Standing by their name.
The Nashville Predators have been a staple of downtown Music City and Bridgestone Arena since making their NHL debut back in 1998.
The city originally attempted to relocate the New Jersey Devils to Nashville, but things didn’t work out after a push from the state of New Jersey and promises to the Devils to renovate their arena.
The NHL finally granted an expansion franchise to Nashville after the completion of Bridgestone Arena, to begin play in 1998.
After announcing the new team, then-owner Craig Leipold unveiled the sabre-tooth tiger logo in honor of a partial sabre-tooth tiger skeleton that had been found in downtown Nashville two decades earlier, and let fans vote on four potential names for the new team: the Ice Tigers, the Fury, the Attack, or the Predators. (The Predators name was actually suggested by Leipold himself).
Well the Predators name won out, and the rest is history.
Unfortunately, the word “predator” has more than one connotation these days. Thanks a lot, Chris Hansen.
Over the summer, the team’s Development Camp prospects went viral on social media for their day of service – but not for the incredible charity work that they were doing. Instead, it was the unfortunate shirt they were wearing during the event:
“Preds in the community.”
Of course, “Preds” is short for “Predators,” referring to the Nashville Predators, but the internet immediately interpreted it as having another meaning. “Predators in the community,” as in the kind that require registration on a list and aren’t allowed near schools.
Well the unfortunate slogan was parodied on Saturday Night Live this past weekend, when guest host Miles Teller played a Preds hockey player who was uncomfortable promoting his team’s charity works for a commercial:
“Do I have to say that I’m a “Predator” in my community? You hear how it sounds, right?”
And to make matters worse, the player’s name in the skit was “Chase Kidd,” who then had to introduce himself as “Chase Kidd, right wing, Predator.”
For their part, the Preds seemed to take the mocking skit in stride, responding on social media with a quote from Euphoria while also taking the opportunity to promote their Predators Foundation (which now that I’m thinking about it, sounds like a foundation to support…you know what, never mind).
And the team’s mascot, Gnash, even tweeted about the skit:
Well apparently even getting parodied by SNL isn’t enough to convince the team to change its name.
In an interview with The Tennessean, Preds CEO Sean Henry shut down any possibility of a name change coming to the Predators:
“I’ve been here 15 years and never once thought about changing the name.”
Honestly, as awkward as the name can be sometimes, it just wouldn’t be right to change it. Maybe I’m just speaking as a Preds fan, but I like the name and mascot despite the sometimes-unfortunate connotation. (I also like being able to bust my friend’s balls by calling him “the Nashville Predator.” I was in on the joke way before SNL – I even got my friend a Cameo from “To Catch A Predator” host back a few years ago).
Sounds like there are going to be Predators on Broadway for the foreseeable future.
