Those names!

The names given to some of the sporting teams here in St. Vincent and the Grenadines are enough to make one sick.

It hurts the ear and indeed sometimes affects one’s vision when these names are broadcast or printed.{{more}}

From triviality of sports and its virtues, to near absurdity and total disregard for the nobility of the various disciplines, persons have gone over board with the naming of teams.

It baffles me why should some one name a team “Stew Yam”. What connection does such a name have with a sporting unit?

Then there are “De Jokers”, “Licks and laugh” and “Jus For De Fun”.

You also may have heard of “Trouble Fuh Dem” and “Fire Fuh Dem”.

“Rum Pellets” is a name which has emerged recently. Assumptions go wild as to the reasoning of such a name.

There is also “Bamboo Blade”.

Such names just show how we are really making sport with sports in this country.

There are also those which have near frightening overtones of violent intent.

“Cultural”, “the in thing” and “in keeping with modern day jargon”, one may say, but “Watch No Face”, as a team name, has absolutely no connotation to sports and is out of place.

“President Click” emerged some years ago, but, the “Click” as in recent changes in the oral language links to a grouping of unruly persons, mainly with deviant tendencies.

Also there is “Shoot to Kill”. No matter how innocent one may be, and with no ill objective there may be, such a name has no place in sports.

In Basketball, there are teams which proudly call themselves “Outkast” and “Most wanted”.

In this same vein, the name “Street Fighters” has become a household one when it comes to Softball Cricket Competitions. Investigations suggest that it is just a name, as the team’s traits and conduct are far removed from its calling.

Gladly, “Troublesome Eleven” seems to have dropped off the radar screen and put away for eternal rest.

But then what is in a name? To me it says a lot and can convey a message, wanted or unwanted.

But there is the other side of the coin.

Some, though, while staying within the borders of the accepted and acceptable names, have imported foreign names wholesale, which have no meaning to us here.

Football teams having no association with the famous and heavy spending Spanish club are calling themselves “Barcelona”.

Also there is “Chelsea”, which is one of the top clubs in the Barclays English Premier League.

No longer are sporting units interested in keeping their villages and areas identities in tact.

Keeping such area identity not only enhances homogeneity, but is an education in Geography in knowing places in your country.

I learned many villages that are part of the Layou community when a Village Football Competition was staged last year.

Power to those who made me aware that there is a place in South Leeward by the name of Sandy Gully through the name “Sandy Gully Strikers”.

Tag lines such as “Stars”, “United” and “Strikers”, have been replaced by “Crew”, “Starz”, “Click”, among others.

But organizers of these competitions are partly to be blamed for this re-emerging trend, as they have made no effort to streamline the image of their organizations.

As a member of the Sion Hill Football League, we had to object to “Bad Lizards”, being part of our annual competition.

A handle must be put on this trend as early as possible as the sporting world is already ahead of us and such a frivolous approach towards sports will just be sending us further into non-recognition.

A level of seriousness must take over sports, and we should divert from that recreational mode that has gripped for some time now.

Starting with a mature approach, even in the way we name our sporting teams, should be part of this anticipated change.

Change must also come with that name “Mound” as that, too, does not fit the Sion Hill Playing Field.

email: kingroache@yahoo.com