Opinion: PWHL Logos and Names Can Wait

Everyone wants PWHL team names and logos, but the treatment of players, and getting a quality product on the ice take precedence.

We all want to know the six PWHL team's nicknames and logos. Included in that statement are fans, media, players, and yes, the league.

When a recent report surfaced stating teams would likely be starting the PWHL season with only their market name diagonal across their jersey, it sparked a reaction from a variety of stakeholders. The reactions involved remorse for the loss of beloved brands like the Minnesota Whitecaps, Metropolitan Riveters, and Boston Pride; they involved people pointing to the potential lost opportunity of Black Friday and Christmas shopping for sales.

The real focus however, despite these valid critiques, is getting this right for the league's ownership group, and for the longevity of the league itself. Sometimes a fast fix isn't the best, and given the sprint the PWHL committed to completing this year, fast is all they have. That said, some things may have to wait, and if a team logo or nickname is one of them, that's a sacrifice I think we can all understand and accept.

What fans, players, media, and owners really want, is players on the ice, getting paid in a league that will be around when the children of current players are ready to turn pro themselves.

These inaugural jerseys with a market name across them, if that's what they inevitably become, will some day be nostalgic throwbacks. It's also not uncommon for teams to primarily feature the city, market, or school name on their jersey. 

In NCAA hockey, the primary feeder for the league, this process is extremely common. Fans don't complain that schools like Yale, Maine, Boston University, Boston College,  Merrimack, Harvard, Cornell, and dozens more simply feature the school name. 

And when you think of international hockey, Team USA's jerseys are often adorned simply with "USA" across the front.

In the NHL, Pittsburgh featured a diagonal logo of the city name for a period of time through the Jagr and Lemieux era. The Minnesota Wild have done it with the smaller word "Wild" under a larger "Minnesota" and while it was their nickname, the New York Rangers have featured a diagonal "Rangers" jersey for much of their history. Other teams have experimented with third jerseys and other branding focusing on market locations, like New Jersey's "Jersey" jersey. Design of a good jersey is absolutely important to fandom, and to the merchandise sales of a team, but there's nothing saying teams won't begin with one jersey, and return from the World Championships or another break in the schedule to unveil their logo and name. 

While fans like them, logo and team name aren't the primary factor when it comes to jersey sales. Looking at the top selling jerseys across all sport in 2023, most come from professional men's soccer where it's primarily sponsorship names on the jersey, or it's NBA jerseys that often have the word "Brooklyn" or "Dallas" on the front along with a number. The same goes for NFL jerseys where it's typically only a number and small text of the team name, or sometimes the league logo. 

While logos have been a feature of hockey jerseys for a century, jersey sales are more about the personalities and people wearing them, than what's actually on the jersey itself. Look at the impact of Taylor Swift recently on the sales of Travis Kelce jerseys. It's clear this was more about the people involved than the jersey itself.

And while we shouldn't anticipate the PWHL will misstep as others have in the past, a logo can sometimes be problematic as it is with Chicago's NHL team, Cleveland's baseball team, and Washington's football team, two of which have since been re-branded.

There are plenty of items to be concerned about, and to continue to discuss in terms of the PWHL, like issues with agents, health insurance, low salaries, and housing, not to mention the actual venues where teams will play, but jerseys are well down that list. The product on the ice and the treatment of the players are what will make this league thrive. 

While I'm excited for branding, and to own a jersey (or three), and while I sympathize with not wanting to lose the Riveters or Whitecaps, and I can't understand the urgency to shed those brands, or even successful names and logos from the past like the Toronto Furies or Ottawa Alerts, I think the league has bigger fish to fry at the moment. 

Looking at the groups guiding this league, perhaps no one understands the relative lack of importance a logo and name actually hold. After all, Mark Walter Group owns Chelsea FC, while Billie Jean King is an owner of Angel City FC. 

Logos and names will come in good time, or they won't. If this league takes a college jersey approach with name and number on the front, or if they follow soccer to call teams Ottawa HC and Minnesota HC, inevitably it won't matter as long as players are treated well, media continues to show interest in the league, and the on-ice product is strong. That's what will bring fans to the rink, including fans wearing jerseys with Boston or Montreal printed diagonally across the front.