In the world of Big 4 sports, team names are typically straightforward: the city name followed by the team’s mascot. Think Atlanta Hawks or Dallas Cowboys. Occasionally, the team is named after the state instead, like all four major teams in Minnesota. Then there are unique cases, like the Golden State Warriors, whose identifier is a nod to California’s nickname. But what happens when a team temporarily lacks a proper mascot or even a geographic identity? In recent years, we’ve seen a few examples where a team name – or part of it – went into limbo.

Let’s start on the gridiron with one of the most controversial team names in sports history: the Washington Redskins. The franchise began in 1932 as the Boston Braves, sharing a name with an MLB team. Just a year later, in 1933, they rebranded as the Redskins and remained in Boston until moving to Washington, D.C. in 1937. From that point on, they were known as the Washington Redskins for over eight decades.

Under growing pressure from indigenous groups and social activists, the team dropped the Redskins name in 2020. For two seasons, 2020 and 2021, they went by the temporary Washington Football Team moniker. In 2022, they rebranded as the Washington Commanders, and the new name hasn’t been universally loved. Some fans even advocate for a return to the original name, as discussions continue about the team possibly moving back to the RFK Stadium site in D.C.

A similar identity shift happened 380 miles northwest, on the baseball diamond in Cleveland. This franchise had quite an early history, starting as the Columbus Buckeyes, then the Senators and the Grand Rapids Prodigals by the end of the 19th century. Major League Baseball arrived in Cleveland in 1900, and for a time, the team went through various nicknames – Lakeshores, Bluebirds, and Broncos – before settling on the Naps from 1903 to 1914. In 1915, they became the Cleveland Indians, a name that stuck for more than a century.

Much like in Washington, there was significant backlash, not just to the nickname, but especially to the Chief Wahoo logo, which many criticized as a racist caricature. While early speculation suggested they might follow D.C.’s model and become the “Cleveland Baseball Team,” they instead chose a fresh identity: the Cleveland Guardians, officially adopted in 2022.

More recently, a name change happened under different circumstances. In 2024, the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes relocated to Salt Lake City. Rather than immediately announcing a new name, the team spent the entire 2024-25 season as the “Utah Hockey Club.” There was brief speculation that this placeholder could become permanent, but earlier this year the team revealed their new identity: the Utah Mammoth. The name is intended to be timeless for hockey fans in the Beehive State.

Now, let’s flip the script with a different kind of identity issue. Back in 1901, the Philadelphia Athletics were founded and played there until 1954. They moved west to Kansas City the following year, and then again in 1968 to Oakland. The team called the Oakland Coliseum home until 2024. After receiving approval to move to Las Vegas, they temporarily relocated 85 miles northeast to West Sacramento for at least the next three seasons.

Interestingly, instead of adopting the identity of their temporary home, the team is simply going by “Athletics,” a first in modern North American pro sports. It’s widely assumed that once they officially move to Las Vegas in 2028, they’ll become the “Las Vegas Athletics,” preserving the iconic brand while finally pairing it with a stable location.