Busters
- Ball Deep
- Ball Knockers
- Ball Scratchers
- Ball-z
- Balls
- Balls Deep
- Balls in Hand
- Balls is Hot
- Balls of Steel
- Balls on the Floor
- Balls out
- Balls to the Rail
- Balls to the Wall
- Balls-Out
- Balls-to-the-Wall
- Ballz Deep
- Ballz in Hand
- Ballz to the Wall
- Banana Bread
- Bananas is the Safe Word
- Bank & Spank
- Bank It or Spank It
- Bank N Spanks
- Bankers & Hookers
- Battle of the Basturds
- Bbhmm
- Beavers and Ducks
- Beavis & the Buttheads
- Beer Queers United
- Below Me
- Best Rack
- Better Than ussy Better Than P**y
- Big Dijk Energy
- Big Jock Crew
- Big Johnson
- Big Johnsons
- Big Noobies
- Big Sticks
- Big Strokin’
- Bigger Ballz
- Biggus Dickus
- Bih Q3
- Bipolar Ballz
- Bish Please
- Bitches R Back
- Black Lives Mata
- Bmfs
- Bohica
- Bone Thugz & 8 Balls
- Boobie Trap
- Boobie’s Bunch
- Booby-Trap
- Bottom Up
- Bow to the Meow
- Boys W/toys Chixs W/sticks
- Brass Balls
- Brenda’s Boy Toys
- Bsa
- Buddhalicious
- Buff
- Buffalo Nuts
- Bukake Funeral Service
- Bumfuzzle
- Burn Outs
- Bushwackers
- Busn-n-balls
- Bust ‘n Balls
- Bust-n-a-half
- Bustin’ Balls
- Bustin’ L8
- Busty Rack
- Busty Racks
- Carom This
- Chalk N Ballz
- Chalk Therapy
- Chalking Chit
- Cheaters
- Cherry Bombs
- Chokin Strokers
- Christmas Balls
- Chubs
- Chupe Me Webos
- Clevage
- Clitt Eatswood
- Cold Blooded Shooters
- Come Get Some
- Contract Killers
- Control Your Rock
- Covid-11
- Covid-19 Times
- Covid-20
- Covid19-sunderland
- Czukies Nookies
- D.a.v.
- D.i.l.l.i.g.a.f
- D.o.a.
- D.s. Bison
- Da Phuuq
- Damdifino
- Damifino
- Damn Str8’s
- Deep, Wide, Frequently
- Dem Tidy’s
- Dem Titties
- Dewey, Cheatem & Howe
- Dik Pher
- Ding Dong Daddy’s
- Dipstix 9
- Dirty Ballz
- Dirty Hooker
- Dirty Strokes
- Dmc’s
- Do You Like Fishsticks?
- Done Cheatin’
- Doobie Brothers
- Doobies
- Double D’s
- Double Kiss This
- Double Tap That
- Doug As Lizards
- Dragon Ballz
- Drop the Big One
- Dropping Balls
- Dropping Racks
- Duck Around & Find out
- Duck Farts
- Ducking Awesome
- Dugout
- Durdy Turtle
- Dwight and Dwong
- D’s Nuts
- Eight Balls & a Pocket
- Eight It’s
- Eight Out!
- Elephantitis of the 8ball
- Epstein Didn’t Do It
- F.o.b.a.r.
- F.u.b.a.r.
- Fa – Cue Gonna Do
- Fairly Decent Carpets
- Family Fockers
- Farty Niners
- Faux Cue
- Fcb- Window Lickers
- Fekir in Debuchy
- Felt Big Sticks
- Felt Down
- Felt Good
- Felt Sniffers
- Felt Up
- Fjm!!ib
- Foden Really Fuchs
- Foobar!
- Foo’cue
- Foo’cues
- For Duck’s Sake
- For Fuchs Aké
- Forfuchssaka
- Four Play
- Freak Nasty
- Fritzl Palace
- Frosty – Cream
- Ftb
- Fubar
- Fuchs Mee
- Fuchs Mee Koch
- Fugly Sticks
- Fuk Ings Hell
- Full Cue
- Full Cue Mang!
- Full Rack
- Funk in the Trunk
- Furback Turtles
- Fuster Clucks
- Futt Buckers
- G3t Sum
- Get Bent
- Get Felt
- Get Some
- Get Spanked
- Get Sum
- Get U Sum
- Get in Your Hole
- Getcha Some
- Getcha Summa This
- Getting Em’ in
- Giggle Sticks
- Glory Hole
- Golden Spike
- Good Squad
- Got Balls
- Got Felt
- Got Felt?
- Got Wood
- Gotz Balls
- Grab the Pukki
- Green Rollers Inc
- Greenleaf
- Greenleaf Smokers
- Grumpy Old Men & a Hong
- Hairy Helmets & the Cooters
- Handle out Business
- Hard Enough for 2
- Hard Racks
- Hard Wood Soft Tips
- Hardwood
- Head Down Abs Up
- Heavy Doody
- Heavy Petting
- Hello You Kante
- Here’s a list of team names mentioned as not allowed in the video:
- Hfh
- Hide Your Daughters
- High N Hard
- High Times
- Highly Intoxicated
- Hit & Hope
- Hit It & Quit It
- Hit It and Quit It
- Hitler – Luther – Gandhi
- Hoes and Gigalos
- Holdingmeelongstaff
- Hole Wreckers
- Holy Condums
- Horse Maneuver
- Hosers
- Hot Posse
- Hotdogs and Buns
- Humpy’s
- Ice Holes
- Imperial Crème
- Insert What Where
- Invincible Titans
- Iran-uraq
- It’s Late, You’ll Do
- It’s a Beautiful Rack
- Ivory Toast
- I’d Hit That
- Jack’s off
- Jam out with Your Clam out
- Jo-blobs
- Johnny Bench Called
- Juggle Deez 9-balls
- Junk in the Trunk
- Jursassis Mine
- Just Breaking Your Balls
- Just Talkin About Shaft
- Just a Pokin
- Just the Tip
- K.i.s.s.
- Kante Fit My Willian
- Kapow
- Kayla’s Bitches
- Kguns
- Kick in the Balls
- Killswitch
- King Jackass’s
- Koch Partey
- Leave My Arselona
- Massive Kanté
- Mo Salah Mo Leicester
- Nice Rack
- Nonce Bashers
- Obi One-kenobi Nil
- Please Be Shit
- Poo
- Prem is Corrupt
- Pulis Dickov
- Pulishit
- Pull My Finger
- Qanon Park Rangers
- Restitution Rovers
- Rock out with Chalk out
- Sayonara Fuckfatfrank
- Scratch This
- Smell My Finger
- Soft Tip
- Spicy Buffalo Ings
- Spider Gimps
- The Angry Goats
- The Mongooses
- Turd
- Twat Fc
- When Saturday Comes!
- Willian Balls
- You Have a Bye
Banned Names
Here is a list of banned names:
- Adolph
- Adolf Hitler
- Stompy
- Matti
- A (single-letter name)
- Bonghead
- Spinach
- D–head
- Ikea
- Mary Juana
- Medicare
- Panties
- Scr–tum
- Satan
- Sh–head
- Lucifer
- Smelly
- LOL
- Pieandsauce
- Snot
- Virgin
- Yeah Detroit
- @ (At symbol)
- Wolf
- Son
- Man
- Nirvana
- Sky
- Paris
- Viking
- Akuma
- Cyanide
- Preacher
- Monkey
- Nutella
- Robocop
- Rogue
- Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii
- Sonic X
- Santa Claus
Names Banned in Different Countries
Here’s a list of names mentioned as banned in different countries:
Sweden:
- Superman
Norway:
- Gesher (meaning “bridge” in Hebrew)
Turkey:
- Osama Bin Laden
France:
- Nutella (shortened to Ella)
Mexico:
- Robocop
- Circumcision
- Christmas Day
- Burger King
- James Bond
- Lady Di
- Rolling Stone
- Terminator
- Yahoo
Japan:
- Devil (Akuma)
Sweden:
- Metallica
Portugal:
- Nirvana
- Mona Lisa
- Ben Hur
- Dylan
- Hendrix
- Marx
- Pablo
- Rihanna
- Tom
- Viking
Australia:
- Queen
- Prince
- Christ
- Judge
- Duke
New Zealand:
- Sex Fruit
- Talula Does The Hula From Hawaii
China:
- @ (symbol not allowed)
Saudi Arabia:
- Linda
- Elaine
- Alice
Denmark:
- Monkey
- Pluto
- Anus
Future Considerations for Naming Teams
As society learns that how one represents oneself has consequences, including the choice of words and language that impact inclusiveness, teams, and organizations would realize names carry such impact. Some guidelines that might guide future choices include:
- Community Involvement: Involving community stakeholders in the process of naming will ensure that the name reflects the values and identity of the team’s supporters.
- Cultural Sensitivity: Avoiding names that are related to specific ethnic, racial, or cultural groups reduces the opportunity for controversy.
- Positive Association: Using names that reflect positive, inspiring themes can help in creating a more inclusive fan base and can reflect the values of the team.
Conclusion
The banning of team names indicates a broader societal movement towards inclusivity and respect for diverse cultures. Though others may see these changes as overdone, they do reflect a collective movement towards more thoughtful representations. Teams can create legacies that are not only memorable but respectful and unifying by choosing names that honor values and resonate with fans of all backgrounds.
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