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Angels want to change their name.


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i heard this on ESPN today Arturo moreno is considering changing the anaheim angels to the los angeles angels like they were when the were incepted. i don't have a link or the story because i can't find it. the city of anaheim is already complaining because the lease on angel stadium states the angels must be the anaheim angels.

 

i prefer the anaheim angels because the team is basically in anaheim. Screw los angeles they have their own team

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July 8, 2004?

Anaheim to Enforce Name Issue

City manager says in memo that team's lease with Angel Stadium requires that it be identified as the 'Anaheim Angels.'

 

By Bill Shaikin and Kimi Yoshino, Times Staff Writers

 

 

With Angel owner Arte Moreno exploring the possibility of renaming his team the Los Angeles Angels, a majority of the Anaheim City Council indicated Wednesday it would exercise its power to reject any such proposal.

 

In a memo sent to council members on Tuesday, City Manager Dave Morgan said the city would enforce the Angel Stadium lease, which requires the team to be called the Anaheim Angels. The lease expires in 2029, with a one-time escape clause in 2016.

 

Mayor Curt Pringle and council members Richard Chavez and Shirley McCracken all expressed opposition to the potential name change. Council members Bob Hernandez and Tom Tait did not return calls.

 

"I think a lot of this is stirred up because Arte Moreno is aggressive," Pringle said. "He's doing what anybody should do with their business in promoting it aggressively. We as a city applaud the success of the Angels this year, not solely on the field, but also in attendance and advertising and support for the team and outreach. Those are all good things."

 

The Angels have sold out 27 of 41 home games and are on pace to sell a club-record 3.4 million tickets.

 

"The community is very supportive, and the last thing they want to do is see the name changed," Chavez said.

 

Moreno, in his first full year of ownership, sells the Angels as a Southern California team, not an Anaheim team. He says the possible name change might broaden the Angels' reach among fans, advertisers and broadcasters, generating revenue that could help sustain a championship-caliber club. He has discussed that possibility with Commissioner Bud Selig, a high-ranking baseball official said.

 

"We've had a good relationship with Mr. Moreno," McCracken said. "He's reaching out to the broader community, and we appreciate that. He's aware that this is their home, and I think he's got real support from Anaheim."

 

It is believed the Angels might take months to decide whether to pursue the name change. Angel President Dennis Kuhl said team officials would not comment.

 

"I'm more worried about winning baseball games," he said.

 

July 7, 2004

Angels Could Benefit

By Bill Shaikin, Times Staff Writer

 

As fans opposed to the Angels' possible name change scrambled for ways to protest, a Cal State Fullerton marketing professor said Tuesday the team could benefit from calling itself the Los Angeles Angels.

 

On Tuesday, the first business day since The Times reported Sunday that Angel owner Arte Moreno had discussed the possible change with Commissioner Bud Selig, the team received "less than a dozen e-mails" in opposition, said Tim Mead, the Angels' vice president of communications. Mead declined to comment about the proposal itself.

 

Fans debated the issue on radio shows and online message boards, most urging Moreno to retain the Anaheim Angels name. On the Angel website, one fan posted the address to the team offices and implored fans to write Moreno in protest, while another provided a link to a petition that gathered 120 signatures in its first day.

 

"Los Angeles is our neighbor with a great sports history, but the Angels are our family and a source of pride in our community," said Rob Rohm, 33, of Orange, who created the petition. "We have our own identity in Orange County, and the recent success of our sports franchises is helping to establish us nationally."

 

If he goes ahead, Moreno would need to persuade the Anaheim City Council to renegotiate a stadium lease that requires the team to be called the Anaheim Angels.

 

Moreno does not plan to move the team from Anaheim. By identifying the team with Los Angeles, Moreno would hope to persuade potential broadcasters and national advertisers to pay more, reinforcing the point that the team plays in the second-largest media market in the country.

 

Tom Boyd, a Fullerton professor who studies the business of baseball, said the possible change could help Moreno close a revenue gap with the Dodgers, who he said receive three to four times as much money in sponsorships and broadcast rights. He said Moreno would alienate some fans, particularly in Orange County, but could attract many more by fielding a consistent winner, whatever the name.

 

"There's definitely a price that will be paid if they change the name. They definitely have some equity in that affiliation," Boyd said. "But from a business standpoint, it would be a pretty sound move.

 

"In the long run, it's probably better for the team. The fans they add would more than offset the fans they lose."

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