The 30 Worst Sports Logos of All Time: #22

As my boy 'Moo and I were sitting through our training class, he turned me on to a website called LogoShak that has a remarkably extensive collection of logos from sports teams and events. Since I needed something new for the blog (and because November has 30 days), I decided to list the 30 worst sports logos of all time. I designated 'Moo as creative director of the project since he a.) found the site before I did, b.) has a good eye for a bad logo, and c.) agreed to go through half of the logos on the site so that I didn't have to spend even more time than I already do with unproductive exercises. I will be listing one per day for the next 30 days. There was no strict criteria; it just had to look ugly. Sometimes the logos were too busy, some of them had terrible color schemes, and some were just way too plain. Regardless, we tried to put together list of the all-time worst for your enjoyment (or displeasure, whichever). Let's keep this train rolling...

#22 - Indiana Alley Cats

Everybody knows that I love all things Indiana (except Notre Dame, of course). However, I have no defense for this logo. The Alley Cats were part of the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) until they disbanded in 2007. The "Alley Cat" in the logo is, essentially, just a stray cat, and the scowl it's expressing is quite laughable. I'm a fan of the red, white, and blue ball, even that doesn't compensate for the unintentional comedy that the rest of the logo holds. Imagine if a team rolled out this logo at an NBA game. Would anyone on the other team ever stop laughing? I mean, goodness. I expect more from the good ol' Hoosier State, but I can't promise that they won't make the list again (Indiana, not the Alley Cats). Foreshadowing? Eh, possibly; you'll have to keep tuning in to find out. Goodness, that's an ugly logo. I'm outta here.

~~ Lank

The 30 Worst Sports Logos of All Time: #23

As my boy 'Moo and I were sitting through our training class, he turned me on to a website called LogoShak that has a remarkably extensive collection of logos from sports teams and events. Since I needed something new for the blog (and because November has 30 days), I decided to list the 30 worst sports logos of all time. I designated 'Moo as creative director of the project since he a.) found the site before I did, b.) has a good eye for a bad logo, and c.) agreed to go through half of the logos on the site so that I didn't have to spend even more time than I already do with unproductive exercises. I will be listing one per day for the next 30 days. There was no strict criteria; it just had to look ugly. Sometimes the logos were too busy, some of them had terrible color schemes, and some were just way too plain. Regardless, we tried to put together list of the all-time worst for your enjoyment (or displeasure, whichever). Let's keep this train rolling...

#23 - Tampa Tide

A little inside information here: 'Moo and I tried to avoid obscure leagues and sports, because the logos wouldn't be as recognizable, but we included logos from such leagues that were just unbelievably bad. Case in point, the Tampa Tide. The Tide played in the National Indoor Football League, which was an alternative to the Arena Football League -- you know, since there was such a huge market for indoor football that two leagues were required. Sadly, the NIFL is now defunct, which means we can no longer gawk at the absurdity that is the Tampa Tide logo. I can't decide which is my (least) favorite part; the sea monster with the mean expression on his face, the fact the he's holding a football in his "hand", or the fact that "tampa tide" is written in purple across a blue background. Just so many missteps with this one; it's no wonder that the NIFL never caught on. I admit that I never saw a Tampa Tide game live, so I don't really know what their uniforms looked like; but considering this was their primary logo, this sea monster had to be shown somewhere on the jersey, right? Or did the NIFL design its jerseys about as well as it did its logos? Regardless, I think we can all agree that this Tampa Tide logo is poor and should be...wait for it...washed away with the tide. Thank you, thank you; I'll be here all month. Try the veal.

~~ Lank

My Top 25 Poll: November 8th

Ok, I'm gonna be honest: I have no idea what to do with this poll. Between Oregon, Iowa, and and Penn State going down; and Houston, Georgia Tech, and Cincinnati winning closer than expected, it's all guesswork for now. However, I assure you that these rankings are based on what I've seen thus far from every team in the country (I've seen at least 90 teams play a game, and a large percentage of those 90 in more than one game). No preseason expectations or biases are in play here, just what I've seen on the field. Now that that disclaimer is finished, I present to you my Top 25...

1.) Florida

2.) Texas

3.) Alabama

4.) TCU

5.) Cincinnati

6.) Boise State

7.) Georgia Tech

8.) Oregon

9.) USC

10.) Iowa

11.) Ohio State

12.) LSU

13.) Pittsburgh

14.) Miami (FL)

15.) Arizona

16.) Houston

17.) Utah

18.) Oklahoma State

19.) Wisconsin

20.) Virginia Tech

21.) Stanford

22.) Penn State

23.) Oregon State

24.) BYU

25.) South Florida

I think. It could change by Wednesday, as no teams have really separated themselves outside of the Top 10 or so. I don't exactly have a lot of faith in Ohio State, LSU, or Pittsburgh, yet the all sit just outside of my Top 10. Sheesh. Stay tuned, this college football season, while boring, has been somewhat unpredictable. Things could change after next week's game...and probably will.

~~ Lank

The 30 Worst Sports Logos of All Time: #24

As my boy 'Moo and I were sitting through our training class, he turned me on to a website called LogoShak that has a remarkably extensive collection of logos from sports teams and events. Since I needed something new for the blog (and because November has 30 days), I decided to list the 30 worst sports logos of all time. I designated 'Moo as creative director of the project since he a.) found the site before I did, b.) has a good eye for a bad logo, and c.) agreed to go through half of the logos on the site so that I didn't have to spend even more time than I already do with unproductive exercises. I will be listing one per day for the next 30 days. There was no strict criteria; it just had to look ugly. Sometimes the logos were too busy, some of them had terrible color schemes, and some were just way too plain. Regardless, we tried to put together list of the all-time worst for your enjoyment (or displeasure, whichever). Let's keep this train rolling...

#24 - Memphis Maniax

Ah, the XFL. I remember when Vince McMahon, the CEO of WWE, started his football league, and named the eight teams involved. Since the league was being run by a pro wrestling guy, I was prepared for just about any name/logo combination. Surprisingly, they were all pretty tame (New York/New Jersey Hitmen included)...except for the Memphis Maniax. Really? You're naming your team the Maniax? Forget the spelling issues for a minute and consider the logic behind calling your team a bunch of crazy people. Whatever, I'm not here to criticize names. But I am here to criticize logos, and this one is just silly. It says "Ax". When your team name is misspelled to begin with, and your logo is just the last two letters of that name, what are you accomplishing? Confusion, that's what. I don't think anyone (XFL fan or not) looked at that logo and instantly said, "oh, that's the Maniax." Just dumb. Their secondary logo is actually pretty cool, but the mental health advocates weren't exactly thrilled about it. I'm telling myself that those PC people are the reason we were stuck with "Ax" instead of the much better other option. The XFL didn't last, but the absurdity of this logo will endure forever.

~~ Lank

The 30 Worst Sports Logos of All Time: #25

As my boy 'Moo and I were sitting through our training class, he turned me on to a website called LogoShak that has a remarkably extensive collection of logos from sports teams and events. Since I needed something new for the blog (and because November has 30 days), I decided to list the 30 worst sports logos of all time. I designated 'Moo as creative director of the project since he a.) found the site before I did, b.) has a good eye for a bad logo, and c.) agreed to go through half of the logos on the site so that I didn't have to spend even more time than I already do with unproductive exercises. I will be listing one per day for the next 30 days. There was no strict criteria; it just had to look ugly. Sometimes the logos were too busy, some of them had terrible color schemes, and some were just way too plain. Regardless, we tried to put together list of the all-time worst for your enjoyment (or displeasure, whichever). Let's keep this train rolling...

#25 - Bakersfield Jam

When the NBA founded the D-League, a lot of people wondered what would come of it. To be honest, it's been pretty good for teams. There haven't been any stars who have come from the minor league, but plenty of role players on NBA teams have gotten significant playing time for their respective D-League affiliate, staying sharp along the way. Now, if we could just get the big boys to pass along some of their marketing money as well, we'd be in good shape. The Jam get some hate here from me, but they're not the only D-League team with a bad logo; it just so happens that they also have the worst team name as well. Really? The Jam? Were 'Slam' and 'Dunk' taken? I just don't get it. I mean, look at that logo. What is that? A basketball thunderously splitting the 'a' and 'm' in Jam. What am I supposed to be taking from that? I realize there are a lot of rhetorical questions happening right now, but I need some answers. This logo just doesn't make sense to me. What is a logo for a team named "Jam" supposed to look like? Heck, I have no idea; there probably isn't a reasonable answer. I just know that it's not supposed to look as terrible as this one does. The Southern California area is full of wannabe artists and designers looking for their big break. Why doesn't somebody offer them a free exhibit at games for their work if they design a better logo for the team free of charge? You know, a little quid pro quo type stuff. I think this could work. At least it'd work better than the current Jam logo.

~~ Lank

Friday Night Picks: November 6th

Minnesota (-6) vs. Illinois

Northwestern (+17.5) at Iowa

Kansas (-2.5) at Kansas State

California (-6) vs. Oregon State

San Diego State (+24) vs. TCU

Atlanta (-10) vs. Washington

Houston (+9) at Indianapolis

Green Bay (-10.5) at Tampa Bay

Seattle (-10) vs. Detroit

Philadelphia (-3) vs. Dallas

~~ Lank

The 30 Worst Sports Logos of All Time: #26

As my boy 'Moo and I were sitting through our training class, he turned me on to a website called LogoShak that has a remarkably extensive collection of logos from sports teams and events. Since I needed something new for the blog (and because November has 30 days), I decided to list the 30 worst sports logos of all time. I designated 'Moo as creative director of the project since he a.) found the site before I did, b.) has a good eye for a bad logo, and c.) agreed to go through half of the logos on the site so that I didn't have to spend even more time than I already do with unproductive exercises. I will be listing one per day for the next 30 days. There was no strict criteria; it just had to look ugly. Sometimes the logos were too busy, some of them had terrible color schemes, and some were just way too plain. Regardless, we tried to put together list of the all-time worst for your enjoyment (or displeasure, whichever). Let's keep this train rolling...

#26 - Atlanta Thrashers

The NHL gets a lot of hate for various reasons (mostly deserved), but I've always thought they had good logos for their teams. From the Original Six teams down to the newer ones, they remain pretty consistent in putting together simple, yet creative, visual representations of their franchises. Well, Atlanta just doesn't fit the bill. I get the thrasher as a mascot because the brown thrasher is the state bird of Georgia, but it just looks ridiculous in this logo. As a matter of fact, it doesn't even look like a bird. It looks like some abstract figure that takes no definite form (wait, that's the very definition of abstract...whatever, just work with me here). And I don't mean to rain on their parade (well, actually I guess I kind of do), but the "bird" is committing a penalty. There's no way, if that "bird" were playing a real game, that he wouldn't get whistled for highsticking. That's not even an arguable point; he'd be in the box for a 2-minute minor right off the getty. So, not only is the logo hard on the eyes, it teaches poor lessons to the children. Skip To My Lank is for the kids, and we won't stand for such things. By the way, since I'm here, what's up with that color scheme? Is that red or brown? Or maybe orange? Gold? Heck, I don't know. And I'm tired of trying to figure it out; I'd rather spend my free time on more important ventures...like finding more logos to add to the list.

~~ Lank