“Nets” was a stupid and derivative name when the current Nets’ ABA forbears on Long Island took it on to get fake local cred by rhyming with the Mets and Jets. (Dumber still was the Team Tennis franchise the New York Sets.) It is time to put that stupid moniker to rest.
At first I was partial to calling the team the Brooklyn Bums in romantic homage to the Dodgers v1.0 and the love this town had for that team. But now I’ve decided that I’d rather call them the Brooklyn Bridge, and if Bruce Ratner thought about it, he would also.
I admit that there is a certain lameness to the name. It is sort of obvious, it is a non-pluralized word (though “Bridges“ would be far worse) and it doesn’t translate well to a plush toy. At the same time the bridge imagery works. The team would be a unifying source of pride for an almost inconceivably diverse borough. The bridge also establishes Brooklyn as an important city unto itself, but still intimately tied to Manhattan.
Finally, since you know that Ratner won’t hold onto the team forever, is it possible that a real estate guy could pass up the chance to be known as the guy who sold the Brooklyn Bridge?
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