Bullets Owner Abe Pollin announced yesterday he will change
the name of the team for the '97-98 season, to coincide with the
move to the new MCI Center in downtown DC. The Boston Market
"Rename the Bullets" contest will be a chance for the fans to
participate in the process. Fans will be able to submit name
suggestions at any of the over 50 DC and Baltimore area Boston
Market locations. Prizes include a Grand Prize of a trip for two
to the Bullets-Magic in Orlando and two season tickets for the
'96-97 or '97-98 seasons. Media partners include WRC-TV, The
Washington Post, HTS, WBDC-TV and WTEM-AM, WHUR-FM, V-103-FM, and
Heaven 600 AM in Baltimore. The name change will go hand-in-hand
with a new Bullets Anti-Violence Campaign running in conjunction
with the NBA's Stay in School program (Bullets).
THE FINAL WORD: After five finalits are selected, fans will
then be invited to vote via a 1-900 number. Proceeds from calls
will go to the anti-violence campaign, according to the
WASHINGTON POST. Richard Justice notes that Pollin and his staff
"retain the right" to pick the final new name, and a timetable
for the final announcement of a new name will be made sometime
next year (WASHINGTON POST, 11/10).
