Portland AFL Team's Announcement Of "Thunder" Nickname Met With Some Skepticism

Portland's AFL team is "trying to connect with fans, but apparently not listening to them that closely," according to John Canzano of the Portland OREGONIAN. After a "five-week 'Name the Team' contest concluded in November," team Owner Terry Emmert announced he had "selected 'Thunder' as the team name." A team source yesterday confirmed that the "suggestion 'Thunder' finished well off the pace in fan voting, but was selected anyway by Emmert, who liked the name himself." The nicknames "Growlers" and "Sasquatch" came in "first and second." Canzano: "I suppose Emmert has every right to name his team what he wants. But why feign a public contest that pretends to ask for input if you like your own suggestion best of all?" (OREGONLIVE.com, 2/12).