And, just like that, the era of the new Rowdies appears to have come to an end.

FC Tampa Bay announced today they will discontinue use of the historic “Rowdies” moniker “until further notice,” though honcho Andrew Nestor points to “positive developments in this process” and says he looks forward to “a quick resolution.”

The team has been able to refer to itself as the Rowdies since starting play this year in the USSF Division II Pro Soccer League, but it couldn’t sell anything or have its players and staff wear anything that says “Rowdies” on it because the trademark to the old name is owned by a Texas company, Classic Ink, Inc.. A court ruling this summer upheld their ownership of the Rowdies’ trademarks (as well as those of the Chicago Sting and Minnesota Kicks, among others).

Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise, I don’t know. It doesn’t appear as if there are any chinks in Classic Ink’s armor on this, and a protracted fight doesn’t do anyone any good (except the lawyers, obviously). The old identity wasn’t really making the new club a huge success (as I thought would happen). If they stay FC Tampa Bay and have no nickname or rebrand as the Tampa Bay Corsairs or whatever, would they really draw significantly less than they did this year (3,800 a game)? Ralph’s Mob is going to show up anyway, and I’m thinking anyone who was coming specifically because of the history was a bit disappointed because the new club didn’t have anywhere near the flair or fun of the old one and they were playing in a baseball stadium.

It’s possible this could be resolved at some point soon. It’s also possible it could be a sign that maybe we should leave the past in the past. Memories are almost always better than reality anyway.

Tags: legal wrangling, NASL, Rowdies, soccer

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