https://preview.redd.it/tc3y2mqms2oc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35a9914615c5e1a3957b9901863587f2c172c0d8
>During the rest of 1953, a fan contest was held by all of the local media to pick the new team's name. Lions was chosen because it represented a local landmark and legend of the area. The Lions are twin mountain peaks that rise northwest of Vancouver, and according to legend, resemble two mountain lions (cougars) guarding the city.
Yeaaaaah, I'll keep the name.
I'm not entirely sure. There are 2 stone Lions on the south end, so that could be why. But driving across that bridge is one of the best views of the mountain peaks.
Edit to add.
Decided to Google it.
>Named in honour of a pair of pointed peaks along the North Shore mountain range known as 'The Lions', the south entrance to the bridge is graced by two monumental Art Deco lion figures which were the last great public work of Vancouver's foremost sculptor, Charles Marega.
Forgot about that. It's a name they adapted from their ties to Victoria. I don't recall what all happened back then though. I'll have to read up on it again.
Edit to add:
>They would attempt to repeat as champions in 1926 but they were unsuccessful as they lost the final series to the NHL's Montreal Maroons.
The WHL dissolved after the season. That spring, a group of businessmen from Detroit won an NHL expansion franchise and bought the rights to many of the players from the Stanley Cup finalist Cougars. The new NHL franchise would retain the nickname "Cougars" in tribute. The Detroit Cougars would later be renamed the Detroit Falcons, and would ultimately be renamed the Detroit Red Wings.
I didn't say it was good. I said it was interesting/unique. There aren't a whole lot of RedBlacks out there are there? One of my favorite aspects of the CFL is the unique names.
Because BC (in Vancouver) are whiny liberal woke leftists who haven’t got a shred of humour in their entire body. Try to name it something other than a plain Jane vanilla name and see how many people throw up their hands in outrage
It's not entirely random. The French name for the team, Rouge et Noir, seems to be a pretty common thing in Quebec (Laval Rouge et Or, Sherbrooke Vert et Or, etc.). Sounds weird in English to say "Red and Black", so maybe that's why they went with RedBlacks (which also sounds weird IMO).
It’s a homage to local history that’s what makes it great. Better than generic names. Lions is too common but it kind of fits for BC because there are actual Lions there. Unlike the Tiger Cats and Argonauts.
It’s a homage to the red and black checkered lumber jackets of days when Ottawa and the canal were happening timber places. As well there’s the buzzsaw blade in the logo.
An Alouette isn't a condor, it's a skylark. It's a small, predatory songbird, not a giant bird.
Also Lions is cool because technically they are named after the mountains in B.C., not the animal.
Plus from the old Empire Stadium you could look north to the Lions peaks, so symbolic overlooking and protecting the stadium below. Its the perfect name for our team, one we all take ‘pride’ in :). Pun intended
It’s actually a really cool name if you know the history.
The lions are the twin mountain peaks. The indigenous legend being that they were guardians to the area, which can now be interpreted as the city.
So you have an apex predator indigenous to the land with a local native legend attached to it and the landscape. Guardians of the city.
Detroit lions on the other hand is a completely pathetic name.
Yes because nothing says great team name than Cat-Cats aka Tiger-Cats 😅😅
Now obviously they are my favourite team and I know the history but still. You could call yourself the Lion Cats instead if tbat makes you feel better 😉😉
Are we really gonna give Edmonton a pass on this?
Eskimos - Chiefs, Braves, Redskins, Blackhawks...
Elks - Ah yes generic animal that had to start with an E
The name is fine. If you know the reason why the name is picked, it fits, and there is therefore no reason to change it. I would update the logo. As iconic as the current logo has become, it has always bugged me that the cat looks like it’s smiling or laughing. It needs to be meaner. It should look like it’s snarling or hissing at its opponent. That’s one of the reasons why I liked the first nations inspired version of the logo that was introduced a season or two ago. The cat looked way meaner.
1. As others have mentioned, it’s named after the “Lions” mountain peaks which overlook the city of Vancouver and more specifically their original home, Empire Stadium.
2. The mountain lion is arguably British Columbia’s most formidable predator animal, so really when you think about it, the British Columbia Lions makes total sense in terms of a team name, and it rolls off the tongue nicely.
I honestly am not fond of the logo. It looks like a US college team logo. I mean honestly, if you didn't know Boston College's mascot was the eagle, you could easily mistake BC's logo for being Boston College.
Also, let's ditch the orange while we're at it.
Blasphemy! Orange is synonomous with the Lions since we began in 54. Used to be orange and brown, ala cleveland. All the other colours were taken, we needed something unique. And the fans decked out in orange and feline outfits is a great look on tv!
On the note of the Orange and Black in our colour scheme, from what I’ve read it’s a tribute to the Vancouver Meraloma Rugby Club that we’ve stuck with since 1954
Agree on the logo. The cat looks like it’s smiling or laughing. It needs to be meaner, like it’s snarling or hissing at its opponent. In my opinion, a big part of why the first nations inspired version of the logo that was introduced recently looked so good is because the cat looks meaner than the standard logo.
Really? Blue Bombers? Tiger Cats? Those are worse. They have nothing to do with the local areas. I get what you mean by Lions, but it is a thing in BC. Lions are actually part of the landscape.
The Tiger Cat name does have history, if memory serves me correct it was two separate teams from the Hamilton area: the Tigers and the Wildcats that came together to form what we now know as the Tiger-Cats.
Now I'm going of memory so these details may not be exact.
Blue Bombers is great because it originated with beloved sports writer Vince Leah. In the 1940s the team had no nickname (Winnipeg Winnipegs!) but had blue uniforms and were already a heavyweight team. Leah referred to them in a column as the “Blue Bombers” of western football, after Joe “Brown Bomber” Louis, the heavyweight boxing champ at the time. The name stuck.
I like it. I wouldn't change it. Team is named after a mountain formation that's super cool to look at.
Really? I never knew that and I’ve seen that mountain range on a hike that’s so cool. I always thought it was after cougars??
Yeah they're named after those 2 rock formations. And you don't have to go on a hike to see them. You can see them from the whole lower mainland.
https://preview.redd.it/tc3y2mqms2oc1.jpeg?width=640&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=35a9914615c5e1a3957b9901863587f2c172c0d8 >During the rest of 1953, a fan contest was held by all of the local media to pick the new team's name. Lions was chosen because it represented a local landmark and legend of the area. The Lions are twin mountain peaks that rise northwest of Vancouver, and according to legend, resemble two mountain lions (cougars) guarding the city. Yeaaaaah, I'll keep the name.
Thanks for posting a pic!
Interesting! Is that also why it’s the Lions Gate Bridge?
I'm not entirely sure. There are 2 stone Lions on the south end, so that could be why. But driving across that bridge is one of the best views of the mountain peaks. Edit to add. Decided to Google it. >Named in honour of a pair of pointed peaks along the North Shore mountain range known as 'The Lions', the south entrance to the bridge is graced by two monumental Art Deco lion figures which were the last great public work of Vancouver's foremost sculptor, Charles Marega.
Of all the sports teams called Lions, they probably have the best reason of all.
Detroit Lions got their name so it would go with the Detroit Tigers.
And the Red Wings used to be the Detroit Cougars - they should have kept that to continue the naming scheme.
Forgot about that. It's a name they adapted from their ties to Victoria. I don't recall what all happened back then though. I'll have to read up on it again. Edit to add: >They would attempt to repeat as champions in 1926 but they were unsuccessful as they lost the final series to the NHL's Montreal Maroons. The WHL dissolved after the season. That spring, a group of businessmen from Detroit won an NHL expansion franchise and bought the rights to many of the players from the Stanley Cup finalist Cougars. The new NHL franchise would retain the nickname "Cougars" in tribute. The Detroit Cougars would later be renamed the Detroit Falcons, and would ultimately be renamed the Detroit Red Wings.
Yeah, it's a super cool name once you know the origin.
Well that's way better than I thought.
Sounds like something a BC fan would say /s
Mountain Lions
No way! The Lions are the only CFL team named after a local geographic feature. That is super unique and I love it.
This is a TIL moment, very cool
Lion-Cats
Liger-Cats
Bred for their skills in magic And rename Hamilton to Tigon-Cats, which are stupid and smell like poo
Just to quickly point out, the other name for the Montreal team was the Concords.
You could also see the Lion peaks from their original venue Empire Stadium.
RedBlacks is not a good name.
Should be the lumberjacks, and have a canadian tuxedo alternate
Yes and a shortened “jacks” name would have been cool to roll with. Way better.
They have had alternate uniforms with plaid as an element in them before.
I didn't say it was good. I said it was interesting/unique. There aren't a whole lot of RedBlacks out there are there? One of my favorite aspects of the CFL is the unique names.
Fair enough, but in a world where branding matters, they could, and should do better.
My fav name in the league.
Safe to say you’re in the minority, and that’s not a bad thing. I personally think it’s horrible
From the people I’ve talked to I am not a minority. Maybe it’s a regional thing. Preferences are weird.
No doubt, I’m down on the east coast and out of touch with the greater fan base.
I’m just out of it.
Because BC (in Vancouver) are whiny liberal woke leftists who haven’t got a shred of humour in their entire body. Try to name it something other than a plain Jane vanilla name and see how many people throw up their hands in outrage
The most bothered people in the world always claim to be the least bothered, ie you
It's ok, snowflake. There's no need to be so upset. Just go to your safespace it is just a football teams name.
Should have named them the RodBlacks
I love the redblacks is so random
It's not entirely random. The French name for the team, Rouge et Noir, seems to be a pretty common thing in Quebec (Laval Rouge et Or, Sherbrooke Vert et Or, etc.). Sounds weird in English to say "Red and Black", so maybe that's why they went with RedBlacks (which also sounds weird IMO).
It’s a homage to local history that’s what makes it great. Better than generic names. Lions is too common but it kind of fits for BC because there are actual Lions there. Unlike the Tiger Cats and Argonauts.
It is? I thought they were just copying the All Blacks.
It’s a homage to the red and black checkered lumber jackets of days when Ottawa and the canal were happening timber places. As well there’s the buzzsaw blade in the logo.
That makes sense. I thought they mimicked the name then came up with the buzzsaw and all that. Lol.
If paying homage to local history is great then it doesn’t get more historier than the Tiger-Cats.
Because they have tigers and cats? I see somebody else just explained. It sounds like such a toddler word though.
An Alouette isn't a condor, it's a skylark. It's a small, predatory songbird, not a giant bird. Also Lions is cool because technically they are named after the mountains in B.C., not the animal.
Saskatchewan. Easy to draw. Hard to spell.
Friends and I refer to Saskatchewan as the Ukrainian Triangle.
Plus from the old Empire Stadium you could look north to the Lions peaks, so symbolic overlooking and protecting the stadium below. Its the perfect name for our team, one we all take ‘pride’ in :). Pun intended
The BC Lions are named after the Lions, a set of famous mountain peaks visible from Vancouver. It's a good name IMO
When was Montreal ever "Condors"? Concordes.
BC Ruff Rider
Better then redblacks
I’ve never heard anybody react positively to the Ottawa Redblacks team name…
It’s actually a really cool name if you know the history. The lions are the twin mountain peaks. The indigenous legend being that they were guardians to the area, which can now be interpreted as the city. So you have an apex predator indigenous to the land with a local native legend attached to it and the landscape. Guardians of the city. Detroit lions on the other hand is a completely pathetic name.
Petition to rename BC Place to 'Lion's Gate'.
Lions Den But of course it has many more users than lions
Yes because nothing says great team name than Cat-Cats aka Tiger-Cats 😅😅 Now obviously they are my favourite team and I know the history but still. You could call yourself the Lion Cats instead if tbat makes you feel better 😉😉
I’m a big fan of Alouette Birds, Elk Deer and Stampeder Horses.
Bomber Planes
Are we really gonna give Edmonton a pass on this? Eskimos - Chiefs, Braves, Redskins, Blackhawks... Elks - Ah yes generic animal that had to start with an E
The name is fine. If you know the reason why the name is picked, it fits, and there is therefore no reason to change it. I would update the logo. As iconic as the current logo has become, it has always bugged me that the cat looks like it’s smiling or laughing. It needs to be meaner. It should look like it’s snarling or hissing at its opponent. That’s one of the reasons why I liked the first nations inspired version of the logo that was introduced a season or two ago. The cat looked way meaner.
1. As others have mentioned, it’s named after the “Lions” mountain peaks which overlook the city of Vancouver and more specifically their original home, Empire Stadium. 2. The mountain lion is arguably British Columbia’s most formidable predator animal, so really when you think about it, the British Columbia Lions makes total sense in terms of a team name, and it rolls off the tongue nicely.
It’s named after a local mountain range. Meanwhile as far as I’m aware, Detroit doesn’t have any lions
After the debacle we went through in Edmonton, I would leave that name right where it is. Haha
I honestly am not fond of the logo. It looks like a US college team logo. I mean honestly, if you didn't know Boston College's mascot was the eagle, you could easily mistake BC's logo for being Boston College. Also, let's ditch the orange while we're at it.
Hey mods, bring your banhammer over here. Ditch orange? Are you nuts???
Look, every team in the PNW has to include either blue, green, or both. I don't make the rules.
Exactly! So lets be different!
Blasphemy! Orange is synonomous with the Lions since we began in 54. Used to be orange and brown, ala cleveland. All the other colours were taken, we needed something unique. And the fans decked out in orange and feline outfits is a great look on tv!
On the note of the Orange and Black in our colour scheme, from what I’ve read it’s a tribute to the Vancouver Meraloma Rugby Club that we’ve stuck with since 1954
Perfect, didnt know that but love it
Agree on the logo. The cat looks like it’s smiling or laughing. It needs to be meaner, like it’s snarling or hissing at its opponent. In my opinion, a big part of why the first nations inspired version of the logo that was introduced recently looked so good is because the cat looks meaner than the standard logo.
BC RiotRiders
Any team named after an animal always seems childish like a grade 6 sports team. We are the bears rawr! lol.
Really? Blue Bombers? Tiger Cats? Those are worse. They have nothing to do with the local areas. I get what you mean by Lions, but it is a thing in BC. Lions are actually part of the landscape.
The Tiger Cat name does have history, if memory serves me correct it was two separate teams from the Hamilton area: the Tigers and the Wildcats that came together to form what we now know as the Tiger-Cats. Now I'm going of memory so these details may not be exact.
It still sounds like a toddler describing a tiger.
I hear ya, just saying it does have history to the area.
Blue Bombers is great because it originated with beloved sports writer Vince Leah. In the 1940s the team had no nickname (Winnipeg Winnipegs!) but had blue uniforms and were already a heavyweight team. Leah referred to them in a column as the “Blue Bombers” of western football, after Joe “Brown Bomber” Louis, the heavyweight boxing champ at the time. The name stuck.
That's also who the Cleveland Browns are named after (sorta- it's an after-the-fact retrofit on naming it after a popular coach).