Pro sports teams have run out of names. Here’s a big reason why

When it comes to Major League Soccer or the NWSL, many teams have neglected animal mascots or explicit historical references in favor of names like Real Salt Lake, Minnesota United, New York City FC— a nod to famous clubs in Europe and South America like Real Madrid and Manchester United.

One reason for the shift to more generic names is trademark law. As more teams spring up, particularly as interest in women’s sports surges, there are fewer viable mascot names to go around.

The Professional Women’s Hockey League, created via a merger between competing leagues last year, played its first season with a slate of teams identified only by their city names. While the new league polled fans for recommendations—a common tactic—it discovered that many of the most popular suggestions had already been taken, Amy Scheer, the league’s senior vice president of business operations, told The Wall Steet Journal.

“We’re doing intellectual property across two countries with different laws,” said Scheer, a former executive at the NFL and Major League Soccer’s New York Red Bulls. “When you go through the process, you feel like, my God, every name is taken already.

Next season, however, the teams will have more traditional names such as the Minnesota Frost and New York Sirens.

Basic branding hits America’s “Big Four” sports leagues

When the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes moved to Utah, the team’s owners needed to buy time while going through a similar process. For now, the team is playing as Utah Hockey Club while fans vote on several options put forward by the organization, with “Yeti” reportedly the frontrunner.

The hockey team’s current branding is for now distantly generic and, for a mascot at home games, it is borrowing the “Jazz Bear” used by its NBA counterpart in Salt Lake City.

The most famous example of a delayed rebrand, however, remains Washington’s NFL team. The organization abandoned its name of over eight…