Will the New York Football Giants ever change their name?
Apr 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; New York Giants fans react as the team selects offensive tackle Justin Pugh (Syracuse, not pictured) as the nineteenth overall pick of the 2013 NFL Draft at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Will the New York Football Giants ever change their name?
The New York Football Giants are a name brand and family business full of rich tradition, wealth and shrewd decision making. All of those features are consistently at the forefront of the organization, while keeping the goal of being Super Bowl winners, year-in-year-out. With 20 appearances in championship contests during eight-plus decades of gridiron action featuring 1,241 games with a 661-547-33 overall record… it’s safe to say the Giants team possesses a powerful image of success across the NFL.
Since the team was created in 1925, numerous GIANT football legends have had their prime athletic moments and achievements during all that WIN . There’s so much pride behind the brand and fanbase: 8 league championships, some of them of the Super Bowl variety. It’s a lot to be proud of.
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Year after year, Giants players have outfitted themselves with their BLUE battle armor and looked into the mirror, screaming for potential win on the inside and out. Eye black, face paint and dripping sweat, all pointing towards the extreme effort and desire to be a winner in all definitions of the word–WINNER. All for their team, their logos, their colors and their GIANT pride.
That said, what’s the definition of the word “winner”?
It should be an easy thing to define. After all, the word winner is very straightforward. Here’s an example of it’s usage: “He’s a winner”. Or even better,” he’s a GIANT winner” gets the word’s point across well.
Really, it’s hard to ruin the word winner’s definition without putting a negative word in front of it. Here’s an example of trying to ruin its definition: “He’s a shite winner”– this can insinuate someone may be a bad “winner”– but technically they’re still a winner. So it doesn’t completely change the definition of the word.
Other words are more clouded, a word like “Giant” has many meanings. Which brings us to the main question in today’s read:
Would the Giants ever consider changing their name, because someone, or some group found it offensive?
Initially, that’s preposterous. But so is changing any team name because it’s deemed offensive. Before we get defensive about the subject, however, let’s look at Gigantism, a rare disease. Here’s a definition from the New York Times Heath Guide:
"Gigantism is abnormally large growth due to an excess of growth hormone during childhood, before the bone growth plates have closed."
In human history, there have been people labeled as Giants and ridiculed. Nowadays, Gigantism is a rare disease, but it’s prevalence should not be minimized. There are certainly some that might be offended by the Giants team name. These days, Gigantism is treatable. Does that make the jokes in school less painful to children with the disease? Probably not.
Is that reason to change the New York Football Giants name? In my opinion, no. The Giants aren’t out to ridicule the disease. They’re simply a team, meant to entertain and inspire while being a business (seeking profit) and to be the best among its peers. Such is the American quest for greatness.
“Changing the name of a team because it’s offensive blasts the original intent of “SPORT” firmly in the mouth like a punch from Benny Leonard circa World War I… just old school painful.” – William Watts
It’s true, the Giants name may offend some, and that’s unfortunate. However, that’s never what a “team name” is intended to do… it’s simply intended to link people through “SPORT” and journey, for simple amusement and fun.
The world we live in is a wonderful, yet messed up place with an unfortunate and tragic history. Part of the initial need for “SPORT”, was to parody the harsh realities of life — while simultaneously celebrating the members of life that faced their END through the very real existence of death.
It’s no mistake that “SPORT” features flags, battle analogies and anthems of country used in many cases to recognize the fallen members of its’ citizens brigade, particularly in America, featuring our National Anthem. The Star Spangled Banner:
As seen here, by the incomparable Whitney Houston prior to the New York Football Giants Super Bowl game against the Buffalo Bills in 1991. Watch this and try to not tear up about our wonderful country, America:
What an emotional Super Bowl moment. What a beautiful song, sung by one of the best singers I’ve heard in my lifetime. I love what that song represents to our “SPORTS” experience. Some 200 years ago, when that song was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814, people of most races were slaves. Death in America was felt by many, every day. War was real. Information was sacred and life was not on a spoiled pedestal like it is today.
We have no idea the exact horrors yesterdays Americans faced when that song was so eloquently crafted. We can only celebrate that we’re still here on Earth thriving through mobs of thousands screaming for our youthful children in their athletic human prime trying to win with the logos of Earth’s history, representing our fallen heroes, favorite animals or anything we deem: Mascots
If you look up the origin of the word “sport“–you’ll find that it forms from the word disport, which means:
- Enjoy oneself unrestrainedly, frolic.
- Diversion from work or serious matters; recreation or amusement.
The point is sport was never intended to merge with the real worlds issues. It was designed to escape from them. Putting any team name under the microscope can produce findings to get offended by. We’re a Giants site, GMEN HQ. If you stay in our teams’ city, New York, you have several team names: GIANTS, Mets, Knicks, Rangers, Liberty, Islanders, Lizards, FC, Red Bulls, Sky Blue FC, Devils and the New York Yankees.
Just to name a few. Right off the bat, anyone can get offended by Devils. After all, they’re “DEVILS”. What’s worse than a “Devil”? I suppose that depends on who you ask. But let me ask you this, does anyone look at the name of the “Devils” hockey team and think they’re a cult of some variety? Maybe ‘anyone’ is the wrong caveat for that question. After all, usually someone, somewhere finds issue with anything and everything. If the sky started raining $100 bills, at least one person would complain about paper cuts. That’s just the world we live in.
Detractors like Amanda Blackforse will say, but “Redskins” is offensive. It’s in the dictionary as a hurtful term, it must be hurtful. What about those “Yankees” we mentioned earlier. Never mind that they’ve been around for 113 years, forget the 27 World Series. Forget about men like Babe Ruth and all the hope his name has given children around America. Forget all that good stuff, and ask yourself:
Can someone be offended by the word, “Yankee?”
If I flipped over a table of food at a local restaurant and starting calling everyone, “F$#k!^g Yankees”, would be people be offended?
The answer to that question is, duh– yes, of course they’d be offended.
However, if I flipped over a table and starting calling people, “”F$#k!^g Giants”, people would be just as offended. They might wonder why that word, being as they’re clearly not actual GIANTS, but they’d still potentially be offended by my words. Hypothetically speaking.
Anyone can be offended over anything. Just because someone smart defined a word in 1800’s doesn’t mean the word doesn’t have new context in 2014. The context that should be important now, is the context of “SPORT”, the context of “WIN”, the context of “EFFORT” and believing in “YOUR” team because they’re “YOURS.” Not because of their name. Not because someone is offended. That’s never been the point.
To me, changing the name of a team because it’s offensive blasts the original intent of “SPORT” firmly in the mouth like a punch from Benny Leonard circa World War I… just old school painful.
I’m not a Redskins fan, the Skins’ are one of the worst teams in concept, colors and execution in the NFL. I’m comfortable saying I hate Washington’s team… Yet, I don’t want their name changed. There is no point. It won’t bring back the natives of this land. It won’t give restitution. It will just make people continue to bury the names of the Indians in museums and books further and further. I say, why not use sport to celebrate them?
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Why not battle cry in fun, instead of in death? The battles cries of the Indians and the Cowboys used to mean gun shots, arrows, death, burnt people, violent gore with medicine lacking to treat it properly. People young and old — women and men alike — fought and died. They’re never coming back. According to lore, Cowboy’s used to shoot Indians in the face on a daily basis. Yet there’s no talk of changing their name. Why? Same with the Patriots, they weren’t playing with toys on a gridiron, they were killing people on a regular basis and we celebrate their image because the definition of the term isn’t offensive. What about the actions of the terms group — does it not matter the things Cowboys did during their time as the human “alpha-male” persona?
Of course it matters. But that’s not the point of “SPORT”. That’s not the reason for mascot and logo. Look up their definitions. The idea is to provide a sanctuary away from the hate, murder, crime, war, disease, death, racism and any other negativity through “SPORT”, through “FUN”, through celebrations like today’s fireworks. Memorializing our deceased friends and family members that can’t be with us today but are apart of why we’re here.
Today we celebrate our Nations’ Independence Day. It’s also a day to celebrate Francis Scott Key and his amazing gift with words 200 years ago, giving us the incredible, Star Spangled Banner. How cool is that?
At GMEN HQ, we aren’t trying to be high and mighty. I’m not trying to be better. I’m simply an American that covers the New York Football Giants that asks you, Giants Nation: Will the New York Football Giants ever change their name?
I’d say, no… but I’d say that about every NFL team.
Happy Fourth of July. Happy Independence Day.