New Blue Jays Logo: 10 Teams with Worse Emblems

Apparently, there must have been some confusion over the current logo of the Toronto Blue Jays. I mean, why else would they devise a new one, right?

Yes, in case you haven't heard, the Blue Jays have a new logo. It's the one pictured above. As you can see, it's a lot like the pre-current logo, except with a smaller leaf.

That's why I say there must have been some confusion, as the team clearly decided that they had to remind everyone that the Blue Jays are, in fact, located in the mystical land north of the border known as Canada.

Well, if they felt that was really necessary, then... sure, I guess.

No doubt you're picking up my apprehension about Toronto's new logo. That's because, to be totally blunt, it kinda sucks.

But in an effort to console offended Jays fans, I came up with an idea. The truth is that your team's new emblem is not the worst, Jays fans. There are 10 sports logos out there that are much worse.

10. Buffalo Sabres

The Buffalo Sabres have, I think, one of the coolest nicknames in sports. There's something about the word "sabre" that just gets me all riled up. Perhaps I was a fencer in a past life.

At any rate, the problem with the Sabres is that they have a lousy logo. The swords (cutlasses, whatever) are cool, but do they really need the buffalo silhouette? It looks a little extraneous to me.

While we're on the subject of the buffalo, what are those markings above and below it? Are they supposed to indicate that the buffalo is in motion, thus head straight towards two deadly blades?

These are questions I do not have the capacity to answer. Instead, I shall write Dan Brown and tell him if have an idea for his next book.

Which I won't read.

9. Saskatchewan Roughriders

We all know the Saskatchewan Roughriders. They're a big deal in the Canadian Football League, and they are just four years removed from a Gray Cup win.

Yeah, you know them. Even if you don't.

Now, there's no denying the legitimacy and general awesomeness of the Roughriders. But I think a lot of that has to do with the nickname itself, which is just plain cool.

It's too bad the logo isn't also cool. It's an S in front of a green something. Exactly how I'm supposed to connect this logo with images of Roughriders is beyond me.

If this logo was replaced with a picture of Teddy Roosevelt, things would be a little different. But I guess ol' Theodore wasn't Canadian, so that wouldn't work.

8. Portland Trail Blazers

The Trail Blazers are in Portland. Portland is in Oregon. Provided you know your history, the team nickname makes perfect sense, and is actually quite ingenious.

What isn't ingenious is the Trail Blazers' logo. You would think that a team named the "Trail Blazers" would have a logo that conjured images of people blazing trails, but the team instead has a logo that is designed after a pinwheel.

Now, there might just be a correlation between pinwheels and the original trail blazers. But because it wasn't expounded upon in any of the Oregon Trail video games, it must not exist. Either that or I was too busy buying buckshot and hunting instead of tending to my dying troupe.

Oh, right. I'm supposed to make a point here.

Well, here it is: the Trail Blazers' logo sucks.

7. Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland Browns aren't the only team named after a color. You also have the Cincinnati Reds and Stanford Cardinal, so the Browns aren't quite in violation of any kind of deadly sports sin.

No sir, the Browns' first sin is that they picked the color brown in the first place, for it is a hideous color. Their second sin was failing to devise a logo that could ease some of the unease over the color brown. They merely slapped it on a helmet, and then presented it as a logo.

Most logos try to at least forge a connection with a viewer. The Browns' logo, on the other hand, is capable of inspiring viewers to think nothing more than "Hey look, it's a brown helmet."

Indeed it is. And that's about it.

6. Milwaukee Bucks

It's been a decade now since the Milwaukee Bucks were at all relevant. During that time, they decided to change the color scheme of their logo.

It used to be a purple and green monstrosity. It is now a red and green monstrosity. Luckily, the change only took about five minutes to implement, leaving the front office plenty of time to proceed running a crappy team.

Just to convince everyone that I'm not some sort of color Nazi, I'm also not a fan of the deer (or buck, I guess). It's supposed to look intimidating, but it just looks a little too serious for the situation. Kinda like a philosophy professor, if you will.

On that note, let's move on. The last thing any of us want is for me to get started on philosophy professors. Buncha jerks, them.

5. Houston Texans

Before 2002, football in the state of Texas was defined by two teams: the Dallas Cowboys and the Texas Longhorns.

And then the Houston Texans arrived on the scene, determined to make a name for themselves next to maybe the two biggest brands in football.

That effort did not get off to a good start when they came up with the team emblem, which is essentially a mash-up of the Cowboys' star and the Longhorns'... um, Longhorns.

Way not to be original, Texans. May you be totally irrelevant for another nine years.

Oh, and please don't sic Andre Johnson on me. I hear tell his punches pack a wallop.

4. Cleveland Indians

"Hey I have a great idea for this new baseball team we have here in Cleveland. Let's take Native Americans, call them 'Indians,' and then depict them as happy, smiling cartoons. Nobody will get pissed off."

I'm not sure that's how the Indians' logo was actually conceived, but it might be the true story. Either way, you probably don't need me to reveal the fact that the Indians' logo is viewed as offensive in some circles.

Am I offended by it? Not really. I just think it has run its course at this point. The Indians should consider a new logo. And for the sake of the offended crowd, perhaps a new name too.

If and when the team does decide to make this decision, it probably shouldn't take any cues from Cleveland's football team.

3. Fort Wayne Mad Ants

There are many sentences in sports that you just don't want to hear, but I think the absolute worst of the bunch has to be, "Welcome to the Mad Ants."

For one, it means you've arrived in the NBA Developmental League. Secondly, it means you are now playing for a team called the freakin' Mad Ants.

It's an original name, I'll give it that. It's just not very cool, and the logo is even worse.

That ant does not look mad to me. In fact, that ant looks like a piece of Communist propaganda art.

You heard it here first: The Mad Ants are commies!

2. 2012 Olympics Logo

The 2012 Summer Olympics are going to be held in London, England. To honor that fact, our friends across the pond had to craft a truly original logo.

To do that, I guess they went to some kind of pompous jackass obsessed with contemporary art and told him to do something creative with the year 2012.

The above logo is the result.

Here's my question: If you guys didn't know to look for 2012, would you be able to find it?

I think not. Logo fail.

1. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

If you're unfamiliar with Coastal Carolina's football program, the first thing you need to know is that the team's head coach is hilarious.

If you want to know more about Coastal Carolina, the next thing you need to know is that they are the Chanticleers, which is apparently some sort of feathered creature resembling a rooster.

You might notice something else about chanticleers. They bear a rather strange feature directly below their beaks.

I don't know what it is, mind you, but I certainly know what it looks like.

That's all I have to say about that. Thanks for reading, everyone.