Wait til you see the names of the actual teams in the Japanese baseball league.
Real pro cycling teams:
SmartStop-Mountain Khakis p/b Jittery Joe's Bodysol EuroMillions Pôle Continental Wallon
I mean F1 teams are literally named directly after their corporate owners too (who are not necessarily the ones designing the engines/...) and people seem to love that.
One German football team is named after a pharmaceuticals multinational.
(A special case, it was the workers team for the Bayer plant, like Woolwich Arsenal or 'Locomotiv' of many Slavic cities)
At least that one started as a worker's club. The worse offender is named after an energy drink.
This Indian cricket team is splendidly named:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pune_Warriors_India
Any examples?
Most of the NPB teams are corporate owned and named
- Chunichi Dragons > Chunichi Shimbun (news corporation)
- Hanshin Tigers > Hanshin Electric Railway
- Tokyo Yakult Swallows > Yakult Honsha (yes, the probiotic milk beverage company)
- Yokohama DeNA BayStars > DeNA (ecommerce/mobile games/online services)
- Yomiuri Giants > Yomiuri Shimbun (media conglomerate)
- Chiba Lotte Marines > Lotte Holdings (related to the South Korean Lotte Corporation mostly known for their confectionery and ice creams)
- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks > SoftBank (I think everyone knows them on HN)
- Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters > Nippon Ham (food processing)
- Orix Buffaloes > Orix (investment banking)
- Saitama Seibu Lions > Seibu Railway
- Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles > Rakuten (I think everyone knows them on HN)
But that's not a Japanese only thing, the Korean (KBO) and Taiwanese (CPBL) baseball leagues are the same
Kia Tigers, KT Wiz, LG Twins, Lotte Giants, Samsung Lions
CTBC Brothers, Rakuten Monkeys, Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, Fubon Guardians
And not even a baseball thing only the football teams in the region are the same
They basically embed company names directly into team names.
Here is a couple of examples: Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
Real pro cycling teams:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UCI_WorldTeam#2026 for this year's crop of linoleum manufacturers, insurance firms, and sportswashing petro-states.I mean F1 teams are literally named directly after their corporate owners too (who are not necessarily the ones designing the engines/...) and people seem to love that.
One German football team is named after a pharmaceuticals multinational.
(A special case, it was the workers team for the Bayer plant, like Woolwich Arsenal or 'Locomotiv' of many Slavic cities)
At least that one started as a worker's club. The worse offender is named after an energy drink.
This Indian cricket team is splendidly named:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pune_Warriors_India
Any examples?
Most of the NPB teams are corporate owned and named
- Chunichi Dragons > Chunichi Shimbun (news corporation)
- Hanshin Tigers > Hanshin Electric Railway
- Tokyo Yakult Swallows > Yakult Honsha (yes, the probiotic milk beverage company)
- Yokohama DeNA BayStars > DeNA (ecommerce/mobile games/online services)
- Yomiuri Giants > Yomiuri Shimbun (media conglomerate)
- Chiba Lotte Marines > Lotte Holdings (related to the South Korean Lotte Corporation mostly known for their confectionery and ice creams)
- Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks > SoftBank (I think everyone knows them on HN)
- Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters > Nippon Ham (food processing)
- Orix Buffaloes > Orix (investment banking)
- Saitama Seibu Lions > Seibu Railway
- Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles > Rakuten (I think everyone knows them on HN)
But that's not a Japanese only thing, the Korean (KBO) and Taiwanese (CPBL) baseball leagues are the same
Kia Tigers, KT Wiz, LG Twins, Lotte Giants, Samsung Lions
CTBC Brothers, Rakuten Monkeys, Uni-President 7-Eleven Lions, Fubon Guardians
And not even a baseball thing only the football teams in the region are the same
They basically embed company names directly into team names.
Here is a couple of examples: Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.