A Return to Our Roots

The sublime Cereal Mascot All-Star Roster reminded me of the halcyon days of this web log, when our creative juices were flowing and we had all the time in the world to milk them. (Just go with it, man.) It also reminded me that I haven't had a bowl of cereal in years, but that's for a different post.

Back in those days, we used to do things like rank baseball card seasons and collegiate mascots, celebrate short people and cute rock babes, and otherwise compile lists of things that struck our fancy. We're (very slightly) more grown up now, and (again, very slightly) more of our content is semi-adult in nature. But it's hard to take the dipshit out of the boy. 

After reviewing a bunch of logos from a lot of leagues, the NFL seems really staid and boring. And maybe I'm just too familiar with Major League Baseball. Not much pops there. It could also be that I have a natural bias towards the more modern from a design perspective. For example, there are some cool WNBA logos, in particular the Chicago Sky, but that team's use of the game's equipment (a net, in this case) ruined it for me. There is one exception to this rule, as we'll see later.

And so, here's a definitive list of the five best team logos in American major professional sports, as defined by the following leagues (and using the logos presented on sportslogos.net - no secondary merchandising dollar grabs allowed):

WNBA

NWSL

NBA

MLS

MLB

NFL

NHL

The rules, if you must, are loosely these: the logo must be evocative of a team's region or name, not just abstract designs. No basic letter-centric logos are eligible (to which, sorry to the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens, 'cause those are sharp looks, but I don't make the rules.) No cartoony shit. (Suck it, Pittsburgh Penguins.) Beyond that, the primary rule is, I know it when I see it.

Before we get to the judging, a few observations.

And so, on with it. Here are the honorable mentions:

Denver Nuggets (NBA)

Seattle Reign (NWSL)

Chicago Red Stars (NWSL)

Los Angeles Chargers (NFL)

New Orleans Saints (NFL)

Seattle Mariners (MLB)

Winnipeg Jets (NHL)

Milwaukee Bucks (NBA)

New York Liberty (WNBA)

A special shoutout to the Seattle Kraken, who are rising up the charts with their deep-sea design.

These are the worst logos in all of American sport:

Boston Breakers (NWSL) - the absolute worst; it looks like a youth soccer club logo designed by

someone's dad using MS Paint

Cleveland Browns (NFL)

San Jose Quakes (MLS)

Arizona Diamondbacks (MLB)

Anaheim Ducks (NHL)

Montreal Impact (MLS)

Real Salt Lake (MLS)

Connecticut Sun (WNBA)

And Jesus, but the Wizards logo looks like a poster for a porn film.

Alright. Enough with the preliminaries. Here's the definitive list of the five best logos in major American team sports. It's a mix of classic and contemporary, spanning multiple sports. Each of the logo, save one, has a strong regional connection. The one that doesn't is probably the most clever design in the bunch. And all of them feature distinctive designs that stand alone.

The Detroit Red Wings have used their singular flying wheel logo since 1932. It combines the Motor City's industrial foundation with a dynamism, a wheel in motion. It's classic, and classy.

The Golden State Warriors initially used a variation of their logo that featured the Golden Gate Bridge's iconic span in 1970, but the current version was introduced first in 2011 and updated to deepen the gold color and make the bridge design more crisp last season. Even without reading the words on the logo, you'd know where this team was from simply by the image. The asymmetry gives the design a sense of action. And it's cool.

The Portland Thorns have led the NWSL in attendance in each of the league's seven seasons. Their name and logo both nod to their hometown's nickname, the Rose City. The logo itself, designed by a Portland native, features a wreath of thorns protecting a stylized rose. It's feminine and badass, like the two-time NWSL champions.

The Milwaukee Brewers' logo breaks all the rules, and it feels so right. It's got letters, a design no-no. It features a baseball, going against the use of equipment. It doesn't have any direct visual connection to the team's home region. But it's really smartly done, and it's unique (with a nod to the late, lamented Montreal Expos).

I got the idea for this post while watching Minnesota United play last night. (Ironically, against the logollically-challenged San Jose Quakes). For my money, the Loons' design is the best in American pro sports. Celebrating the Minnesota state bird, and featuring 11 feathers - one for each player on the field - the logo also incorporates the Mississippi River (the blue band) and Minnesota's fabled Iron Range (the gray color). Finally, the twin bands of gray also represent St. Paul and Minneapolis. There's a lot captured in a single design, and it looks cool as hell. Which, as we know, is all that really matters.