Now that the NBA owns the New Orleans Hornets and has begun the task of finding a new owner and home for the team, pertinent questions are abound. Namely, what’s in a name?
The Seattle Hornets: It Could Work, At Least In Name
Despite changing cities already, the Hornets have always been the Hornets. With possible new homes like Kansas City, Louisville and Seattle being bandied about, does it still make sense for them to use that name?
Well, if they eventually decide to move to the team to Seattle, you might be surprised to find that the answer is yes.
Originally, the name was chosen not because of stingy the bug but because of Charlotte’s resistance to the British occupation during the Revolutionary War (in which the city was compared to a “nest of hornets”). Seattle wouldn’t be able to lay claim to anything quite so historical or referential, but according to an entomologist who spoke with the Seattle Weekly, the name still works for the most obvious of reasons.
“Actually, that would be a very appropriate nickname,” says Washington State University entomologist Steve Sheppard. “Hornets are predatory wasps and there a ton of ‘em in Washington.”
Though Sheppard admitted it would be more fitting to name the team after a different, though similar, insect: the bee. “The Seattle Bees,” he says. “Because honeybees are so important to apple production. And because of all the recent PR.”
Let’s chill out with the Seattle Bees. As the Weekly points out, the team would be insane not to change their name to the Sonics if they did come to Rain City. But it’s nice to know that if the team does move but wants to cut down on costs, those old Hornet shirts in storage would still work.
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