Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays

[snopes]

Comment: Sports Rumor: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were renamed the Tampa
Bay Rays (coincidentally big in sports news right now) due to pressure
from religious conservatives in the state of Florida who did not like the
use of the word "devil" in the team name.

Principal owner Stuart Sternberg now describes the team, once having been
named after an animal, as representing, "A beacon that radiates throughout
Tampa Bay and across the entire state of Florida."

They still have the animal on one shirt sleeve, but I'm predicting the
little star on their jerseys is eventually going to take over.

It all seems so silly, please help!

[snopes]

It's no sillier than the Cincinnati Reds having to revert to the name "Redlegs" at the height of the Cold War.

- snopes

[Recklessmess]

Originally Posted by snopes

Comment: Sports Rumor: The Tampa Bay Devil Rays were renamed the Tampa
Bay Rays (coincidentally big in sports news right now) due to pressure
from religious conservatives in the state of Florida who did not like the
use of the word "devil" in the team name.

Two theories that I've personally made up and have no idea as to their veracity.
1) Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin was killed the previous year by a manta ray, and the subsequent negative vibe of the animal made it as popular a name as the Tampa Bay Hitlers (now with more Stalin!), or
2) Florida, being such a traditional baseball state yet having no real team to identify with, the owner wanted a team name that all Floridians could identify with. After all, the Marlins have won two championships and have a fanbase of that of the Newark Bears. Yes, I know that ownership dismantling both teams has more to do with lack of interest than anything, but both baseball teams were named after fish.

I don't know that #2 would work - Florida's baseball tradition is all about Spring Training. The diaspora of teams to Arizona might do something to boost interest in their permanent teams. If only the Yankees would leave Tampa, then perhaps this team would generate more interest.

[Photo Bob]

The word on the streets around Florida was always that the change was prompted by religious groups.

I think it was more of an opportunity to try to bring some freshness into a long struggling team much as when the Bucaneers changed their logo and colors (although they went form bright and goofy to dark and dangerous).

A couple years ago you could go to a day game and after the third inning sit just about anyplace you wanted to (only time I saw security get involved was when some very drunk twenty somethings started throwing food onto the field). Now that's a little tougher since the Rays are fighting for a playoff berth.

A lot of folks still call them the Devil Rays (I consider them to be true fans, not the bandstanders wearing T-shirts that still have the store folds in them).

[snopes]

Trying to reinvent itself, the perennial last-place team officially shortened its nickname to simply "Rays" during a celebration that brought a crowd of about 7,000 to a downtown park.

Team officials and local fans have routinely referred to the club as "Rays" for much of the expansion team's existence, but it wasn't until Stuart Sternberg took over as principal owner two years ago that consideration as given an actual name change.

"I think this gives us as an organization an identity," Sternberg said, noting that many of the team's employees have joined the club since he took control from former managing general partner Vince Naimoli.

Sternberg said the team began with more than 1,000 suggestions for a new name and whittled the list down to about 80.

"Rays" was the owner's first choice, but the organization considered others like Cannons, Stars, Wave and Dukes before settling on Rays and developing a logo featuring a bright yellow sunburst.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3101213