The Angels Obnoxious Name Disputes From the 60s to Present

The LA Angels have been off to a decent start, with Mike Trout seeming to finally get his act together. Jose Soriano hasn’t done the team any harm either. Trout slayed with a home run on opening day, and the team beat the Astros 3-0. The next day, they once again beat the Astros 6-2. Tuesday, they beat the Chicago Cubs 2-0. However, they have now run into a painfully familiar problem…

The Team’s Founding and Moving

Okay, here’s a little bit of history for you. The team was originally called the Los Angeles Angels in 1961. They chose that name as a nod to the city of Los Angeles. Fun fact. Entertainer Gene Autry was actually the founding owner of the team and stayed the owner until the 90s, when the team was sold.

Anyways, they would play at Wrigley Field or the Dodgers Stadium until 1965 when they moved to Anaheim, California. After their move, they figured it might be a good idea to change their name to the “California Angels” since they technically weren’t in LA anymore. And thus, the team underwent their first name change.

The Team’s Expensive Rebranding

In 1996, Gene Autry sold what was then known as the “California Angels,” and in 1997, they were rebranded to the “Anaheim Angels”. Some big changes were made that year.

There was a lot of renovation done to the stadium, and the new owners aimed to kind of “revitalize” the franchise by adding new colors and logos and such. It was all very expensive. Just renovating the stadium alone costs 100 million. The team did win the World Series in 2002, which was a huge deal. But in the end, the new owner’s operations were not what you might call profitable.

The Lawsuit

The team was sold to Arturo Moreno in 2003, and in 2005, they once again had to change their name. They were no longer the “Anaheim Angels” but were now the “Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.” A bit of a mouthful, huh? But I guess it was better for marketing in the LA area.

However, the city was not too thrilled about this change, so they actually tried to sue the team for an alleged breach of contract. So there was a fun little legal dispute over that. However, the city lost. Take that, Anaheim!

The Current Problem

In 2016, the team once again changed its name. It seems that they thought they would have better marketing across Southern California if they once again rebranded and changed their name to the “Los Angeles Angels.” All that fuss, to not even keep the city in the name. But I guess they wanted to lean into the whole LA thing. Plus, it is a bit shorter, which is convenient.

However, not only do they still have a lot of financial trouble, but they are now facing another fun little legal dispute. As if they weren’t having enough trouble already. There’s this bill being introduced in California, and basically, it would force the team to include Anaheim in their name.

Their dear friends, the city, seem to have this bizarre obsession with being included in the title. They seem to want to secure the city as a tourist destination, but if you ask me, I think the city has been pretty well secured as a tourist destination. I mean, Orange County is not exactly a graveyard.

I suppose it’s true that they are not technically in LA anymore. They have been in their current stadium since the 60s. So you could say it’s a little unbefitting. But they have already had so many complications with name changes over the years, and if you ask me, it is not worth the headache. LA, Anaheim, California… all the same. Crowded.