20 DFW PENNY SAVER / SEPTEMBER 28, 2014
RELOCATION OF PROFESSIONAL SPORTS TEAMS SINCE 1970 MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Seattle Pilots moved to Milwaukee and became the Brewers. The MLB would grant Seattle a new franchise in 1977. Second Washington Senators moved to Arlington, Texas and became the Texas Rangers. Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C. and became the Washington Nationals. The Expos had split time between Montreal and San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2003 and 2004.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
• 1982: Oakland Raiders moved to Los Angeles. The NFL refused permission for the move, but the team won the right to relocate in a court case. Baltimore Colts moved to Indianapolis. The team’s offices were slipped out of Baltimore in the middle of the night to avoid a proposed eminent domain seizure by the state of Maryland. St. Louis Cardinals moved to the Phoenix area, playing games in nearby Tempe. The team now plays in another Phoenix suburb, Glendale. The team was renamed the Arizona Cardinals in 1994. Los Angeles Raiders moved back to Oakland after 13 previous seasons, the first “return” relocation of a North American professional sports team. Also the Los Angeles Rams moved to St. Louis. Since then, Los Angeles, the nation’s second-largest market, has not hosted a NFL franchise. Cleveland Browns moved to Baltimore and became the Baltimore Ravens. The move was one of the most controversial in major professional sports history. In response to a fan revolt and legal threats, the NFL awarded a new franchise to Cleveland in 1999, which for historical purposes is considered a continuation of the original Browns franchise. Houston Oilers moved to Memphis and became the Tennessee Oilers. The team originally planned to play both 1997 and 1998 in Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis before moving to their intended destination of Nashville. However, due to poor attendance, the team moved to Nashville in 1998, playing in Vanderbilt University’s stadium. The team was renamed the Tennessee Titans in 1999, when their new stadium was opened. The NFL eventually awarded Houston an expansion team for 2002.
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
San Diego Rockets moved to Houston. Cincinnati Royals moved to a new primary home in Kansas City and a secondary home in Omaha, carrying the name Kansas City-Omaha Kings. The team ceased Omaha operations in 1975 and became known as just the Kansas City Kings. Dallas Chaparrals became the San Antonio Spurs. New York Nets, one year after the ABA-NBA merger, become the New Jersey Nets. Although the Nets moved within the New York metropolitan area, they dramatically changed their primary market within the area. When representing “New York”, they played in Nassau County on Long Island; their primary fanbase is now in New Jersey. The Nets are scheduled to move again within the New York area in 2012, this time to Brooklyn, at which time they will become the Brooklyn Nets. Buffalo Braves became the San Diego Clippers. New Orleans Jazz moved to Salt Lake City, becoming the Utah Jazz. : San Diego Clippers moved to Los Angeles. Kansas City Kings moved to Sacramento. Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis, Tennessee. Charlotte Hornets moved to New Orleans. New Orleans Hornets moved to Oklahoma City following Hurricane Katrina. The relocation was temporary and the team moved back to New Orleans following the 2006-07 season. The Seattle SuperSonics became the Oklahoma City Thunder.
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
10 Fun Facts About TIGERS
The stripes on each tiger are unique, like human fingerprints. Tigers do not normally view humans as prey, but will attack if threatened. Most cases of purposeful human predation are due to lack of a tiger’s normal prey species due to habitat loss. Tigers cannot purr. To show happiness, tigers squint or close their eyes. This is because losing vision lowers defense, so tigers (and many other cats) only purposefully do so when they feel comfortable and safe. Bears make up a part of the diet of many tigers, due to overlapping habitats. Sometimes tigers will imitate the sound of a bear’s prey to lure unsuspecting bears towards them. Tigers live for about 25 years both in captivity and in the wild. There are only about 3,500 tigers left in the wild. There are a greater number in captivity. Tigers are solitary animals and only group together either when permitted by a large kill or in the case of a mother with cubs. Tigers have color vision like humans. Tigers have antiseptic saliva. They lick their wounds to disinfect them. Just like housecats, the markings on a tiger’s fur are also found on their skin, so even a shaved tiger would still show its stripes.
The California Golden Seals, which played their home games in Oakland, moved to Cleveland and became the Cleveland Barons. The Kansas City Scouts moved to Denver and became the Colorado Rockies. The Barons franchise was absorbed into the Minnesota North Stars organization. The Atlanta Flames moved to Calgary; Atlanta was awarded an expansion team in 1999. The Colorado Rockies moved to East Rutherford, New Jersey and became the New Jersey Devils. The former Barons ownership splits off from the North Stars to return to the Bay Area with the expansion San Jose Sharks, comprising half the former North Stars’ roster. The Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas and became the Stars; Minnesota was awarded an expansion team in 2000. The Quebec Nordiques moved to Denver and became the Colorado Avalanche. The Winnipeg Jets moved to Phoenix and became the Coyotes. The Hartford Whalers moved corporate offices to Raleigh, North Carolina and became the Carolina Hurricanes. For two years they played home games in Greensboro while an arena was under construction in Raleigh. The Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg, becoming the latest incarnation of the Winnipeg Jets.