MLB Team Nicknames: The original intent
While some monikers were slights in the late 19th century, they are not the ones in the news with demands for change.
A Bygone Era:
In many cases, social norms from 100 years ago in books and with names are offensive in today’s world.
Historical references here are according to Scott Allen of Mental Floss and a partial review of Baseball Team Names.
When the baseball industry began, franchises had names like the National League Philadelphia Base Ball Club: ergo, a for-profit company. But it didn’t take long for writers to make edits: For instance, fans read about the Philadelphias, the Chicagos, the Bostons and the Detroits. Of course, those handles told you the team’s location, and the uniforms only had a letter like P for Philadelphia.
The quickest path to a moniker for a scribe was sock color, so the locals began identifying their teams as the Red Sox, the White Stockings or the Redlegs. But the most interesting name came from a female fan who referred to the St. Louis colors as a cardinal shade of red. However, it required the writer who overheard her description call them the Cardinals.
For other scribes, franchises became the city and the league: for example, the Washington Nationals and the New York Americans. But when the Washington organization changed their nickname to the Senators, the writers didn’t buy the gimmick of a fresh start for a perennial losing team.
Making noise today on the Internet about club handles, protesters object to Chief Wahoo’s image for the Cleveland Indians. And their next target on the “endangered list” could be the Atlanta Braves with the tomahawk chop. Yes, today’s standards consider these monikers offensive to Native Americans, and you can count on hearing these arguments every now and then. On the other hand, many locals prefer the nickname they identify with.
Regarding the Indians and the Braves, many Easterners had a fascination with the culture encountered by the nation expanding westward. But they considered Native Americans to be savages. That stated, the name Braves may have had an indirect connection to a Delaware Valley Indian chief and political gamesmanship.
ONLY YOU: “The worst thing about Halloween is, of course, candy corn. It’s unbelievable to me. Candy corn is the only candy in the history of America that’s never been advertised. And there’s a reason. All of the candy corn that was ever made was made in 1911. And so, since nobody eats that stuff, every year there’s a ton of it left over.” – Lewis Black
THAT MOMENT WHEN: “I haven’t put on a baseball uniform since about age 12. It’s like I’m wearing a Halloween costume. I’m pretending to be a ballplayer.” – Ken Fox
In New York, a sports editor decided the handle Americans was too long for his headlines, so he coined the names Yankees and Yanks to solve the problem. On the other hand, Gotham scribes named the Brooklyn team with a pejorative: the Trolley Dodgers. Yeah, they portrayed those residents dodging trolleys to and from work.
As for Pittsburgh, our cross-state rivals signed two players including Lou Bierbauer away from the Philadelphia Athletics of the American Association. The A’s made a mistake by not placing him on the reserve list after the Players League folded. However, a Philadelphia writer claimed they pirated those players. Ergo, the Pirates.
IN DAYS OF YORE: “Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg, and owlet’s wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble.” – William Shakespeare
Next: Phillies' Pitching Wish List
In the 1880s, Philadelphia was Philly like today but a resident back then was a Phillie. And because the Quakers were another local club, the next location-indicating possibility was the Phillies. However, another potential name was the Athletics because of the old Philadelphia Athletic Club.
Before a player’s name and number, city represented and team moniker were on a uniform, the jersey only had a P for Philadelphia or an A for Athletics. So, unless you knew the star by his looks, he was a stranger at your front door without a mask. Happy Halloween!