More Than An Inspiration

I do enjoy a good minor league logo, and sometimes I even enjoy a good minor league logo that's "inspired" by the parent affiliate.

Two of the most iconic NBA teams, one each in the largest metropolitan areas in the country, have affiliated D-League (soon to be Gatorade League (G-League)) teams, and the "inspiration" on their logos from the parent is strong.

On the east coast:

The Knicks have been a model of futility for over a decade now, with a single playoff appearance over that span. Maybe. Pretty sure, right? One year that was 50+ wins for Melo and JR Smith...

Their D-League team, the Westchester Knicks, changed their original logo to this much more direct copy of the parent. Here's the original Westchester Knicks look, as inspired-but-not-copied:

And on the west coast:

Having been futile for less time than the Knicks, the Lakers still haven't been the model franchise the NBA needs for a few years now, ever since the Dwight Howard/Steve Nash debacle.

Anyway, I do like the South Bay Lakers look and alternate logo better than their D-Fenders identity. Maybe because I live in the south bay. Here's that alternate:

And here's the far-less inspiring D-Fenders logo:

India and Miami, Strangely Enough

I have written before about the similarities between India and Niger's flags, but when I saw the flag for the city of Miami in south Florida, I was struck by its similarity to the other two:

India

Miami, FL

It's interesting that nobody knows why this design was chosen for the flag of Miami, and there is talk of updating it as well. Here's the leading proponent for replacement:

I like it, but I don't (and wouldn't) live in Miami. Read about it here.

Again, In With the Old, Calling it New

The old is back again, only italicized and shinier.

The Hawks updated their "Pac-Man" logo from the era of 'NIQUE!

1972-1993

2015-Present

And the Pistons change the font and expect us to not notice it's exactly the same:

1979-1996

(Leaked) 2017---

Of course they want us to notice what it truly resembles: glory years and championships.

The nostalgia thread in sports is strong, especially as people my age start to have kids and buy them gear, these updated logos are going to keep returning.

California Flag Variations

A sequential art story about California's secession, "CalExit," due out next month, used a striking visual as part of the marketing campaign:

I thought it looked pretty cool, and got online to find other alterations of the California flag. This got me inspired to return to the Flags part of the title of this forum.

There is an alternate history website that looks like it takes itself very seriously. Maybe not...but I lost the link (and refused to go look for it---my bad) and can't remember really what was going on. They did have two pretty sweet alterations: one that plays on the socialist/commie idea of our "Left Coast"; and a second that mixes the Azatlan aspect of California (North Mexico) with the Bear&Star of today:

The next few I found were color scheme alterations, the first two go with the blue and gold associated with the University of California system of institutions, and then an even more communist version similar to the one above:

There were also a few whacky ideas, like the Sasquatch from that footage and the area being limited to "Northern California":

And the goofy panda for the San Diego Republic:

I've been to San Diego, and while I never saw this down there, I got the feeling that if they liked it, it would quickly spread like wildfire and be everywhere...so, give it some time and see?

Just Kidding! Chargers Yank Both Logos

The Chargers have spurned San Diego's stadium offer because it wasn't, eh, it wasn't...going to make enough money for Dean Spanos? Maybe cost too much of his own money?

Anyway they dropped their first attempt at a logo on their first day in town like a dad out with a 20 year old yoga instructor the first night after signing the divorce papers:

It was roundly panned by fans and was even the target of derision by both professional and college teams.

The reaction was such that both the Chargers and the NFL said that it most certainly wasn't the real logo, and voila! here is the real logo:

They traded the Dodgers colors for the UCLA Bruins. In their defense, this matches the real Chargers actual colors.

It sounds like they scrapped the entire thing and are starting over.

Also, in the five years of living in LA county, I have an unscientific list of the area's favorite football teams: (Keep an eye on the Chargers)

1. USC Trojans
2. Raiders
3. 49ers
4. Steelers
5. UCLA Bruins
6. Cowboys
7. Patriots
8. Rams
9. Seahawks
10. Chargers, maybe?

NY Ranger Knockoffs

While I'm from northern California, my father is from New York, and I grew rooting for the Rangers as "my" NHL franchise. They were admittedly ranked below the Yankees, G-Men, and Knicks (with whom I split affection between the Showtime Lakers), but I got to witness a Stanley Cup victory in 1994.

When they won, in game 7 in June of '94, it was over a hundred degrees in Sacramento, and I thought about the absurdities of playing a game on ice during that month...

Anyway, as one of the Original Six teams, the Rangers have the history and the red-white-and-blue color scheme. Their logo, though, is the only official NHL franchise logo that doesn't appear on their jerseys. Which I always found interesting.

Probably more interesting than the logo itself, the Ranger-shield:

Maybe it grows on you...

I guess I kinda do like it...

And I'm not the only one, as the Ranger-shield has been openly copied by many teams over the years. From varying levels of play, take a gander:

That' something, right? Mimic and flattery and all that...

Las Vegas Has a New NHL Team

And they go by the hipper name, "Vegas".

The Vegas Golden Knights to be exact.

Here is their primary logo, and I can say that I do like it:

I'm a sucker for negative space, and the "V" as the facial openings in the knight's helmet satisfies this. It's both simple and strong, both new and hinting at the old school. I rather like it.

It reminds me of another team that used te negative space in the helmet of a warriors outfit:

This was a now-defunct pro-lacrosse team that started play while we lived in New York. They used the Mets and Knicks color scheme (orange and blue) and the name of the original Jets franchise. Here you can see the negative facial space is the "T".

In the grand tradition of professional Vegas sporting teams--of which there haven't been too many---or any (besides Larry Johnson and the Runnin' Rebels of UNLV)---the logo has been pretty sweet.

I speak of the Las Vegas Outlaws of the heavily promoted but ultimately doomed XFL:

I always thought that the Outlaws logo was the most inspired in their league, reminding me of the Dead's Steal Your Face:

Funny: I'm neither a Grateful Dead nor Las Vegas fan, but I can appreciate killer logos, and these four satisfy that qualifier.