Post by David on Jun 6, 2016 19:08:03 GMT -8
(image courtesy of Kelsey Nover / twitter.com/kelsnov)
6.6.16 -
After a fan-vote of over 6,000 entries, the Indoor Football League and Project FANchise have announced the new Salt Lake City expansion franchise will be known as the Salt Lake City Screaming Eagles.
The Screaming Eagles name was suggested by a fan named Gordon Wright and based on the 101st Airborne Division, the renowned light infantry division of the U.S. Army that trained for air assault operations during World War II. The 101st played a crucial role during the D-Day Landings on June 6th, 1944.
Wright's entry received 60% of the votes in the final round of voting, when the field was trimmed from 300 names to 10. In the IFL's press release, Wright stated, "My father and father-in-law were both World War II vets, however they were not part of D-Day. I liked the name for the World War II reference and the Utah Beach tie."
For those unaware, Utah Beach was a code name for one of the five sectors of Normandy landings that the Allies invaded on D-Day.
According to the Salt Lake Tribune, team names included in the Top 10 that were ultimately not picked include "Utah Teamy McTeamface," "Utah Stormin' Mormons," and "Salt Lake Inversion."
The Screaming Eagles will begin play in 2017 and play its games at the Maverik Center, located in West Valley City, a suburban area of Salt Lake City. They are owned by Project FANchise, a unique organization that will attempt to bridge the gap between fantasy sports, video games, and live sports. It'll be the first fan-run organization in all of professional sports.
- DKH
To comment on this thread and others on this forum, please login or register.
