Sports & Politics Intersect: NBA in the cold as hockey returns to Seattle

• George H.W. Bush, baseball’s president - George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, passed away at the age of 94. His funeral was attended not only by just former and current presidents but also by many sports and entertainment figures whom he shared a kinship with. Arguably more than any other former Commander-in-Chief, including his son and former Texas Rangers owner George W. Bush, baseball was in the senior Bush’s blood. That was clear even in death as “Bush 41” had one more parting shot for the Rangers. (Bush was an avid Houston Astros fan.) 

• USA Gymnastics files for bankruptcy - The much-maligned USA Gymnastics filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy weeks after the U.S. Olympic Committee took measures to strip the organization of its national governing body status. How financial claims against USAG from those victimized by Larry Nassar are settled remains to be seen.

• NFL’s “willful ignorance” in Hunt case - The NFL had already known about the video of now-former Kansas City Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt striking a woman in February, adding more fuel to a raging fire when it comes to criticism on how the league not only handles cases of violence against women but also how it selectively values its product over people.

• St. Louis PSL holders to get money back from Rams - The city of St. Louis gained a victory of sorts over the Rams, as its former football team agreed to repay $24 million to former personal seat license holders who were left in the cold after the franchise returned to Los Angeles after the 2015 season.

• Red Sox CEO explains decision to visit White House - On local radio, Boston Red Sox CEO/president Sam Kennedy said that it was easy for the World Series champions to decide on making the once-customary trip to the White House despite several recent sports champions declining the invitation (or being disinvited) from the divisive Trump administration.

• Trump to attend Army/Navy game - For the second time in three seasons, President Trump will attend the annual Army vs. Navy football game, becoming the 10th sitting president to do so. (He attended in 2016 as president-elect.)

• Esports as new Army recruitment tool - The U.S. Army has already hopped on the esports bandwagon, though not exactly like many sports teams and companies. Instead, Army Esports, populated with active and reserve soldiers, is sending some of its most skilled players to tournaments around the country.

• St. Louis’ MLS bid contingent on port authority vote - In St. Louis, the Board of Aldermen is considering a bill that would give it more power over the city’s port authority, including its real estate. Why is that important? Because a stadium for a potential Major League Soccer franchise is on the line. Three states to the east, in Ohio, the Columbus Crew SC could potentially get a new stadium of its own, while the 20-year-old Mapfre Stadium could be converted into a community sports park and training facility.

• Louisville’s interest in MLS, NBA grows - Louisville has clamored for a major men’s pro league to come to town, but these days it could be easier to add an MLS franchise than an NBA team, the league which has flirted with the city the most over the years. That said, former NBA player and University of Kentucky legend Dan Issel is still hoping that his group can lure the Association into town.

• City council may ban tobacco at Minute Maid Park - The city of Houston is considering a vote to ban all smokeless tobacco from Major League Baseball teams and personnel who come to Minute Maid Park, including its resident Houston Astros. Well, if that happens, Big League Chew is due for a major comeback.

• Ada Hegerberg brilliantly handles casual sexism - Upon receiving the first-ever Ballon d’Or for female soccer players, Norway’s Ada Hegerberg was asked an inappropriate question by the award show’s host. Hegerberg gracefully deflected the question while using her speech as a call for aspiring female athletes to “please believe in yourself” against all odds.

• Kanter called out NBA for leaving him off Instagram page - New York Knicks center Enes Kanter criticized the NBA for omitting him from a posting of current Turkish players on its European Instagram page. Kanter, a fugitive from his homeland for dissenting against its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called the league “scared little rats,” believing that it’s fearful of the Turkish regime. 

• NWHL player returned to hockey after political campaign - Miye D’Oench, who plays for the Metropolitan Riveters of the National Women’s Hockey League, returned to the rink after stepping away for four months to help out in a congressional campaign for retired Lt. Col. Amy McGrath in Kentucky. Though the Democratic candidate lost, D’Oench wants to bring her political engagement to a hockey culture that typically lacks such discussions.

This week in sports and politics history: The Houston Colt .45s rebrand looking to the future

“The more I see the name in print, the better I like it. I will admit it was a little tough to digest at first, but I think it can be great. The press will be able to play with it with space terms, and it should bring the city great publicity.” - Ex-Astros pitcher Don Nottebart on Houston’s name change from the Colt .45s to the Astros

The Houston Astros were coming off the second-worst season in franchise history when owner Jim Crane announced in January of 2012 that he was considering changing the team’s name. 

Of course, the name change didn’t happen, and the Astros would go on to win the World Series five years later — but had it happened, it would have been the second time in franchise history that Houston would have a name change coincide with a stadium change. 

Major League Baseball arrived in Houston for the first time during the 1962 season. The city held a contest to pick the team name, and in extremely Texas fashion, the winning name, submitted by William Irving Neder, was inspired by a six-shooter gun: the Colt 45. Neder said the Colt 45 played “an important role in the history of the American West” and fit the “frontier image of Texas.” 

The team would play as the Colt .45s for the first three years with little to no on-field success, winning just 64, 66 and 66 games, respectively, in those three seasons. With the team set to move into a brand-new domed stadium (the first of its kind in MLB history) and the Colt Firearms Co. breathing down the franchise’s neck about revenue sharing based on the merchandising rights, team president Roy Hofheinz wanted a name change. 

The team hired an artist to begin sketching out new ideas during the final 20 games of the 1964 season. On Dec. 1, 1964, Hofheinz announced that the stadium would be called the Astrodome and the team would change its name from the Colt .45s to the Astros, a play off the space program in the city that was working tirelessly to become the first to put a man on the moon. As for Colt Stadium, it was sold to the Algodoneros del Unión Laguna of the Mexican Baseball League in 1971 and rebuilt over the next four years in Torreón, Mexico. 

The rest is history. Houston has seen legends don the Astros uniform with the team playing in the 2005 World Series and winning it all in 2017 — one of the most fun and memorable championships in, really, all of sports.