Sports Teams Named After Technologies
Sports Teams Named After Technologies


        
        

        
        

Unlike animals or occupations, one group I don’t see represented in a lot of team names is that of technology. Is it because tech feels too new and not timeless enough? Or because technologies often lack the autonomy or agency of the Raven or the Raptor? Or even that people are just not excited about technology enough? Yes, many occupations that use technology are represented, such as brewing or drilling for oil, but only rarely are the technologies themselves given as a name for a team. Well, I don’t care. I want to see the Cleveland Robots play the Kansas City Pocket Watches.

In the meantime, I have compiled a list of all of the sports teams named after technologies that I could find. For this, I am using technology necessarily broadly, as any sort of human-made device or tool. Because technology is far more than modern gadgets. It’s not just, as Alan Kay said, provocatively and presumably somewhat tongue-in-cheek, that “technology is anything that was invented after you were born.”
            
          Please send me any further additions to the list. A few notes: I'm not counting fire as a technology, as it's really more about harnessing it, so sorry Calgary Flames. There are also a bunch of minor league team edge cases that I frankly don’t even know how to categorize and have kept off the list. For example, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (a steel raw material), Akron RubberDucks (this is a toy), Motor City Cruise (maybe it’s a car?), and Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (it might be referring to cannonballing into a pool?). Also, what’s the deal with the Detroit Red Wings? Any insights are welcome. I've also skipped clothing, at least for now. Note that I’ve also skipped many teams with similar names, like minor league affiliates with the same name their major league team.


          

          
           (text adapted from my essay "Sports Teams Named for Technologies")
           





        
        
        This list is a continuing project. If you would like something to be included in it or have questions, please contact Samuel Arbesman.

To stay posted on this project or other matters, please subscribe to my newsletter.
        

By Samuel Arbesman (see all lists). Page style adapted from Brendan Schlagel's canonize. 

    