Hamilton 'TIGERS' Football- The time has come.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
#1

I would suggest that the time has come to change the name from 'Tiger-Cats' to 'Tigers',
Consider...There is now the prospect of Hamilton having an NHL team, which, in the opinion of many, should be called Hamilton Tigers.
Back in the 40's and 50's, we had a Tigers hockey team inthe OHA. Allan Cup champs at one point. We also had a Tigers lacrosse team in the Ontario Senior Lacrosse league. These, along with the football team, played at the same time. And the name 'TIGERS" epitomized tough, hard-hitting athletic endeavour.In other words, it represented the spirit of Hamilton.

Now, I appreciate why the "Cats" is presently part of the team name. I was one of the few posters on here who actually saw the Wildcats play, and was there when the merger took place. But, man, that was 59 years ago. Nowadays, even the lasl line of our beloved chant reads..."Tigers, eat 'em raw!"

And so, I respectfully suggest that the time has come. Change the name to "Hamilton Tigers". Restore the mystique of toughness that has, in the past, been correctly associated with that name.

Thoughts????

#2

Wilf , ? was it the Tigers who played in the east "Big 4" ?

#3

Yes, the Tigers played in the Big Four.

History lesson...... The Big Four discontinued operatios during the War. During that time the Wildcats played in the O.R.F.U.. which was the football we watched during the war. When the war ended the BigFour recommenced operations, so Hamilton had two teams in two leagues, After the 1949 season the O.R.F.U. folded. BUT, at that time the Tigers and Wildcats had switched leagues. So the demise of the O.R.F.U. SHOULD have meant the end of the 'Tigers". But, faced with the loss of years of Tiger history, the amalgamation of the two teams was accomplished, resulting in the addition of "Cats' to the team name.

It was absolutely the correct thing to do at the time. My feelinmg is that that time is now past.

#4

there is history to the name of "Tigers" and "Wildcats", but now there is a history to the name "Tiger-
Cats". The amount of time and money already invested in marketing, merchandise and legacy would make it totally ridiculous to change the name of ANY professional sports team.

#5

I know that the team name "Tiger-Cats" is a registered trademark of the CFL. I wonder if there might be any copyright infringement in the use of the "Tigers" name (as in Detroit Tigers)?

#6

I respect your view and the history but...

This team is the Tiger-Cats. As another poster stated, there is now decades of history associated with Tiger-Cats football. I couldn't imagine labour day, "The Hamilton TIgers vs The Toronto Argos." It just doesn't sound right to me. Now, I wasn't around in the days of the Tigers and the Wildcats, so this team's identity is the Tiger-Cats to me, although I never actually use the term. As to most people they are and will always affectionately be "The Cats" to me.

GO CATS GO!

#7

Besides, tigers.ca and tigers.com are already taken. :wink:

Seriously though, throughout my life the team has been the Tiger-Cats. And as others have noted, there is a legacy now associated with that name.

Plus it's distinctive. There are zillions of teams using the name "Tigers". While there are a handful of minor sports teams using the name "Tiger-Cats", it is much more rare.

For me, emotionally, it would be the equivalent of changing "Roughriders" to "Cowboys". I know it's a bit apples and oranges since the name Tigers has a history in Hamilton football, but the current name has an entrenched tradition of its own.

And never, ever let Horn Chen buy the team. :wink:

#8

I respect the past but let's just Respect it ..
We are Tigercats We are part wildcats and Part Tigers
It would Disrespectful to Former Wildcats to Forget them it best to Keep our name as is

#9

I respect your oppinion. However, I somewhat long in the tooth and can only remember the " The Tiger Cats. I say - leave the name the way it is.

#10

I agree with Wilf on almost everything... but not on this one. To me, the name Tiger-Cats is unique, steeped in tradition for almost 60 years, and recognized all over Canada and beyond. For most fans it's the only name they've ever known. It also reflects and respects both predecessor teams, something I think is worth valuing. I say leave it alone.

Wilf, you say the ORFU folded after 1949. I thought they played to about 1953 or 54, that it wasn't until then that they were no longer able to compete for the eastern Grey Cup berth.

#11

I agree with steve. 1. Tigers sounds so... bare. 2. The names unique, barely any teams use that name whereas millions use Tigers. 3. I Grew up with that name. 4. The Tiger-Cats name has a rich tradition just in the Tiger-Cat era itself. 5. All of my Ticat apparrel has the Tiger-Cats name on it so it would all have to be replaced, Jersey, Hat, shirts, posters, collectibles, foam fingers, etc. as well as around the city alot would need to be changed, ex. the banners on Barton "Proud home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats." Alot of time, money and trouble just to drop the Cats from the name, you can forget about that ever happening.

#12

I'd have to agree with the majority to leave the name as it is. However, it might be worthwhile paying homage to each team sometime during the season by...dare I say it....wearing a retro jersey from the Tigers and Wildcats era. Besides paying homage....MARKETING BABY. More jerseys to sell!!!!

#13

My understanding is that the only team name the league controls that came into play in recent years is "Ottawa Renegades" as the team was a CFL expansion team (a league creation). I believe Bob Young controls the trademarks as the club is a private entity (the Tigers and Wildcats predated the CFL after all).

Keep in mind the league had TWO Roughrider teams (Ottawa Rough Riders and the Saskatchewan Roughriders), so understand that the league doesn't have the control over teams it didn't create that one may assume. If Ottawa's possible future team were to readopt the Rough Rider monicker, there would a use precedent that would factor into any wrangle with the Regina club. Most likely, some accommodation would be made to Saskatchewan in that event.

The NFL Indianapolis Colts successfully litigated against the attempt by the league to call the Baltimore franchise the "Baltimore CFL Colts." The general idea as I understand it that there would be too much confusion in trade terms to have two Colts football teams operating simultaneously in a professional sport where the CFL expansion team (with no prior use precedent) would be effectively poaching upon the historic market of the NFL Colts franchise using that team name.

[url=http://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/17/sports/pro-football-what-s-in-a-name-it-s-not-colts.html]http://www.nytimes.com/1994/12/17/sport ... colts.html[/url]

In the Tigers vs. Tigers issue, understand that there is enough North American sports law in the operation of the New York football Giants and baseball Giants (as one historical example) that it is harder to argue trademark infringement across two distinct sports, even those operating in the same sports market. The overriding issue is whether the logos and other trademarks would be so similar as to create confusion in the public from a merchandising perspective.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers went from Bruce The Pirate to a skull-and-swords-festooned pirate ship as a logo and the Oakland Raiders couldn't even block this in arguing infringement. It's not cut-and-dried in logo issues, either.

You do not have SF Giants vs. NY Giants in court and LSU vs. Detroit in the use of the "TIgers" brand. Again, the NCAA/MLB differentiation is also clear as is NCAA/NFL with Oklahoma State Cowboys coexisting with Dallas Cowboys oh my LOL. Exclusivity in mascot use is first and foremost league specific, followed by sport in the Colts case where traditional markers are affected.

For me, the Tiger-Cats brand has a distinctive history. There aren't many other entities using it and for most pro sports fans in Canada it is instantly associated with Hamilton. One might argue the change in logo was enough of a dilution of the team's heritage without having to chuck the team's name. It sounds to me the flip side of Ottawa's logo madness in the nineties, doubling the Rs, giving beavers lances FFS, and changing the team colours to a really really poor San Francisco Grade Niner ripoff.

Can we agree that making the Hamilton Tiger-Cats a winning franchise again IS the chief project that folks ought to focus upon?

Yours sincerely,

Russ, proponent of the next "Hamilton Wildcats the time has come ummmmm no" thread LOL

#14

Lively discussion......and that's a GOOD thing....

stevehvh,...I'm sure that the O.R.F.U. disappeared after the 1949 season, and with it went historical teams like Toronto Indians, Toronto Balmy Beach, Ottawa Trojans, Sarnia Imperials, and Windsor Rockets, If it had not dissolved, there would have been no reaso for the two Hamilton teams to amalgamate. One of them could have still maintained a presence in each league. But, the demand for entertainment following the war years had diminished and its time had come.

And Tom, don't worry about respect for the guys who played for the Wildcats. Time has solved that. How about respect for Lt.Col Denny Whitaker, a war hero, who played QB for the TIGERS? Let's not travel down that road. With respect, my friend....

#15

I believe we should stay Tiger-Cats. It is unique and part of our identity. But then I also believe the next Ottawa team should be named the Rough-Riders.

#16

I heard that idea's (Ottawa Rough-Riders) actually quite likely. Personally I'm not a fan of it, either Saskatchewan should change their name or Ottawa should it's both dumb and confusing to have 2 of the same name in such a small league or any league for that matter. In my opinion I think Saskatchewan should change, I believe Ottawa had that name first.

#17

Well, the Regina Roughriders began using that name in 1924. Ottawa began using "Rough Riders" in 1898, but changed the team name to Senators during the 1925-26 period. Considering they were in separate leagues until the CFL began merging East and West schedule-wise in the 1950s, it's diffcult to tell a team that's been using the same name uninterrupted for 85 years that ahem, the Ottawa expansion team (Ottawa Mach Three) wants an almost identical handle, so the established team would have to change.

I do believe that if the league respected a fan vote which named the Ottawa entry "Rough Riders," that the Ottawa team would have to sweeten the pill for Saskatchewan in some way. As it is, I would like to see a new Ottawa team adopt the Roughie monicker as "Rough Riders" has a rich heritage and cache in Canadian football. Horn Chen would need to be paid off for the name rights to revert to the Hunt group. Time will tell on that front.

Oski Wee Wee,

#18

Yikes...it's the Tiger-Cats all the way....couldn't be any other way. If an NHL team came back, I'd be cool if they were called the Tigers...but not our football team.

#19

I thought I had read somewhere that all CFL team names were registered to the league in order to avoid having a previous owner own a team name to the detriment of the league. After reading what it says on this web site, I see that the Tiger-Cats name is actually registered to the team and not the league. It would be a shame if sometime in the future, through bad ownership, the league finds itself attempting to revive a team in a city but does not own the name most associated with that city.

#20

oops posted twice

edit.