Internationally it has become a growing trend to name sports teams after the corporations that sponsor them. This is not as acceptable in the American sports landscape, though. The American reaction to the New York Red Bulls naming their soccer team after the corporation, for example, received a mixed reaction from fans and media alike.
On an international scale there are various examples of teams named after corporations, like Bayer Leverkusen in Germany which is named after a firm that manufactures aspirin. PSV Eindhoven of Holland is named for Philips Electronics. Korea Professional Baseball has nine franchises nationwide and all teams are named after the companies or business conglomerates which own them. South Africa has a provincial rugby team named the Vodacom Bulls because they are sponsored by Vodacom, a cellular network provider. The same goes for the South African Cricket team, Chevrolet Warriors who are generously sponsored by the car manufacturer.
Sports teams sometimes sell their names to increase revenue for themselves. This is often frowned upon by some sports organisations. UEFA bans sponsors’ names to be used when addressing a team. It seems that the interest corporations are showing in sports teams is a growing trend and the reality is that corporations have been investing in, and promoting sports organizations for decades.
