The debates are over, the “Friends” are gone, and the shovel is finally in the ground at Lansdowne Park.
After years of nonsensical lawsuits and delays, city council approved the multi-million dollar redevelopment of Lansdowne Park earlier this month, meaning the Canadian Football League is officially on its way back to the nation’s capital.
If all goes to plan, Ottawa’s third edition of a professional football team will be in action by 2014 – and it will have a fancy, refurbished Frank Clair Stadium to call home.
While this is all good news, a lot needs to be done between now and then to ensure a seamless transition back into the league. Starting from scratch isn’t easy.
Finding a general manager, a head coach and some players would be a good start.
And, of course, every team needs a name.
Like the Ottawa Rough Riders and Renegades of the past, a name that starts with the letter “R” has appeal, the team’s partowner Jeff Hunt told the Ottawa Sun earlier this month. Preserving some of the team’s history and old look are important.
That’s one of many reasons why the Ottawa Rivermen should get serious consideration.
It ties in with the region’s logging heritage and embraces one of Ottawa’s most prestigious landmarks: the Rideau Canal, which uses sections of the Rideau and Cataraqui rivers.
As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a “riverman” is “one who lives and works on or along a river.”
In a sense, Ottawa’s CFL team will "live" and "work" at Lansdowne, which is, coincidentally, a mere skip and hop away from the canal.
Already, the canal features prominently in almost every photo taken of the stadium. By naming the team the Rivermen, the marketing possibilities become endless: How about having the team travel to the stadium via speedboat, a la David Beckham?
It may not be a requirement for team names to have any sort of connection to the region in which it plays, but if there’s an obvious opportunity to make the link, then it would be silly not to take it.
And aside from the American Hockey League’s Peoria Rivermen, it’s a name no other professional sports team uses.
The Rivermen is only one of several options that have been explored in recent weeks (some better than others).
A majority of fans want to see a return of the Rough Riders, the team’s first-ever name, according to a survey conducted by the Ottawa Sun. Of course, this is not to be confused with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, a current CFL team.
Not so fast.
In any league, let alone one that features just nine teams, having two almost identical team names would be downright foolish. And both Hunt and league commissioner Mark Cohon have spoken out against the idea publicly.
So we can scratch that off the list.
Most recently, a campaign to name the team the Highlanders, inspired from Ottawa’s official regiment the Cameron Highlanders, has been gaining steam. This is largely a result of a snazzy looking logo and concept released by local design company Le Collectif.
It seems most of the support surrounding the campaign stems from their designs (which are certainly eye-catching), rather than the name itself. While the attractiveness of their proposed concept is hard to ignore, it shouldn’t be the reason for choosing a team name.
There’s more to it than that.
At the end of the day, it’s all about building a brand.
It’s about getting people behind the team – the people who may not otherwise give a hoot about football.
The hardcore fan will be there regardless. The casual fan may need some convincing.
Aside from the political circles of the city, Ottawa is defined largely by its cultural (not military) heritage.
It’s something residents are proud of.
Let’s give them a CFL team they can be proud of, too.
In 2014, let’s give them the Ottawa Rivermen.