Sporting Nicknames by City Trivia Quiz

Answer: Tokyo

The Yomiuri Giants are the oldest and most successful team in Japanese baseball history. Sadaharu Oh was the star of the Giants for 22 seasons, where he hit 868 career home runs, which remain the world record for a single player in their career. The team won 13 Japan Series championships during Oh's career, including nine in a row from 1965 to 1973.

The Tokyo Sunwolves began play in Super Rugby in 2015, a league that includes teams in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Argentina. The team struggled in its first four seasons, winning a total of seven out of 60 games.

The Sun Rockers Shibuya are Tokyo's franchise in the B.League, the top-tier professional basketball league. The Sun Rockers have competed since 1935, but were previously known as Hitachi Honsha Rising Sun before 2000 due to sponsorship.

Answer: Denver

The NHL's Colorado Avalanche franchise arrived in Denver in 1995 from Quebec City. They won the Stanley Cup in their first season in Denver, with future Hall-of-Famers Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic, and Peter Forsberg.

One year later, the Colorado Rapids were established as a member of the new Major League Soccer league. It took them 15 seasons to win the MLS Cup, which they won in 2010.

The Denver Nuggets have played in the city since 1967. They were originally known as the Denver Rockets in the American Basketball Association, before changing to the Nuggets in 1974 and transferring to the NBA in 1976. Despite their history, the Nuggets have yet to claim a league championship.

The Colorado Rockies joined Major League Baseball as an expansion team in 1993. Their name was adapted from the previous NHL franchise in Denver, the Colorado Rockies relocated to become the New Jersey Devils in 1982. Playing for the Rockies is seen to give hitters an advantage, as the thin air of the high elevations lead to batted balls travelling farther. In the team's first 25 seasons, nine different players combined to win 11 batting championships.

The Denver Broncos' most memorable seasons in the National Football League are undoubtedly 1997 and 1998 when quarterback John Elway led the team to two Super Bowl victories. Elway was named the MVP of both games. Another all-time great quarterback, Peyton Manning led the Broncos to another championship for the city in 2015.

Answer: Houston

The Houston Astros debuted as the Houston Colt .45s in 1962 in Major League Baseball. When they moved to the new Astrodome stadium in 1965, they became the first MLB team to play indoors. Their World Series victory in 2017 was tarnished by the uncovering of a sign-stealing plot in games played in Houston.

The NFL's Houston Texans are the newest team in the city. They began play in 2002, after the Houston Oilers left the city in 1996. The Texans' stadium is unique too as it was the first NFL stadium with a retractable roof.

The Houston Rockets were founded in 1967 as the San Diego Rockets and moved to Houston in 1971. The Rockets captured back-to-back championships in 1994 and 1995, led by Hakeem Olajuwon.

The Houston Dynamo landed in the city in 2006 from San Jose and won the MLS Cup in both of their first two seasons. Much like the Astros and Rockets, the Dynamo nicknames are related to the city's importance to the NASA space program.

Answer: Montreal

The Montreal Canadiens have won 24 Stanley Cups, by far the most of any other NHL franchise. The team is also known as the Habs, an abbreviation of "Les Habitantes", one of the French nicknames for the club. The team was founded in 1909, they are the oldest professional hockey team in the world. The Canadiens won five consecutive Stanley Cups in the late 1950s, and four straight championships in the late 1970s.

The Montreal Impact became the third Canadian team in Major League Soccer when they were added in 2012. Legendary French striker Thierry Henry left his native France in 2018 to take on job as manager for the club.

The Montreal Alouettes have played in the Canadian Football League since 1996, when they moved from Baltimore. Alouettes refers to the work song that has become a symbol of Quebecois culture.

Answer: Leicester

The Leicester Tigers compete in Premiership Rugby, the top level of rugby union competition in England. The team was founded in 1880 and and adopted the Tigers nickname shortly thereafter. For many years, Tigers players wore letters on their backs indicating their positions instead of numbers. That tradition continued until 1998 before being forced to switch to numbers.

The crowning moment for Leicester City FC was their 2016 Premier League championship that is seen by some as the greatest upset in sports history. The team has been known as the Foxes since 1948, when a fox was added to the club logo. The surrounding Leicestershire region is known for fox hunting.

The Leicester Riders compete in the British Basketball League. The team was founded in 1967 by players and professors at Loughborough University before relocating professionally to Leicester in 1981. They won the BBL's Championship, Cup, and Trophy in both 2017 and 2018.

Answer: Detroit

The peak of sports in Detroit was in 1935 when the Red Wings, Tigers, Lions all won the championships in their sports. The Pistons arrived in Detroit in 1957 and won the NBA Finals three times, including back-to-back in 1989 and 1990.

Detroit has earned the nickname "Hockeytown" for the passionate support of the NHL's Red Wings, who were one of the NHL's "Original Six" teams. Some of hockey's greatest names (Gordie Howe, Steve Yzerman, Terry Sawchuk, Ted Lindsay) have played for and won the Stanley Cup with the Red Wings.

The NFL's Lions have yet to win a Super Bowl but won three NFL championships in the 1930. They traditionally play a home game every Thanksgiving Day.

The MLB's Tigers were the first team in town, beginning play in 1894 before joining the MLB in 1901. They are the only American League team from 1901 to neither change their nickname or relocate to another city.

Answer: Boston

With head coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Tom Brady, the New England Patriots compiled one of the greatest dynasties in NFL history from 2001-2020, making it to nine Super Bowls, and winning six. The team plays in Foxborough, Massachusetts, which is about 30 miles south of downtown Boston.

The Boston Red Sox were believed to be under the "Curse of the Bambino", after they sold legend Babe Ruth to the New York Yankees in 1919 and went from a dominant team to a consistent failure. It took 86 years for the Red Sox to win another World Series, which they did in 2004. Red Sox fans didn't have to wait another 86 year curse afterwards, the team won the World Series again in 2007, 2013 and 2018.

The Boston Celtics are one of the most successful franchises in NBA history. The team won eight championships in a row from 1959-1966, led by star center Bill Russell and coach Red Auerbach. The team won three more championships in the 1980s led by Hall of Famer Larry Bird. The Celtics have met the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Finals a record 12 times.

The New England Revolution were one of the founding teams of Major League Soccer in 1996. The team plays in Foxborough, MA alongside the Patriots. The name Revolution comes from the role of the New England area in the American Revolution in the 18th century.

The Boston Bruins were the first American team to join the NHL when they were added in 1924 are one of the NHL's Original Six. One of hockey's most iconic moments happened when the Bruins' Bobby Orr scored an overtime goal in 1970 to win the Stanley Cup for Boston. A statue of Orr diving through the air after he scored can be found outside the arena in Boston today.

Answer: Perth

Both the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Dockers compete in the Australian Football League. The Eagles were first established in 1986, and the Dockers six years later. Despite the Dockers being named for nearby Fremantle and its large shipping industry, both share the 60,000-seat Perth Stadium. The Eagles were the first team outside of Victoria to both play in (1988) and win the AFL's Grand Final (1992). The Western Derby is held twice each season between the Eagles and Dockers, usually to a sold out stadium.

The Western Australia Force compete in the National Rugby Championship, and formally were a part of the Super Rugby competition. After some money troubles and poor teams, the team was removed from Super Rugby in 2017. The team also competes in Global Rapid Rugby, a competition set up between rugby teams from Australia, Samoa, Singapore, Fiji, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and Japan.

Perth Glory joined the National Soccer League in 1995, and then moved to the A-League in 2004. Being well isolated from the next closest competitor in the league, the Glory have created a rivalry with New Zealand's Wellington Phoenix called the "Distance Derby", as it is 5255 km (3278 mi) between each team's home stadium. Perth fans are known to crowd "The Shed" during games, a covered section at the north end of the home stadium.

Answer: London

Soccer as we know it was created and organized in London and it remains the most popular sport in the city today. Amongst the many professional teams in London are the Tottenham Hotspurs, Chelsea Blues and Arsenal Gunners. These three London teams can be found near the top of the English Premier League table most years and have each won many Premier League championships, FA and League Cups. and m in the UEFA Champions League. Wembley Stadium, the home ground for England's national team and the site of the FA Cup Final each year, is also in London.

Harlequins are one of two teams in the Aviva Premiership league for rugby union, along with Saracens. The team's origin dates back to 1866 when they were founded as the Hampstead Football Club. Once the team's roster expanded to include those from outside of Hampstead, Harlequins was chosen from the dictionary as a new nickname to keep the HFC acronym. The English national rugby stadium, Twickenham Stadium, is also in London.

If rugby league is your preferred style of rugby, then check out the London Broncos! The team was established in 1980 by Fulham FC but bounced around between many different owners, team nicknames and home grounds in London in the years after. The team acquired the Broncos nickname in 1994 when the Brisbane Broncos purchased what was then known as the London Crusaders and the team joined the Super League compeition. The team struggled at first but avoided relegation until the 2014 season.

Answer: Brisbane

Brisbane Roar are the oldest soccer team in Australia, with a history dating back to 1957 when it was founded by Dutch immigrants to Brisbane. The team joined the A-League in 2004 as the Queensland Roar before adapting the name Brisbane Roar in 2009. From September 10, 2010 to November 25, 2011 the Roar set an Australian record with a 36 game win streak.

The Queensland Reds have played in Super Rugby since the competition was formed in 1996. The team was existence well before they joined the league as an invitation-only team that brought together the best players from Queensland for all-star compettions against other states. The Reds won the 2011 Super Rugby tournament, the first year after the league expanded to 15 clubs.

The Brisbane Broncos have won a premiership in all three leagues they have participated in - the New South Wales Rugby League, the Super League, and the National Rugby League. The Broncos have a long-standing rivalry with the North Queensland Cowboys, from Townsville, which culminated in the 2015 NRL Grand Final, considered by some as the greatest Grand Final of all-time. The Cowboys, always the underdog, were able to take down the mighty Broncos.

Brisbane's entry in the AFL are the Lions. The club was formed in 1996 with the merger of local clubs Fitzroy Lions and the Brisbane Bears. It didn't take long for success to follow - the team won three consecutive AFL Grand Finals from 2001 to 2003. The team plays at the Gabba in Queensland, named after the suburb of Woolloongabba.