"I had an open-door policy on dumb ideas."

April 8, 2016 12:04 PM

An brief oral history of the time the New Jersey Nets almost changed their name to the New Jersey Swamp Dragons
posted by damayanti (11 comments total)

I have been to a professional baseball game featuring the Shreveport Swamp Dragons, in 2001 or 2002. Their mascot was named "Scorch", and looked a bit like a green cow.

There were literally dozens of fans there. The team is the Frisco RoughRisers now.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 12:37 PM on April 8, 2016

With the caveat that I grew up in North Carolina when the Hornets were first a thing, I kind of like some of the dragon concepts.

Swampy.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 12:39 PM on April 8, 2016

Swamp Dragons? Can their mascot be named Errol?
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:45 PM on April 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

I saw it said on Twitter, but this whole story really sounds like Clickhole leaking out into reality. Only "It was the 90's" makes this story plausible.
posted by Mr.Encyclopedia at 12:47 PM on April 8, 2016 [4 favorites]

The Nets ownership rotated voting privileges. If you ever want to know why the Nets sucked so hard for so long, there's your answer right there.
posted by Etrigan at 12:52 PM on April 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

Step 2: Get the commissioner to back the change. Spoelstra and O'Grady pitched the idea in Stern's office.

SPOELSTRA: David told me, "This is the stupidest f---ing idea I've ever heard."
posted by Huffy Puffy at 12:54 PM on April 8, 2016

I've been to a minor league hockey game of the Macon Whoopee. Swamp Dragons sounds pretty good after that.

Also, they suuuucked at defense.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 1:04 PM on April 8, 2016 [2 favorites]

We had courtside season tickets when I was a kid (early-mid 1980's). They had a mascot named Duncan, who was some kind of dragon or swamp monster (Duncan...dunkin'...get it?). Those were lean times - maybe Duncan was part of the ownership group?
posted by hoosierdaddypgh at 1:09 PM on April 8, 2016

The team is the Frisco RoughRisers now

Typo or are they sponsored by Viagra?
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 2:26 PM on April 8, 2016

Typo. RoughRiders.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 2:31 PM on April 8, 2016

Sometimes I feel like I don't get sports team names. I managed to offend a bunch of Toronto people once by commenting that I didn't like the name "Raptors" because it was a transparent attempt to cash in on the contemporaneous popularity of Jurassic Park, and even worse considering Toronto is in a part of the world where velociraptors were not known to live. And here? What's wrong with Swamp Dragons? Sounds better than Nets to me. Like, isn't "net" a bit mundane? Was "New Jersey Free Throw Lines" and "New jersey Hardwood Floors" taken or something? And this is still the league with the "Utah Jazz" and the "Wizards", right?
posted by Hoopo at 2:53 PM on April 8, 2016 [1 favorite]