The Saint John ???? of the PBL

Rogers Wireless and Saint John’s new Premier Basketball League (PBL) team are joining forces to create an exciting experience for sports fans in the Port City.

Among the first things that need to be decided is what to call the team. The team and Rogers announced a Got Name? contest for the community to vote on the team name.

A Facebook page was created by the team and fans have been offering their suggestions for team names over the past couple of weeks.

Tide Runners? Fog Devils? Fire? Barracudas? Phoenix? Fog Kings? Foghorn? Firebirds? Loyalists? Fog Rats? Slammers? Wharf Rats? Porters? Anchors? Lumberjack? Venom? Juggernaut? Crowes Place? Daggers? White Knights? Slaughter? Cobras? Coast? Breakers? Raiders? Tiderunners? Timber? Heritage? Brewers? These are some of the suggestions that have come from fans.

Now Rogers and the team have put forward some of their own suggestions and are giving everyone the opportunity to decide.

Of course since the Rogers is the big sponsor in all of this, we can’t simply go to a website and vote. You’ll have to text you answer. To enter, participants must send a text message to 667242 and enter A, B, C, D, E or F for their choice, as follows:

A – Saint John Millrats

B – Saint John Fog

C – Saint John Riptide

D – Saint John Fire

E – Saint John Shamrocks

F – Participant must enter suggested name

The naming contest will run from July 15th until midnight July 22nd and is open to basketball fans above the age of 13.

There aren’t really many of the suggestions that were seen on Facebook, but there are some similarities. Some on the Facebook page had also suggested not using Saint John, but other nicknames for the city. How about the Port City Pirates? The Harbour City Hawks or the Harbourview and Port City Shuffle?

I think the best names are those that offer a correlation with the local community and/or culture. I don’t really see the connection for calling the team the Venom or Cobras. I’ll give a little more leniency to somehting like the Barracudas, because while I don’t believe they are indigenous to the waters of the New Brunswick coast, there is the connection to the sea. Still not a top choice of mine.

Personally Wharf Rats and and Fog Devils are my favourites of the suggestions put forward on Facebook. The Wharf Rats name maintains a connection with the franchises former incarnation, while at the same time having a very close linkage to the port city’s vast shipping history. This is my pick.

The Fog Devils brings to mind one of the defining elements of our coastal communities, while adding an extra level of menace. The name was also used for the now defunct St. John’s QMJHL team, so I am not sure if there would be any lingering legal issue with choosing that or not. Hopefully the name would not carry any bad luck to New Brunswick. One fan even went so far as to design a logo.

I guess Fog Rats is similar, but what the hell is a Fog Rat?

If had to choose from what the team and Rogers has put forward…I don’t know…I guess I’d go with Fog, but I’d probably write in my choices.

What do you think would be a good name for the newest professional sports team in the Maritimes? Do you like the ones suggested or have another idea?

Rogers and the new team also announced a two-year, title sponsorship agreement that will enable Rogers to support the team’s community involvement, in addition to game execution opportunities including Rogers contesting, Rogers Zone and brand recognition resulting in more excitement at home games for fans and players of the PBL.

“This is the type of excitement Rogers wants to be a part of right here in Saint John! We are thrilled to help support the team’s community involvement, in addition to creating a better fan experience and an exciting Rogers section at Harbour Station during home games. Giving back to the community in which we live and work is a priority,” says Susan Gordon, Vice President, Marketing Services, Rogers.

At the announcement, Rogers Street Team and youth basketball players from East Saint John Minor Basketball brought the audience to their feet by repeatedly and enthusiastically chanting “Saint John, Saint John, Saint John” before a PBL highlight reel showed what fans can expect to see on the court.

“By teaming up with Rogers we truly are bringing our ‘game’ to the Port City, and it’s going to be an exciting and memorable fan experience,” said Ian McCarthy, president of Saint John’s new PBL team. “We are thankful for the support Rogers is providing our team and are eager to get on the court, entertain our fans and bring a PBL championship to Saint John.”