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Bristol Bears?

Whatever floats your boat.

When I'm a billionaire, I'm renaming Blackheath the Super-Mega-Turbo-Raptors.

Given their fondness for going on about it, the Blackheath '58ers is all I could ever envisage. Given that they're now based on Eltham, Nomads or Elthamians would be good though.
 
Exeter Chiefs is a great name why would they change it to athletic. And if they are set on changing it then why athletic, its such a terrible name. Please say they arnt changing it because some people find it offensive, its not hurting anyone.
 
Exeter Chiefs is a great name why would they change it to athletic. And if they are set on changing it then why athletic, its such a terrible name. Please say they arnt changing it because some people find it offensive, its not hurting anyone.

How do you know it isn't hurting anyone?

Honestly easiest thing would be to change it to Exeter Chefs
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And have the chopping board chop.

10/10 Pay me Baxter.
 
Bears isn't that bad....

We are Wasps, we stink you just because we are D**ks and then we blame it on the Bees.

But seriously its an interesting preference to give all Prem teams official Logos/Mascots/Names that the US can get behind. I suppose with the new rebrand of the Prem for US based Gallagher, they want to draw similarities between the Prem teams and the NFL style names especially with the want to attract US broadcasters.

I do worry that the clubs may start to move a Franchise style development too. Its less likely to happen in the UK due to size but still a concern.

Also for note, the Athletics is the least inspiring name possible :eek:. At uni we used to have the 'Southern Fairys' and 'Cheeky Ladies' but at least they had character! Also 'Southern Fairy's I have just realised sounds like the 'Bristol Bears' feeder club :oops:.
 
RFU – NFL – NBA – MLB

(italics for the very tenuous, and ???? for no idea…)


Tigers – Cleveland Tigers – Missouri Tigers – Detroit Tigers

Sharks – Jacksonville Sharks – Shanghai Sharks - ????

Bears – Chicago Bears – Memphis Grizzlies - West Virginia Black Bears

Chiefs – Kansas City Chiefs – Charleston Chiefs - Syracuse Chiefs

WaspsGeorgia Tech Yellow Jackets – Charlotte Hornets - Monticello Boll Weevils

HarlequinsDenver BroncosWashington Wizards - ????

Saints – New Orlean Saints – Salina Saints St Paul Saints

Saracens – ???? - ???? - ????

Falcons – Atlanta Falcons – Atlanta Hawks - Toronto Blue Jays

Warriors – ???? – Golden State Warriors – Warriors Baseball Academy

Gloucester Giants?

Bath Buccaneers?

London Irish ????

Leeds Carnegie ????


Easy to do for Tigers, Bears, and Chiefs. But had difficulty with Harlequins and Saracens especially.
 
It's alright. The alliteration just makes it way too US style corny. I think Bristol is a bit of a depressing name in itself so it's not too bad but surely they could have done better than bears. Pat Lam, Ian Madigan, Piutau grab a Munster player and they'll have someone from every Irish province.
 
You trying to frame Pat Lam and Charles Piutau as some sort of Irish poaching is mesmerising.

Sorry if my comment was misinterpreted, it was more a remark on how a lot of people formerly involved in Ireland were now at Bristol/will be next season, as opposed to accusing some kind of poaching from Ireland, which it obviously isn't. (Even Madigan doesn't count because they got him from Bordeaux.) John Muldoon is there as well now that I think about it. If they did get somebody from Munster they'd probably be South African anyway if we're being honest.

Edit: Sorry for the dislike, that was an accident.
 
If they have to rebrand for the £££ I'm... Surprised they went for Bears.
Bristol is actually known for its Blue Glassware, whilst Blues is just as alliterative, and matches their existing colour scheme and therefore history. It's also an accepted name within rugby, used widely enough not to bother anyone for copyrights, (unless Bedford are looking at promotion).

I hope Bath tell them where to go on rebranding, but suspect they'll go the Romans route that been looking inevitable for the last few years. If the deal requires ring-fence, then the deal can go screw itself. Were selling advertising, not our soul.
Two reasons immediately spring to mind.
Cardiff!
Lansdown want all teams in his stable to wear red as base color so Blue would be difficult
 
Two reasons immediately spring to mind.
Cardiff!
Lansdown want all teams in his stable to wear red as base color so Blue would be difficult
I didn't realise there was a rule that mutiple rugby team weren't allowed the same nickname. Quick, we'd better tell Cardiff and Auckland that they can't themselves Blues as Bedofrd already had that. Not to mention all the other dozens of clubs called the Wherever Blues.
I didn't know that about Lansdown - and I'd agree, if that's the case, then the Blues name would get in the way.
 
I didn't realise there was a rule that mutiple rugby team weren't allowed the same nickname. Quick, we'd better tell Cardiff and Auckland that they can't themselves Blues as Bedofrd already had that. Not to mention all the other dozens of clubs called the Wherever Blues.
I didn't know that about Lansdown - and I'd agree, if that's the case, then the Blues name would get in the way.

Cardiff is a bit closer to Bristol than it is Auckland though....
 
A] Still playing in a different league - Bedford would still have more right to be upset.
B] Still no problem with multiple teams having the same nickname.
 
There's no rule, but it's just clever marketing. Also if I was going for a rebrand I'd find Blues the most dull option imaginable. Do like Gloucester's new trademarks.
 
There's no rule, but it's just clever marketing. Also if I was going for a rebrand I'd find Blues the most dull option imaginable. Do like Gloucester's new trademarks.

The first one looks too much like Tigers one IMO.
But they all look nice IMO.
 
My thoughts;

When I first saw the tweets about the rebrand I was a bit worried, mainly because I didn't think we actually needed it. Then the news broke and I was determined that before I'd react I'd read the accompanying information from the decision makers and take it from there. In reading the reasons behind it, thinking about it and trying to see Bristol, from a neutral perspective I'm fully behind the change and eager to see what happens in the future.

One thing I think that some have missed, and I think this is not just a Bristol thing, is the fans belief that there's not a lot wrong and that you are seen by neutrals as a good thing. I tried seeing things as a neutral and how Bristol, in their current state over the last decade or so, are seen by others. We are an underachieving club who couldn't be seen as able to hack it in the big pressure games and now flashing money around willy-nilly. That is a mindset that needs to change and this is a way to do that.

It's a way to draw a line and to now look ahead, into what can be a bright future if everyone works to get it. We have a top quality stadium, one of the biggest in the Premiership. We are back in that Premiership in a way better place than the last promotion and we have a terrific quad with some superb players and a top class coach who is driven to bring success here. The rebrand is a way to attract new fans, new sponsors, by having a brand name, images that are marketable both home and abroad.

People fear its the "end" of Bristol Rugby. No, I don't see that at all, we are still Bristol, we will always be Bristol and be called as such by fans, media etc. Just its 2018 now, this is the way team sports at the professional level is going, we need to be in that trend and reaping the potential benefits instead of looking on it, turning our noses up and still being the yo-yo team that people pity.

As an aside, Pat Lam spoke at the supporters Q&A last night and I think he convinced many there by the way he spoke about the whole situation. I think the level of dissent is lower than it was when the news broke, once the season starts I dont think it will matter all that much, especially if the on pitch news is good
 
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