PITTSBURGH – What’s in a team nickname?
For some sports franchises, the origin is obvious and needs no explaining. “Phillies” is short for “Philadelphians,” an easily understood name for the baseball team on the other side of Pennsylvania. Other names, like the Pittsburgh Penguins, were the result of a selection committee sifting through suggestions made by local fans.
What about the Pittsburgh Pirates?
There was professional baseball in the area as long ago as April 15, 1876, when the Pittsburgh Alleghenys first played at Union Park. That club was named for Allegheny City, the former municipality across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh that’s now known as the city’s North Side. They joined the International Association, a minor league, in 1877 but disbanded a year later.