The 20 Worst Logos in Sports

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Some sports logos are iconic and totally rock.

The "NY" of the Yankees. The "U" of Miami. The Chicago Bull.

This is not that list. This is the list of the most awful logos in sports.

Some are really boring. Others seem to miss the point of the team's name. And quite a few are just plain ugly.

It's never too late to reinvent your look. These 20 teams and universities should heed that call.

20. St. Francis (NY) Terriers

Aw, look at the cute old terrier wearing his little doggie sweater. Don't you just want to pet him?

Yup, nothing inspires fear or respect in your team quite like a terrier people want to pet. Well done, St. Francis.

19. Central Connecticut State Blue Devils

Look—it's the son of the Duke Blue Devil!

He's so mischievous and handsome, he must make his father proud.

18. Tennessee Titans

I get that it is supposed to be a shield and all, but why is it on fire? And why is that fire blue and red?

It just looks like an oddly colored comet. Or this.

17. San Diego Padres

C'mon Padres, this sucks.

You used to be so much better than this...

San Diego Padres

Now that's what I'm talking about.

Bring it back! Bring it back!

16. Washington Nationals

This is so close to being an awesome logo, it's just a bit more plain than it needs to be.

Why not throw the Washington Monument in the background?

Washington Nationals

See, it's not so hard.

15. Charlotte Bobcats

Dumb name. Dumber logo.

Is there anything exciting about this team?

14. Washington Wizards

The Wizards going with the throwbacks and bringing back the Bullets theme is awesome.

But this wizard dude freaks me out, man. Is he jumping over the moon? Is that a crescent basketball? Should he be called for a carry, or is he going for the infamous one-finger dunk?

In conclusion: What the hell is happening here?

13. Nashville Predators

Way to pick an extinct predator, Nashville.

Does anyone else think this is foreshadowing for the fate of hockey in Nashville?

12. Valparaiso Crusaders

I would feel more threatened if I was being invaded by an army of Beetle Baileys.

11. Minnesota Wild

Am I hallucinating right now?

10. Milwaukee Brewers

The Brewers logo is just boring.

Especially when you consider that it used to be so awesome...

Milwaukee Brewers

I mean, that's just classic.

Bring it back! Bring it back!

9. Oklahoma City Thunder

Listen, I'm no logo designer, but even I can tell this is boring, cartoonish and unremarkable.

I like the font they used for Thunder, but that whole OKC streaking-shield business has to go. Why not throw an arrow under the word Thunder like a weather vane and just call it a day?

Shoot, this seems so simple, I made one on the next slide for you.

Oklahoma City Thunder

I should reiterate that I am no logo designer.

8. New England Patriots

Imagine if Uncle Sam and Captain Planet somehow had children together. (Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Heart, Patriotism!)

This would have been their son, "Patriot."

While we're talking about Captain Planet, how freaking lame was Heart? Seriously, heart? Aw, I can empathize with animals, I totally deserve to be on a crime-fighting team.

Get the hell out of here, Heart.

7. Albany Great Danes

Did Scooby-Doo design this logo?

6. Stanford Cardinal

Either go with the Cardinal (it is meant to describe the color, not the bird) or the tree theme.

Please make up your mind.

And don't choose the tree. It's ugly, and it makes me think they are all smoking a bit too much tree in Palo Alto.

5. Toronto Raptors

What is this, Barney's ill-tempered cousin that loves to play basketball?

Not only is the name dumb, but this color scheme looks like it was chosen by a third-grader. These are professional basketball players people, not contestants on Legends of the Hidden Temple.

4. Campbell Fighting Camels

I don't really need to explain how ridiculous this is, right?

(Campbell University is a school in Buies Creek, North Carolina, and is a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference, just in case you were wondering.)

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

The classic "ND" logo is awesome.

The leprechaun?

Not a very flattering depiction of the Irish. And I'm not the only one who thinks so. (Read that article—it's really well-written, and a good primer for the next two slides.)

2. Washington Redskins

First of all, the name really needs to go. In my opinion, Redskin is a derogatory term.

And honestly, I'm not sure we should really make mascots out of a race of people. Imagine there being a team called the Whites, or the Blacks, or the Asians.

It just sounds wrong, right?

1. Cleveland Indians

I mean, seriously—what the hell?

I can't believe Chief Wahoo is still the logo in 2011. It's offensive.

(Note: Team names such as the Braves, Florida State Seminoles or Blackhawks aren't offensive. Why? Because Braves is a reference to Indian warriors, not Indians in general, Seminoles is in honor of the Florida tribe and the Blackhawks are named after one specific Indian warrior who is an important part of Illinois lore.)

You're better than this, Cleveland.

 

Be sure to hit me up on Twitter (@TRappaRT) along with the entire B/R Swagger team (@BR_Swagger)