[Newsbot]

Title: Foul ball? London Rippers team name under fire
Category: Sports
Posted By: Guy_Fawkes
Date: 2011-11-18 12:38:01
Canadian

[Guy_Fawkes]

Wow so 123 years is too soon for some people...

[Thanos]

Yeah, but it opens the door for some asswipes 125 years from now to name one of the local teams the OlsonBernardos or the BundyGacyGeins. Kinda low class IMO.

[OnTheIce]

Funny how the World works....

We make movies and TV shows about the suffering of people and yet when a team uses the word "Ripper" they're torn up.

Let's get back to sensationalizing murder, midgets and metal ill people for profit. That's acceptable.

[BartSimpson]

What's the big deal with Jack the Ripper anyway? He only killed five people. By modern standards that's barely even newsworthy.

[Guy_Fawkes]

Thanos wrote:

Yeah, but it opens the door for some asswipes 125 years from now to name one of the local teams the OlsonBernardos or the BundyGacyGeins. Kinda low class IMO.

I would be fine with that; in 2136 if some baseball team want to be called the Bin Bombers and had a caricature of Osama Bin Laden they should go right ahead. Hell look at my name, although he did not actually murder anyone he attempted to. His caricature is associated with anyone who works with bombs and explosives.

[Zipperfish]

OnTheIce wrote:

Funny how the World works....

We make movies and TV shows about the suffering of people and yet when a team uses the word "Ripper" they're torn up.

Let's get back to sensationalizing murder, midgets and metal ill people for profit. That's acceptable.

Sensationalizing murder and the mentaly ill is vile. But I really don't see the problem wtih the midgets.

[Zipperfish]

I'd say that after 123 years, it lies in the realm of mythology now. ot eh ebst name, though granted. It's kinda like "Hey, let's call the band Korn." Wtf, man. W-T-F.

[andyt]

Is it too early for the Halifax Hitlers? Sudbury Schutztaffel? Oh, yeah, I Godwinned.

I don't think it's the time that's elapsed, it's what the name stands for - killing women. I wouldn't play on that team.

[Lemmy]

It's not the name that's offensive, it's the logo that is. If they'd just call themselves "Rippers" and say it's for "ripping line drives all over the field", that'd be just fine. I'd argue that the Calgary Hitmen are the same thing. The name is fine, so long as they don't embellish the double-entendre. Similarly, the McGill Redman name is fine. It's not offensive as the name isn't attached to an offensive native-American stereotype for a logo. The Chicago Blackhawks' or Washington Redskins' logos, on the other hand, could certainly be offensive to some while their names, I'd argue, are defensible.

[andyt]

Good points, tho I think since it's London it's still too much of an association. Windsor Rippers would be a whole different deal. Calgary Hitmen - not specific about any individual and a pretty clever name for a baseball team. Calgary "Bouchers" not so good.

The Native stuff is different. You're actually honoring a (former) opponent - ie Braves etc. Blackhawks - no reference to natives that I can see, except their logo. Hell, they're honoring natives in my opinion. Redskins, yeah, that's a bad choice, don't know what they were thinking.

[Tricks]

I think it's hilarious. Cause you know, they're gonna murder them.

Also, lots of people in London use "Rippers" as slang for strip club. So they need to explain it

[Gunnair]

Agreed. Not sure who did the PR litmus test for this, but irrespective of time passed, they've named a sports team after a serial killer.

Retarded since they have the potential to alienate 50% of their potential fan base.

Dumb.

[Batsy]

Nothing beats the name of my town's baseball team.

I come from Bolton, near Manchester. The town's baseball team, founded in 2003, is called Bolton Robots of Doom.

[Batsy]

BartSimpson wrote:

What's the big deal with Jack the Ripper anyway? He only killed five people. By modern standards that's barely even newsworthy.

He (or she) may have actually killed 11 prostitutes.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitechapel_murders