attachment_2176234" style="width: 2058px" class="wp-caption alignnone"> Jets

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The Winnipeg Jets were named after the city’s close ties to the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and while the first iteration moved to become the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996, they opted to revive the name when the Atlanta Thrashers returned to the city in 2011.

The New York Jets were named out of convenience in 1963, playing near the LaGuardia airport and rhyming with the MLB’s New York Mets, who played in the same stadium.

Florida Panthers (NHL)/Carolina Panthers (NFL)

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It’s no question how the 1993 NHL expansion Florida Panthers got their name, as it honoured a popular species of panther that roams the state’s iconic Everglades.

The Carolina Panthers, on the other hand, were named in 1995 because the team president at the time wanted his team to embody the characteristics of the apex predator.

New York Rangers (NHL)/Texas Rangers (MLB)

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These two teams may have been named after the same thing. The New York Rangers adopted their name in 1926 from team owner Tex Rickard, as the team was known as “Tex’s Rangers,” which is likely a nod to the historical armed group of the 1820s called the Texas Rangers.

That group was the direct inspiration for the MLB’s Texas Rangers, back in 1972.

New York Giants (NFL)/San Francisco Giants (MLB)

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The New York Giants simply took the name of the existing New York Giants MLB team in 1925 to capitalize on the existing popularity of the name, though, legally, their official name is the New York Football Giants.

Conveniently, that MLB team eventually moved west to become the existing San Francisco Giants, a name that was originally given to the New York franchise in 1885 after being described as such by their manager after a gutsy extra-innings victory.

LA Kings (NHL)/Sacramento Kings (NBA)

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The LA Kings’ name was chosen by owner Jack Kent Cooke in 1967 to give his new team a sense of royalty to the organization. It seems that was close to the reason for the Sacramento Kings, who originally had the “Royals” moniker during stints in Rochester and Cincinnati.

Once the NBA franchise moved to Kansas City in 1972, they opted to change to the “Kings” to differentiate themselves from the MLB’s Kansas City Royals. The Kings’ name stuck when they moved to Sacramento in 1985.

St. Louis Cardinals (MLB)/Arizona Cardinals (NFL)

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You would think that the St. Louis Cardinals were named after the bird featured on their logo, but they weren’t. Instead, they were named after the colour, as the team introduced red into their uniform in 1899, which was described by a fan as being a “lovely cardinal red.”

The NFL’s Arizona Cardinals have a similar story, as the team founder described their initial uniforms as having a “cardinal red” in 1901, when they were known as the “Racine Cardinals.”

Same name, same city

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A handful of teams shared both the same city and the same name at one point or another. To keep things brief, we are only including teams that shared the same over two different sports.

Teams that left and then returned under the same name (like the Winnipeg Jets or Ottawa Senators) will not be included on this list.

New York Giants (NFL/MLB)

The New York Giants currently play in the NFL, but the city also had a New York Giants MLB team from 1883 to 1958.

Colorado Rockies (MLB/NHL)

The Colorado Rockies have been an MLB team since 1993, but the city also hosted the Colorado Rockies NHL team from 1976 to 1982.

Washington Capitals/Capitols (NHL/NBA)

The Washington Capitals have been a fixture in the NHL since 1974, but were preceded by the slightly differently spelled Washington Capitols of the NBA, who played from 1946 to 1951.

St. Louis Cardinals (NFL/MLB)

The St. Louis Cardinals have won 11 World Series titles; however, they had to share the city with another team called the St. Louis Cardinals, who played in the NFL between 1960 and 1987.

Same-name teams in the same league

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In a unique case, there was once a time in the CFL when two football clubs were playing at the same time with essentially the same name. As recently as the 1990s, the CFL consisted of eight teams, with two having virtually the same name: Saskatchewan Roughriders and Ottawa Rough Riders.

The Roughriders and Rough Riders played alongside each other from 1910 to 1996.

Talk about confusing.

Same-name teams from the past

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While countless teams have shared names throughout history, most are no longer around. That includes defunct teams that may or may not have existed at the same time as their same-name counterparts.

To keep this list brief, we have limited it to teams that have played from the 1950-51 season and beyond.

Edmonton Oilers (NHL) and Houston Oilers (defunct/NFL)
Cleveland Browns (NFL) and St. Louis Browns (defunct/MLB)
Ottawa Senators (NHL) and Washington Senators (defunct/MLB)
Houston Texans (NFL) with both the San Antonio Texans (defunct/CFL) and Dallas Texans (defunct/NFL)
Atlanta Braves (MLB) and Buffalo Braves (defunct/NBA)
Kansas City Royals (MLB) and Cincinnati Royals (defunct/NBA)
Washington Nationals (MLB) and Syracuse Nationals (defunct/NBA)
Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) and Tri-Cities Blackhawks (defunct/NBA)
Green Bay Packers (NFL) and Chicago Packers (defunct/NBA)
Pittsburgh Pirates (MLB) and Shreveport Pirates (defunct/CFL)