Share on FacebookTweet about this on TwitterShare on LinkedInPin on PinterestEmail to someone

Imagine if all National Football League teams were renamed to reflect the city in which they play their home games. Today’s game between the Buffalo Bills and New England Patriots would have a very different ring to it when recast as the Orchard Park Bills vs the Foxborough Patriots.

Buffalo Bills vs New England Patriots, or Orchard Park Bills vs Foxborough Patriots?

What follows is an exercise in truth in advertising, in which we rename all NFL teams to reflect their actual home city…

ORCHARD PARK BILLS

Buffalo Bills' Ralph Wilson Stadium

It’s strange that the Bills have a bison as their logo, considering their namesake, Buffalo Bill Cody, achieved legendary status for slaughtering thousands of the wild bovines. But it would be stranger still if they renamed the team to the Orchard Park Bills.

FOXBOROUGH PATRIOTS

New England Patriots' Gillette Stadium

It’s no wonder the sneaky Patriots (see spygate, deflategate) go ambiguously with New England as their home. If they came clean, the whole world would realize they’re sly as a fox in his burrow.

SANTA CLARA 49ERS

49ers Levi's Stadium

The 49ers got off to a rocky start in the new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. Ditching the San Francisco part of their name probably would not have changed their fortunes.

ARLINGTON COWBOYS

Cowboys AT&T Stadium

If the Dallas Cowboys were rebrand themselves as the Arlington Cowboys, would the classic football flick North Dallas Forty be rereleased as North Arlington Forty?

EAST RUTHERFORD GIANTS/JETS

New York Giants' MetLife Stadium

The New York Giants and New York Jets sound like rough and tumble teams (even if this is often belied by their records), but drop the New York for East Rutherford and they suddenly sound like prep school outfits.

MIAMI GARDENS DOLPHINS

Miami Dolphins' Sun Life Stadium

The Miami Gardens Dolphins sounds about as catchy as Miami Gardens Vice — which is to say, not so much.

MINNEAPOLIS VIKINGS

Minnesota comes from the Dakota word for “clear blue water,” while Minneapolis combines the Dakota Sioux word for water, with the Greek word for city. Any way you cut it, the Vikings ain’t changing their name.

CHARLOTTE PANTHERS

North Carolina’s NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets, uses the state’s largest city in its name, while its NFL franchise, the Carolina Panthers, does not. Go figure. Note that the Panthers do not include North in their name, presumably to maximize appeal across the border into South Carolina.

GLENDALE CARDINALS

Arizona Cardinals' University of Phoenix Stadium

As the Cardinals migrated from Chicago (1920-1959) to St. Louis (1960-1987) and finally Glendale, they kept the latter half of their name intact, which doesn’t really make a lot of sense — the song bird is absent from the majority of Arizona.

NASHVILLE TITANS

Tennessee Titans' Nissan Stadium

What do Waylon Jennings, Dolly Parton, Vince Gill and Garth Brooks all have in common? They are all Nashville titans — or at least they’re all Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductees.

LANDOVER REDSKINS

Washington Redskins' FedExField

The Redskins have been under pressure for some time to change their name. If they got a sponsorship from a local car dealership they could become the Landover Land Rovers — how cool is that?