The next proposal is the “Blank Sheet” approach. This means I start without a predetermined goal, such as leveraging existing brand equity or developing a sports concept for an existing brand. In this proposal, I just want to come up with an excellent name for a new hockey team with minimal preconceptions.
However, in 2025, this is more accurately labeled the “AI conversation” approach. AI is different from a human blank sheet. For myself, I might literally start with a blank sheet or a clean whiteboard. Of course, while my sheet is blank, I do have a head full of experiences and biases. The AI begins with all the information and patterns it can gather from the Internet. As such, the AI approach could also be labeled as the conventional wisdom approach.
The conventional wisdom for naming teams is that a name should be inspiring and/or connected to the community. For instance, in the NFL, we have the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Green Bay Packers. Three of the top brands in sports, and three team names connected to the (historical) local economy. Local industry is just one category of names. We also have the fierce animal category as exemplified by the Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, and Cincinnati Bengals. There are also warriors like the Raiders and Vikings, as well as mythological figures like the Titans and Giants.
Ask someone to come up with a name for a new team, and they usually do what has been done in the past. They come up with something fierce, impressive, and maybe connected to the local area.
Or they go off the rails and try for something clever or crass.
It’s not a sports team, but the 2016 UK Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) online poll to name a new polar research ship highlights the issue of crowdsourcing a name. The public overwhelmingly voted for the jokey name "Boaty McBoatface." Despite its popularity, officials ultimately named the ship RRS Sir David Attenborough, citing the need for a more serious name. However, they assigned the name "Boaty McBoatface" to one of the vessel’s submersibles.
The Rhode Island School of Design is another story that I encourage people to look into.
The Blank Sheet/AI Approach
To execute the “Blank Sheet” approach, I had a dialogue with ChatGPT about creating potential names for a new Atlanta NHL team. I didn’t provide any guidance or marketing Goals. I don’t need to because these AI (LLM) models work by learning language patterns. So, an AI will name a team by learning from observable patterns in previous naming decisions. And these previous naming decisions were driven by sports traditions, marketing considerations, and fan preferences.
The first thing ChatGPT did was come up with categories of names. It’s a natural thing to do. Anyone can go through any league and start putting names into categories. In the NHL, there are obvious ones like animals (Predators, Sharks, Penguins, Panthers), mythical figures (Kraken, Devils), warriors & military figures (Blue Jackets, Golden Knights, Rangers), regional identities (Oilers, Canucks, Canadians, Islanders), and forces of nature (Avalanche, Hurricanes, Lightning). The AI generated seven categories, each with multiple options.
Ferocious Animal Inspired (Firehawks, Copperheads, Jackals, Panthers, Razorbacks)
Natural Forces (Inferno, Thunder, Heatwave, Blaze, Stormriders, Flash)
Mythical/Fantasy (Phoenix, Warlocks, Gorgons, Chimera, Spectres, Wyrms)
Warrior/Military/Noble (Legion, Arsenal, Sentinels, Ironclads, Highlanders, Dragoons)
Civic/Local Identity (Peachtree, Interstates, Junction, Empire, Founders)
Cold Themed (Icebreakers, Frostbite, Whiteout, Coldfront, Chill, Glacierhawks)
Wildcard/Modern Edgy (Voltage, Apex, Reign, Spire, Riot, Echo)
This looks about like a list you'd get from a survey. The AI cuts out the middleman by analyzing the environment and understanding its patterns.
However, team name selection needs to go beyond what the namer intends and consider how the public and media will react. For example, in the course of teaching sports marketing for years, I have had multiple students question the Nashville Predators. For the hockey team, the name is a standard ferocious animal with a local connection to sabre-tooth cat fossils found in Tennessee. To some students, "Predator" triggers thoughts of the “Catch a Predator” TV show. The namer needs to anticipate how a minimally or hyper-engaged fan might react to a name.
For example, some of my immediate reactions to the list were:
1. Firehawks sounds like a minor variation of the basketball team’s name.
2. Razorbacks would raise eyebrows about taking a name from Arkansas in a UGA town.
3. There is already a Panthers in the NHL.
4. Jammed Interstates are one of the worst things about Atlanta.
I could go on.
To get this back on track, I asked ChatGPT to select the strongest option in each category. I dropped the “ferocious animal” category because none of the alternatives popped for me. I also asked for a tagline for each alternative. I got the following six options.
Atlanta Inferno
→ "Where the Ice Burns Hot."
Captures the contrast of hockey in a hot city while sounding intense and memorable.
Atlanta Chimera
→ "Unleash the Myth."
Short, mysterious, and powerful — perfect for a team with a mythological identity.
Atlanta Legion
→ "One City. One Legion."
Evokes unity, pride, and military precision — ideal for rallying fans around a cause.
Atlanta Ironclads
→ "Built for Battle. Bound for Glory."
Rich in historic tone and aggression — fits a rugged, defense-first team personality.
Atlanta Frostbite
→ "Cold-Blooded in Hotlanta."
Fun, edgy, and regionally specific — plays perfectly with the ironic cold theme.
Atlanta Voltage
→ "Shock the League."
Bold, direct, and energetic — matches the name and modern branding vibe.
Selection
Selecting a team name from the options can be done in various ways. For instance, expansion teams often try to engage the community through proposal contests and online votes (there is always the danger of a Boaty McBoatface result). The proposals could also be evaluated based on the marketing logic and potential sponsorship opportunities.
An important aspect of choosing a name and logo is recognizing that names have limited impact and sports brands are built over generations. Naming teams is fun, but the key is probably to avoid mistakes rather than to find a home run. For example, selecting names or colors based on current fads and fashions should be avoided. The “teal” teams of the 1990s are no longer visually impactful, and the quirky team names popular in minor league baseball now often seem more like clutter than something edgy.
Do any of the proposals feel like a mistake?
The Inferno ties into the original Atlanta NHL team, the Flames, and creates opportunities to contrast the city’s “hotness” with the “coldness” of the game. However, locals often dismiss the “Hotlanta” slogan, and does it make sense to pay tribute to a team that left town?
The Legion has an obvious tie-in to fan community building. However, the Legion also sounds like a section of European soccer club supporters. Is this a positive? There is also a question of fit. What does the (Roman) legion have to do with hockey in the American south?
The Frostbight and Chimera are unique names that may lend themselves to attractive apparel options and sponsorship opportunities. But does “the Frostbite” fit Atlanta, and what’s a Chimera (and how do you even say it)?
Ironclad sounds cool, but it also reminds me of the middle school unit on the civil war.
Voltage seems fine, but why? It conveys excitement, but is it something unique to Atlanta? You could do some awe-inspiring arena effects, but it feels generic.
But why try to argue the pros and cons? I again asked ChatGPT to pick the strongest option, and the AI chose…
The Inferno!
I asked for the justification and got the following:
Why it's ranked #1: Thematically perfect for Atlanta (a hot city embracing a cold sport), strong emotional impact, easy to visualize in logos and mascots, and instantly memorable.
Best Assets: Fire + Ice contrast, phoenix/firebird mascot potential, high-energy brand.
However, the Inferno feels similar to the fiery phoenix-inspired Thrashers concept I started the series with. ChatGPT’s logic is remarkably similar to mine. Maybe because the LLM learned from the earlier project? AI users should be cautious.
I then asked for the second-best option, and the “Chimera” was ranked second.
Why it's ranked #2: Unique and mythologically rich—evokes fearlessness, power, and unpredictability. Distinctive in sports.
Best Assets: Iconic potential with a three-headed creature mascot or logo; high visual appeal.
I decided to choose option 2. The Chimera is unique, and the creature provides many design options (in Greek mythology, the Chimera was a fire-breathing monster with a lion’s head, the body of a goat, and a serpent's tail). As the AI mentioned, there are many merchandising and marketing opportunities. The Chimera also differs from my previous three proposals.
To further flesh out the Chimera concept, I created (AI created? What's the etiquette?) a prototype of a mascot named “Chins”. At this point, I dropped the blank sheet approach and started guiding the AI.
The name “Chins” and the character's appearance are built around an exaggerated chin.
For the general concept, think Jay Leno meets Gritty. Chins would be a humorous menace of a mascot. A wise-cracking character on social media and an Oregon Duck like figure in the arena. These personality traits are designed to facilitate viral moments.
Chin is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the fact that the team name will likely be mispronounced – it's Ky-MEER-uh. I can see the team finding itself with an informal nickname like “Chims,” which gets us close to Chins. I’m leaning into the challenges of the Chimera name.
The mascot offers a similar level of flexibility as the brand concept. The multiple animal elements of the Chimera could lead to multiple mascots with different personalities.
Parting Thoughts
Standard team naming usually involves creating options with local connections from categories like warriors, animals, or industry. Fans then vote, and the final choice is often one that leaves most people feeling lukewarm (e.g., Commanders, Guardians, Pelicans, etc.). With AI, this process could be even simpler: 1. generate a list, 2. do some internal trimming, 3. develop a few concepts, and 4. let the fans decide. The reality is that a team name is just one part of a team’s overall brand. If a team wins three Stanley Cups in its first decade, it won’t matter if the name is the Inferno, Voltage, or Squirrels.
There is nothing wrong with the Atlanta Inferno concept. Or, really, any of the concepts – a good marketing department or AI can develop great branding campaigns using any of these concepts. Team naming is mostly about creating opportunities and options. Opportunities to build fan relationships and marketing options.
There are also no concepts that can’t be challenged. Nearly every name feels clichéd and overused. I searched for teams using the name Inferno, and the list was short. However, it doesn’t seem all that original to me. Additionally, I’ve taught undergrads long enough to know that some people might object to the term inferno because of its association with dangerous residential and wild fires.
Next: I originally intended this to be the final entry in the series. However, I have decided to do one more concept, and then a final poll. The next entry will outline what I would do, or at least what I would do if I had to create a new Atlanta brand in an afternoon (without access to primary marketing research). After this entry, I will launch a poll (if I can figure out how) to let folks vote on the five concepts.