That’s My Team!: The History, Science, and Fun behind Sports Teams’ Names

How did author Edgar Allen Poe influence the naming of the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens? What major events in US history inspired the naming of the Philadelphia 76ers, San Francisco 49ers, and Oklahoma Sooners? And what caused the NBA’s Washington Bullets to change their name to the Wizards?

In That’s My Team! The History, Science and Fun behind Sports Teams’ Names, Paul Volponi shares the answers to these questions and more. He examines how teams from a variety of sports received their names, leading readers on a fast-paced journey through different parts of the US and the world. Readers are able to view history, science, literature, pop culture, and a slew of other subjects through the lens of notable sports teams. This book also includes segments on Native Americans, minorities overcoming prejudice, the growth of women’s sports, and teams from different cultures, such as Japan.

That’s My Team! features fifteen challenges that test the knowledge readers have gained through the chapters, while three timeouts provide readers with opportunities to create meaningful names for their own brand new sports teams. Both reluctant and sports-crazed readers, teens and pre-teens alike, will find this book an exciting way to learn about a variety of subjects through their favorite sports teams.