32 replies on “From Science to the NYT Copy Desk”

  7. Given Pittsburgh’s economy, “Steelers” are mythic too.

    And I’ve said it before: the Ravens are NOT named after a bird, despite their helmet. They’re named after a poem named after a bird.

  11. Sorry @4. I was around when they did the naming contest and designed the logo in the 1970’s – the Seahawk was a pure invention – not representing an actual bird.

    Not sure if I would add it to Mythical Figures or Other, but it is not a bird.

  14. @7 I’ll give you the Ravens, but if you’re going to call the Steelers mythic, then you could do the same with the 49ers and the Saints.

  18. Jonathan,
    I don’t think the Chargers (at LA or San Diego) ever won a Super Bowl. And, their logo is a bolt. I don’t think that it is a critter. Whatever, I want either the Eagles or the Cardinals to will it all. Go birds!

  19. i know most comment strings on slog are totally mean, but i just wanted to say that i love and appreciate all of you nerds arguing about this stuff.

  20. Actually, the Chargers are named after a type of horse that knights would ride into battle. The thunderbolt theme is used for the uniforms, but the crest shows a horse.

  24. Osprey – just because a nickname was shared does not mean that it is of the same origin. The New York Giants are not named after Wallingford’s dear departed big dude of food, the Food Giant.

    I think we need some intrepid Stranger journalists to dig deep into the history to resolve this one. Maybe Eli could be freed up from the PI death watch for this urgent task. Actually the PI Sporting Green archives likely have the primary source material.

    As a Football crazed 10yr old I distinctly remember the naming contest (which I entered) and the “mythical bird” winner. Googling “Seahawk name origin” confirmed the 1975 naming contest on the Seahawk wiki page, and this entry for the Wagner College Seahawks – which proves nothing but has the advantage of … pirates!

    “In response to inquiries from older alumni as to the origin of the nickname “Seahawks,” the Link herewith tells the story as we got it from Ronald Reynier, originator of the name. The name grew out of a student body competition in the fall of 1947. It was felt that the nicknames often in use, “The Green Wave” and “The Hilltoppers,” were not sufficiently distinctive. Reynier was the winner of the contest with his suggestion of “Seahawk.” He tells us, first of all, that there is no such bird as a Seahawk. The origin of the name dates back to the time of the great Spanish Main. A small band of English pirates, who operated in the Caribbean Sea and attacked the large ships of the Spanish, were given the nickname of Seahawks. Taking Wagner’s location, looking out over the sea, and the small school playing many large schools in sports, it seemed that Wagner had a close analogy to the original Seahawks. The name was submitted. The student body did the rest.”

    So – Eli, Jonathan, Erica even – will one of you pick up the ball and run with it? Inquiring minds need to know.

    And if Seahawks are Pirates, that would move them into the men category. Very troubling given their recent efforts.

  25. You Osprey fans are too funny – the Seahawks Wiki page was modified in the last 30 minutes with the paranthetical statement below… “The name Seattle Seahawks (a seahawk is another word for an Osprey) was selected on June 17, 1975 after a public naming contest which drew more than 20,000 entries and over 1,700 different names.”

    Behold the power of Slog. Impressive. kinda.

  27. Dawg,

    You’re totally right. The name coincidence alone proves nothing. But there is a bird called a Seahawk, it is an osprey, and if nothing else, this new logo and the photograph it resembles shows that the Seahawks management knows that: http://seahawkscentral.com/images/Seattl… and http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/st…. So it is not only that the putative mythical bird shares a name with a real bird, but also that it shares its appearance as well. (minus, of course, the neon green eyes, but there is no such thing as a green and silver Eagle either…) And habitat.

    Your Food Giant analogy does not hold.

    While I can’t agree that the Seahawk is a mythical bird, I think we would agree that these days, it is a mythical football player.

    I’d like to second your call for the professionals to step in. This is important stuff.

  30. thx lloyd. it is philly’s year. the only thing im gonna be eating is steaks after all the money i win from the northwest’s arizona fans. what answer does arizona have for westbrook? none! the eagles will do it on the road.

    if only temple could return to its glory years than philly will own the world ( along with a big ol murder rate, but no one is perfect =).)

    PA native- you might be a cool guy, but if u have eagles tix, i might have to mug u camden style!

  31. Horses and cats probably also belong in other animals along with the dolphins. The author should have then labeled that category other mammals as separate from birds. Then the results would be less skewed towards humans. More importantly though, even humans belong in the mammals category. So, perhaps this whole thing is somewhat of a ridiculous waste of time.

    Re: seahawks, perhaps that could be interpreted to mean ospreys, if giving a bit of leeway.

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