Here is an interesting article about making your sports brand unique. It talks about the importance of separating a team from the rest of the league. The article cites one of our local teams, the San Jose Sharks, as an example.
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=0QrLjDDESawC&oi=fnd&pg=PA188&dq=san+jose+sharks&ots=E6rRTS8lJM&sig=mUYGgaMKCrRZA0DXx9Jgx_RJ03c#v=onepage&q=san%20jose%20sharks&f=false
