Top 5 MLB Team Names, Without Tradition
Copyright 2023 / Stephen Brashear / USA TODAY Sports As one of the oldest organized national sports leagues in the United States, dating back to the birth of the National League in 1876 , Major League Baseball (MLB) has a rich history tied to its teams, players, ballparks, and traditions. Perhaps the most overlooked - and perhaps the driest - tradition in the MLB is the names of some of the teams themselves. Since the early 1900s, teams in baseball have adopted nicknames to go along with their cities. Many were named after coaches or players, such as the Cleveland Naps (now the Guardians) named after star player Nap Lajoie. Others have taken on monikers based on geography (Colorado Rockies), uniform color (Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs), regional wildlife (Florida/Miami Marlins), or a variety of other reasons for which one might give a name to a team. I often see rankings for which MLB team has the best nickname , but rarely do they remove from account the tradition of...