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The city of Anaheim asked a judge to block the Angels from adding Los Angeles to their name.
The complaint filed Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court asked for a temporary restraining order against the use of the name "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim." City spokesman John Nicoletti said a judge was expected to rule on the request Friday.
Anaheim officials claim the name violates a stadium lease agreement that has provided nearly $30 million in public subsidies to renovate the club's ballpark.
Anaheim argues that the change hurts its ability to market itself as a tourist destination - a key issue in a city that depends on a hotel room tax as its largest source of income.
The Angels said the name change, which was announced Monday, is intended to attract more fans and advertisers, and eventually more lucrative broadcast contracts, by emphasizing the team's connection to the nation's second-largest media market.
Club officials have said they believe the name change is legal and is necessary to generate more revenue for a club with the third-highest payroll in Major League Baseball.
Last year, the Angels eliminated "Anaheim" from its uniforms, advertisements and media guides - sparking speculation that a name change was in the works.
This is the fourth time the franchise has changed its name. It was known as the Los Angeles Angels when it started in 1961 and became the California Angels when the team moved from Los Angeles to Anaheim in 1966.
The club has been known as the Anaheim Angels since the 1997 season.
Arte Moreno bought the team in 2003, a year after it won the World Series, and became popular with fans by paying for high-priced talent while lowering beer and ticket prices. The Angels rank 23rd in average ticket prices and have the third-highest attendance total in baseball, behind the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Angels will seek a new TV contract following the 2005 season. KCAL-TV said last month it would drop the team and broadcast Los Angeles Dodgers games instead.
In an interview with The Orange County Register last month, Moreno said he felt the Angels had been put in a "demographic box" that limited marketing potential.
"The fact is, if you put people in a box, whether it's racial or economic or marketing-wise, you don't give them a chance to grow," Moreno said. "We're not changing where we live. We're not changing the Angels."
Moreno said he doesn't expect people to drive long distances, say from Pasadena or San Bernardino, to watch games. But he said neglecting the cache connected with the second-largest media market in the U.S. would be a mistake.
"We spent quite a bit of money doing research on this," said Moreno, who bought the Angels in 2003. "We were trying to broaden our overall economic reach."
Some observers said the name change sends a mixed message to fans.
"If they could have pulled off the Los Angeles Angels, great, but they didn't," said Paul Argenti, a professor of management and corporate communication at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business. "It's just going to create more confusion.
"It's like the Oakland A's calling themselves the `Oakland A's of San Francisco.' It's a bad idea," he said.
Some fans may detest the name change, but they could benefit if the added revenue results in cheaper prices at the ballpark and a better product on the field.
"The big challenge for Moreno is would revenues be used to lower costs for attending the game or improving amenities?" Swangard said. "I think he understands he needs to build an immense value in the brand name to offer fans more than what they are paying for."
Moreno has won the support of fans by lowering beer and ticket prices. He also has obtained marquee players such as Vladimir Guerrero, Steve Finley, Bartolo Colon and Orlando Cabrera. The team now fields the third-highest payroll in baseball.
The Angels have received more than 500 e-mails and another couple hundred calls in response to the name change, said Tim Mead, the team's vice president of communications.
"I think what came out in a majority of the responses was their passion," Mead said. "Some people were obviously upset, but many said as long as the owner is committed to winning, they will accept it."
Source: AP
The complaint filed Wednesday in Orange County Superior Court asked for a temporary restraining order against the use of the name "Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim." City spokesman John Nicoletti said a judge was expected to rule on the request Friday.
Anaheim officials claim the name violates a stadium lease agreement that has provided nearly $30 million in public subsidies to renovate the club's ballpark.
Anaheim argues that the change hurts its ability to market itself as a tourist destination - a key issue in a city that depends on a hotel room tax as its largest source of income.
The Angels said the name change, which was announced Monday, is intended to attract more fans and advertisers, and eventually more lucrative broadcast contracts, by emphasizing the team's connection to the nation's second-largest media market.
Club officials have said they believe the name change is legal and is necessary to generate more revenue for a club with the third-highest payroll in Major League Baseball.
Last year, the Angels eliminated "Anaheim" from its uniforms, advertisements and media guides - sparking speculation that a name change was in the works.
This is the fourth time the franchise has changed its name. It was known as the Los Angeles Angels when it started in 1961 and became the California Angels when the team moved from Los Angeles to Anaheim in 1966.
The club has been known as the Anaheim Angels since the 1997 season.
Arte Moreno bought the team in 2003, a year after it won the World Series, and became popular with fans by paying for high-priced talent while lowering beer and ticket prices. The Angels rank 23rd in average ticket prices and have the third-highest attendance total in baseball, behind the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers.
The Angels will seek a new TV contract following the 2005 season. KCAL-TV said last month it would drop the team and broadcast Los Angeles Dodgers games instead.
In an interview with The Orange County Register last month, Moreno said he felt the Angels had been put in a "demographic box" that limited marketing potential.
"The fact is, if you put people in a box, whether it's racial or economic or marketing-wise, you don't give them a chance to grow," Moreno said. "We're not changing where we live. We're not changing the Angels."
Moreno said he doesn't expect people to drive long distances, say from Pasadena or San Bernardino, to watch games. But he said neglecting the cache connected with the second-largest media market in the U.S. would be a mistake.
"We spent quite a bit of money doing research on this," said Moreno, who bought the Angels in 2003. "We were trying to broaden our overall economic reach."
Some observers said the name change sends a mixed message to fans.
"If they could have pulled off the Los Angeles Angels, great, but they didn't," said Paul Argenti, a professor of management and corporate communication at Dartmouth College's Tuck School of Business. "It's just going to create more confusion.
"It's like the Oakland A's calling themselves the `Oakland A's of San Francisco.' It's a bad idea," he said.
Some fans may detest the name change, but they could benefit if the added revenue results in cheaper prices at the ballpark and a better product on the field.
"The big challenge for Moreno is would revenues be used to lower costs for attending the game or improving amenities?" Swangard said. "I think he understands he needs to build an immense value in the brand name to offer fans more than what they are paying for."
Moreno has won the support of fans by lowering beer and ticket prices. He also has obtained marquee players such as Vladimir Guerrero, Steve Finley, Bartolo Colon and Orlando Cabrera. The team now fields the third-highest payroll in baseball.
The Angels have received more than 500 e-mails and another couple hundred calls in response to the name change, said Tim Mead, the team's vice president of communications.
"I think what came out in a majority of the responses was their passion," Mead said. "Some people were obviously upset, but many said as long as the owner is committed to winning, they will accept it."
Source: AP
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