1. Social Studies Sports Take a moment and think of some sports team names. Now think about how they may have gotten those names.

2. Most are selected through a contest, but the winning entry usually finds a way to strike a cord with the area. ktsm.com

3. Location of team, surrounding population, and rival accessibility can drive regional impact of a team. sportsgrid.com

4. You will see that team names rely heavily on geography, history, culture, and economics in picking their name and sometimes those names travel with the team. sportsnationdivided.com

5. Green Bay Packers Economics: Indian Packing Company supplied equipment and access to the field. www0.nfl.packers.com

6. Buffalo Bills History: Owner was president of Frontier Oil so the fan contest in 1947 lead to reference to frontiersman Buffalo Bill Cody. commons.wikimedia.org themoneytimes.com

7. Philadelphia 76ers History: Come on! Do I really need to go there????? ushistory.org

8. Houston Rockets Economics: Originally in San Diego, where liquid-fuel Atlas rockets were made, moved to Houston, and NASA, in 1971. nationalmuseum.af.miluni-watch.com

9. New Orleans Saints Culture and History: Awarded franchise on All Saints’ Day 11-1-1966 and jazz heritage. drosensermons.blogspot.com

10. Minnesota Vikings Culture: Recommended for aggressive spirit but also the Nordic tradition in the northern Midwest. geek-news.mtv.com

11. San Francisco 49ers History: Named after the settlers who came during the gold rush of 1849. arcweb.sos.state.or.us

12. Philadelphia Eagles History: Bankrupted team purchased in 1933 and new owners renamed the team the Eagles, symbol of FDR’s National Recovery Act and New Deal. authentichistory.com

13. Baltimore Ravens Culture: Reference to Edgar Allan Poe’s famous poem, Poe is buried in Baltimore. pagesofjulia.com

14. Arizona Cardinals Economics: Team owner could only afford used and faded maroon jerseys in 1901 – called them cardinal red. blog.heritagesportsart.com

15. Atlanta Braves Government: Boston owner James Gaffney, member of Tammany Hall democratic party that controlled NYC politics, took name from his societies symbol and name for members.

16. Houston Astros Economics: Originally Colt.45’s but Colt Firearms Company objected to the use so changed to match “the space age capital of the world”. authentichistory.com

17. Texas Rangers History: Originally the Senators from Washington, renamed in honor of the Texas law enforcement agency. isakson.info

18. Los Angeles Dodgers Geography: Originally from Brooklyn, where fans were known as Trolley Dodgers for having to run around trolley’s to get to the game. glover320.blogspot.com brooklynstreetcar.org

19. Houston Texans History: 6 th professional football team nicknamed the Texans. Though at this pace they may be the last. q13fox.com

20. So, what will be the next sports team name in the country and will it be chosen because of History? Geography? Culture? Economics? Helmets from: http://www.squidoo.com/How-NFL-teams-got-their-names