New Orleans Hornets: Angels, Spirit Top List of New Names for Struggling Team

The New Orleans Hornets are getting an extreme makeover for their nickname and two candidates have emerged.

According to Hornets 247, they have discovered that the Louisiana Secretary of State consider “The New Orleans Louisiana Angels LLC” and “The New Orleans Louisiana Spirit LLC” to be reserved names. Both also have logos attached with them.

Now that Saints owner Tom Benson has purchased the team, it comes as no surprise that the filings were listed in the city of Metairie, the location of the football team's headquarters.

This is the first major move of Benson’s tenure as Hornets owner and it certainly won’t be the last. After tying the Cleveland Cavaliers for the third-worst record in the league, the Hornets will be entering next season in full rebuilding mode. Creating a new nickname for the franchise isn’t such a bad idea.

So which potential nickname is better?

I’d have to side with the Spirit. It captures the city and vibe of New Orleans much better than a generic name like the Angels, as a baseball team in Los Angeles already holds the name. Spirit can mean everything from the voodoo-like activities that people in New Orleans participate in to the spirits that so many of its patrons consume.  

The real name fans would love to have back is the “Jazz”. This was the original name of the franchise that was lost back in 1979 when the team left town for Salt Lake City, Utah. That is the perfect name for the team, but unless they surrender multiple draft picks (kidding), they are left with either the Angels or the Spirit.

Which name do you prefer? 

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