Change the name and the biggest sponsor will leave...the fans....no more parking, tickets, merchandise....drinks, food....that is the big money...
This has already been proven to not be true with the Washington Bullets. Their was so much talk about the fans will leave, yadda, yadda, yadda, but at the end of the day, the fans want a winner. Not a name. Washington has been a joke for over 20 years, and among many of Daniel Snyder's blunders and how terrible of an owner he has been, you think this is what will send the fans packing? A name? LOL.
We also heard the same thing in reverse in Charlotte with the Hornets. When they were the Bobcats, so many hypothesized that their attendance would be better if they can change the team name back to the Hornets because of you know, history. Nope. The attendance is largely the same because they suck, and that's what matters.