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History of Team Names Quizzes, Trivia and Puzzles

History of Team Names Sports Trivia

History of Team Names Sports Trivia Quizzes

21 quizzes and 250 trivia questions.

What Was That Sports Team Called Again?

Match Quiz

10 Qns

Match the sports team with an earlier name it used. Unlike my previous "What Was" quizzes, this quiz covers teams from several sports leagues.

Average, 10 Qns, bernie73, Feb 16 18

Average
bernie73

419 plays

Team Nicknames

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

This quiz is only on team nicknames from the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS.

Easier, 10 Qns, ilovethisgame, Nov 14 19

Easier
ilovethisgame
Nov 14 19
2978 plays

History of Team Names top quiz

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Have you ever wondered where did that team get their name? Then this quiz is for you! It covers the history and origin of 10 different teams from NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL.

Average, 10 Qns, napierslogs, Nov 08 11

Average
napierslogs
1620 plays

What do you know about Where They Played? popular trivia quiz

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

These US sports teams from the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS all enjoy home field/court advantage by playing somewhere other than where their name suggests. Do you know who plays where?

Average, 10 Qns, jcpetersen, May 21 10

Average
jcpetersen
500 plays

They Used To Be Who? popular trivia quiz

Multiple Choice

20 Qns

North American professional sports teams often move around. As teams lose money, they often look to greener pastures in other cities. Below are 20 questions about 20 teams who have moved since their founding.

Tough, 20 Qns, pericles34, Jul 12 09

Tough
pericles34

588 plays

Mascots, Logos, and Name Changes popular trivia quiz

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

The three things you don't know about a team. I got my information from Wikipedia.

Average, 10 Qns, mrglass, Jul 12 09

Average
mrglass
968 plays

Sports Teams on the Move

Multiple Choice

20 Qns

Not every sports team finishes up where it starts out. Quite a few have picked up stakes and moved. Test your knowledge about some of the rolling stones of sports!

Tough, 20 Qns, cag1970, Jul 12 09

Tough
cag1970
1006 plays

The Originals popular trivia quiz

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Some of today's professional teams in the NHL, MLB, NBA or NFL have had history in other cities, but which one?

Average, 10 Qns, George95, May 21 10

Average
George95

378 plays

Name That Team

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

The same team names have been used in different pro sports in America. See if you remember which teams from different sports in the same city shared a name. Some of these teams are defunct so prepare yourselves for a challenge.

Average, 10 Qns, grisham, Jul 14 18

Average
grisham
Jul 14 18
278 plays

10.

Original Team Nicknames

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Team nicknames in sports are as familiar to any sports fan as their own names. Many of today's teams, however, began play under a different moniker. See how well you know these original names, and how big of a fan you are!

Tough, 10 Qns, charlie1971, Jul 12 09

Tough
charlie1971
527 plays

Quick Question

The L.A. Lakers once resided in this state?

From Quiz "Teams That Were [1]"

11.

Teams That Were [1]

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

A quiz on teams that were. Some teams in sports such as the big four Baseball, Football, Basketball and Hockey once resided in other cities or existed before folding. This quiz will jog your memory and see hw many you remember.

Average, 10 Qns, aerowynne, Jan 28 14

Average
aerowynne
1174 plays

12.

Original Names of Pro Sports Teams

Multiple Choice

15 Qns

In sports, many teams re-locate. Often, they keep the old team name. e.g. it's easy to recall that the Los Angeles Dodgers were the Brooklyn Dodgers. This quiz is harder. You will have to recall the original name of the team involved. Good Luck!

Tough, 15 Qns, TommyD71, Jul 12 09

Tough
TommyD71
514 plays

13.

Nicknames of Teams

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Very easy quiz on nicknames from North America in the world of sports. I'll give you the school or sports teams, and you give me the nickname.

Very Easy, 10 Qns, Laker2415, Nov 01 15

Very Easy
Laker2415
1540 plays

14.

Relocated U.S. Sports Teams

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

This quiz is about teams from the major American sports leagues-MLB, NFL, NBA, and NHL-that have at some point in their history relocated.

Tough, 10 Qns, lobejks, Jan 01 12

Tough
lobejks
513 plays

15.

They Played Where?

Multiple Choice

15 Qns

Many of today's sports franchises started out in different towns, in different stadiums. Test your knowledge of basketball, baseball, football, and hockey with this quiz.

Tough, 15 Qns, JayPerson, Jan 30 10

Tough
JayPerson
2170 plays

16.

American Sport Franchises

Multiple Choice

20 Qns

This is a quiz on sporting franchises in the United States.

Average, 20 Qns, Wallos, Apr 24 13

Average
Wallos
1047 plays

17.

Sports Franchise Genealogy

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

It's surprising how many sports franchises started in cities or with names quite different from how we know them today. Can you trace these family trees?

Average, 10 Qns, NormanW5, Mar 11 10

Average
NormanW5
412 plays

18.

Back Up the Moving Van #2

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

These days, it seems we sports fans cheer more for laundry than teams, but what the heck. Here's another "back up the moving van" quiz about pro sports teams and where they were before where they are.

Average, 10 Qns, lutefan, Sep 21 09

Average
lutefan
586 plays

19.

Teams That Were [2]

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Average, 10 Qns, Aerowynne, Sep 10 09

Average
Aerowynne
740 plays

20.

Back Up The Moving Van #1

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

You mean the Dodgers didn't always play in Los Angeles? Of course not! Here are some questions about major league sports teams which currently reside in a city other than their original!

Average, 10 Qns, lutefan, Oct 29 09

Average
lutefan
641 plays

21.

North American Team Origins

Multiple Choice

10 Qns

Here are some questions as to the original cities of North American sports franchises.

Difficult, 10 Qns, kacyshadow, Dec 21 09

Difficult
kacyshadow
368 plays

History of Team Names Sports Trivia Questions

1. Two St. Louis pro teams shared the name Cardinals. Which two sports did they represent?

From Quiz Name That Team

Answer: Baseball and football

The football team was in St. Louis from 1960-87. They actually started in Chicago before their time in St. Louis and since 1987 have been in Phoenix. The baseball franchise has been around since 1892 and were called the Browns until 1900 when they were renamed the Cardinals.

2. Which NBA franchise was originally named the Buffalo Braves?

From Quiz Relocated U.S. Sports Teams

Answer: Los Angeles Clippers

The Braves joined the NBA in 1970, before moving to Southern California in 1978 to become the San Diego Clippers, and finally the Los Angeles Clippers in 1984. The Kings were originally the Rochester Royals. Before moving to Detroit, the Pistons played in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The Timberwolves joined the NBA in 1989 as an expansion team.

3. Both the New York Football Giants and New York Jets play at New Meadowlands Stadium, which is in what New Jersey city?

From Quiz Where They Played

Answer: East Rutherford

New Meadowlands Stadium opened in 2010, replacing Giants Stadium, which had been in operation from 1976 to 2010. Giants stadium was demolished and the site used for stadium parking. Similar to Giants Stadium, New Meadowlands Stadium is the only NFL stadium shared by two teams. However, while the NY Jets were only a minor partner/tenant in Giants Stadium, both the NY Giants and NY Jets are equal partners in New Meadowlands Stadium.

4. Where did the Sacramento Kings of the NBA originally play?

From Quiz North American Team Origins

Answer: Rochester, NY

They started play in 1948 as the Royals. The team won the 1951 NBA Championship. They moved to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1957. In 1972 the team moved once again, this time to Kansas City to begin play as the Kings. They moved to Sacramento in 1985.

5. Which Major League team moved to San Francisco in 1958?

From Quiz The Originals

Answer: New York Giants

The New York Giants were based out of New York from 1883 to 1958 before they moved out to San Francisco.

6. Major League Baseball: What was the first team to win a World Series while based in 3 different cities?

From Quiz They Used To Be Who?

Answer: Braves

The Braves won the World Series in Boston (1914), Milwaukee (1957) and Atlanta (1995).

7. What was the name of the Minnesota Twins prior to their taking that name in 1961?

From Quiz Original Team Nicknames

Answer: Washington Senators

A charter member of the American League in 1901, the Washington Senators decided that the good people of D.C. had suffered their ineptitude long enough. After the 1960 season, they packed up and moved to Minnesota, changing their name to the Twins in recognition of the twin cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul.

8. Which two baseball and football team have the same shape logo?

From Quiz Mascots, Logos, and Name Changes

Answer: The Chicago Bears and the Cincinnati Reds

The logo consists of a "c" with a point in the back. In Chicago's logo, the "c" is orange on a blue background. In Cincinnati's logo, the "c" is red on a white background. The Bears are in the NFC north, and the Reds are in the NL Central.

9. Which team was originally named in reference to the maze of trolleys near the Brooklyn Bridge?

From Quiz History of Team Names

Answer: Los Angeles Dodgers

The club was originally the Brooklyn Trolley Dodgers from 1890 - 1957, it was shortened to Dodgers, and the name stayed with the team when they moved to Los Angeles in 1958. I had thought the name might have something to do with dodging the war ('draft dodgers').

10. The Los Angeles Lakers - how many lakes do you know in Los Angeles? However, the name makes more sense when one realizes that the team moved from a place with lakes. What was its name before the move?

From Quiz Sports Franchise Genealogy

Answer: Minneapolis Lakers

Founded in 1947, the Lakers spent 13 years in Minnesota before moving to dry Southern California.

11. What is the original name of the NFL's Tennessee Titans?

From Quiz Original Names of Pro Sports Teams

Answer: Oilers

The Titans moved from Houston where they were the Oilers from 1960-1996. In fact, for their first season in Tennessee they were called the Tennessee Oilers. In 1998 the team was renamed Titans in a "name-the-team" contest.

12. What is the nickname of San Jose State and Michigan State?

From Quiz Nicknames of Teams

Answer: Spartans

Both play in Spartan Stadium.

13. The Milwaukee Brewers were once the ______ ?

From Quiz Back Up the Moving Van #2

Answer: Seattle Pilots

The Pilots lasted one year (1969) and actually moved to Milwaukee after spring training started.

14. The Sacramento Kings were once known as ___________ ?

From Quiz Back Up The Moving Van #1

Answer: Cincinnati Royals

They went from Cincy to Kansas City to Kansas City-Omaha to Sacramento.

15. In what city did the Clippers franchise actually begin?

From Quiz Sports Teams on the Move

Answer: Buffalo

The franchise started out as the Braves and played in Buffalo from 1970 to 1978. It then moved to San Diego and was renamed the Clippers. The Clippers moved to Los Angeles in 1984.

16. What is the name of the Men's NBA team in Seattle?

From Quiz American Sport Franchises

Answer: SuperSonics & Sonics

Joining the NBA in 1967 Seattle have won one championship in 1979. A perennial playoff team in the nineties and unlucky to meet Jordan and his Bulls at their best.

17. The L.A. Lakers once resided in this state?

From Quiz Teams That Were [1]

Answer: Minnesota

Minnesota is known as "The Land of Ten Thousand Lakes", so it doesn't take a lot to figure out where the Lakers got their name.

18. What was the name of the Montreal Expos' (baseball team) first stadium?

From Quiz They Played Where?

Answer: Jarry Park

Jarry Park was one of the smallest baseball stadiums ever in the majors.

19. Football and baseball teams playing concurrently in New York shared the same name. What was the name the teams shared?

From Quiz Name That Team

Answer: Giants

Though the others were all New York teams, the Giants was the only name shared by two sports at the same time. The baseball Giants moved out to San Francisco in 1957. They were called the Gothams when they joined the league in 1883 and became the Giants in 1885. The football Giants have been in the NFL since 1925.

20. In 1954, the St Louis Browns of baseball's American League moved to become what team?

From Quiz Relocated U.S. Sports Teams

Answer: Baltimore Orioles

After decades spent in the shadow of their much more successful crosstown rivals from the National League(the Cardinals), the Browns moved east to Baltimore.

21. The Washington Redskins are at home at FedEx Field, which isn't in Washington, DC. Where is it?

From Quiz Where They Played

Answer: Landover, MD

When it opened in 1997, the stadium was called Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, after the team's recently deceased owner. Naming rights were sold to FedEx in 1999. Prior to 1997, the Redskins played at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium, located in Washington, DC. The MLS team DC United did not move to FedEx Field, choosing to remain at RFK.

22. Where did the Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) begin play?

From Quiz North American Team Origins

Answer: Buffalo, NY

They started playing in the NBA in 1970 as the Braves. They team moved to San Diego in 1978. The team moved in 1984 to Los Angeles.

23. In 1958, this team moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles and became which team?

From Quiz The Originals

Answer: Dodgers

The Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1958 to join the San Francisco Giants in California. The franchise had been in Brooklyn since their beginning in the late 1800s.

24. Major League Baseball: This storied franchise originally were the Baltimore Orioles from 1901-1902. What was this team in 2009?

From Quiz They Used To Be Who?

Answer: New York Yankees

The Yankees played at Hilltop Park (1903-1912) and the Polo Grounds (1913-1922) before moving into the first Yankee Stadium in 1923.

25. The Philadelphia 76ers are part of the NBAs Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. Who were they before that?

From Quiz Original Team Nicknames

Answer: Syracuse Nationals

The Sixers were born in 1963 when the Nationals of Syracuse were bought by two Philadelphia businessmen and moved south to Philadelphia. The Warriors were already in Philly, but around this same time were leaving for San Francisco, taking Philly-born great Wilt Chamberlain with them. The Philadelphia Stars were a team in the old United States Football League, while the Saratoga Nationals never existed.

26. In which year did the Arizona Diamondbacks change their logos?

From Quiz Mascots, Logos, and Name Changes

Answer: 2007

The Diamondbacks were created in 1998. They won the World Series in 2001, and then they changed their logo before the 2007 season. Their old logo was a purple and blue "A", and their new logo consisted of a snake shaped in a "D", and a black and red "A".

27. Which team name is borrowed from a poem by the well-known author Edgar Allan Poe?

From Quiz History of Team Names

Answer: Baltimore Ravens

In 1996, in a poll in the "Baltimore Sun" readers chose to name their team after the poem "The Raven" written by Edgar Allan Poe who was a Baltimore native.

28. Mercyhurst, Lake Superior State and one of the two Los Angeles Basketball teams share what nickname?

From Quiz Nicknames of Teams

Answer: Lakers

Both Lake Superior and Mercyhurst are members of the GLIAC, and are located in Sault Ste. Marie, MI and Erie, PA respectively.

29. The NBA's Atlanta Hawks used to call this city home just prior to their move in 1969.

From Quiz Back Up the Moving Van #2

Answer: St. Louis

They were in St. Louis for 13 years, 1955-68, but played in Milwaukee before the move to Missouri.

30. The St. Louis Rams started out in which city?

From Quiz Back Up The Moving Van #1

Answer: Cleveland

They started as the Cleveland Rams in the the old All American Conference.

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