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The identity of the new Tampa Bay Rowdies professional soccer club was intended to be a throwback to the game's local heyday, when they won the North American Soccer League championship in 1975.
It wouldn't seem anyone would take issue, least of all the many ex-Rowdies players who have called the area home since that time.
But nothing is ever that simple. Classic Ink Inc., a Dallas-based producer of apparel items featuring logos and trademarks of bygone sports teams, sued the new team's owners over trademark infringement.
Now the team (Business Review, May 7) has agreed to cease use of the name on its way to an out-of-court settlement. The team will heretofore be known as FC Tampa Bay, reflecting the traditional name of football clubs worldwide.
“Our organization has seen positive developments in this process and we look forward to a quick resolution,” team president Andrew Nestor stated on the FC Tampa Bay website. The team removed all Rowdies references from the site, as well as its Facebook page.
The would-be Rowdies didn't fare too well in their inaugural season, finishing with seven wins, 12 losses and 11 ties. Matches were played at Tampa's Steinbrenner Field, which is built for baseball rather than soccer.
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