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I live in Miami, FL and with a Category 5 Hurricane Melissa ravaging nearby Hispaniola, it is a strong reminder of just how close to danger this city is all the time from hurricanes. I moved here long after Hurricane Andrew, but a certain generation still talks about in hushed tones and with real reverence for that kind of destructive power. Because I am not a serious person who probably has undiagnosed ADHD, this got me thinking of how ridiculous it is for the local university to name the school after something responsible for so much death and destruction. The Miami Hurricanes, are you kidding? Yes, hurricanes are strong and unstoppable, but they are direct reminders that they are strong and unstoppable to LOCAL MIAMI RESIDENTS! Why are you rooting for the thing that is trying to kill you? It’s like sheep having a wolf mascot. Anyway, this has me thinking of the other unfortunate or straight silly team names out there that do not make a lick of sense.
Local Catastrophe Division
The Carolina Hurricanes were formed in 1997 after moving from Hartford. Though not as prone to disaster as Miami, North Carolina still gets its share of storms. In 1996 alone, 3 hurricanes hit the Carolina coast including Hurricane Fran which caused $2.55b in damage and killed 14 people. How in the world did they go from unbelievable local devastation to shiny new hockey team in less than a year? Was someone sitting at one of the funerals, stand up, shout I’VE GOT IT, and run out of the church with a team name on his mind? The name is as callous as it is unnecessary. It’s like naming your new dog Ford because how you lost the last one.
That’s not even close to as bad as the MLS’s Chicago Fire. The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 killed 300 people and destroyed like half the city. It’s an event that shaped the city and something the locals have become somewhat proud of, but still…THEY DID NOT HAVE TO NAME A SOCCER TEAM AFTER IT. I mean, that isn’t even the only fire disaster to hit Chicago either. In 1903 there was a fire in a Chicago theatre that killed 600 people, a factory burned down in 1911 causing 146 deaths, and a school fire in 1958 killed 92 children. Did you know the University of Illinois at Chicago goes by Flames? What the fuck people?
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