Ten Greatest Logos In Professional Sports

Recently Rant Sport ranked their top 25 professional sports logos and frankly, they were a joke. When the New England Patriots (what the hell is that thing anyway?) are #2 you know you have a problem. The old logo was better. The Chicago Blackhawks have a cool logo that should be in the top 25 but there were so many more misses than hits that I felt compelled to do my own top 10. My criteria include but are not limited to: Simplicity, local flavor, ease of recognition (can you tell what it's supposed to be) and would you wear that teams apparel even if you weren't a fan.

#1. St. Louis Rams - Yes, I know I'm being a homer here but that aside here is my justification: The Ram horn was the first helmet logo in pro football and it is the easiest to make out from a distance. It looks tough (unlike the team) yet is simple and elegant.

#2. The New York Yankees - First let me say I HATE THE YANKEES!!!!! That said, the interlocking NY and the navy pinstripes make theirs one of the most iconic uniforms in any sport. I hate them but this is about logos, not owners, cities or arrogant players.

#3. Seattle Supersonics - There are few buildings in America more iconic than the Space Needle and every iteration of the Sonics logo incorporated the symbol of the 1964 World's Fair. I liked all but one... that stupid basketball with the goofy "S" running through it.

#4. Los Angeles Dodgers - Blue and White with an interlocking "LA". Classic colors, classic baseball logo. 'Nuff said.

#5. The St. Louis Blues - A gigantic blue and yellow music note. Easy to see and it's a great representation of a city known for the blues. Classic.

#6. Dallas Cowboys - Here's another team I can't stand but their blue star screams "Texas" and is elegant without being ostentatious (unlike this sentence).

#7. Detroit Red Wings - Bold Red & White uniforms with a wheel (for Motor City) and a wing (because... wings, lol). Not sure how the team got it's name but it's a safe bet you'll never see another wing attached to a wheel logo and, what the hell, it looks cool!

#8. San Diego Chargers - Again, simplicity at it's best with a lightning bolt spanning the each side of each helmet... and when they wear their powder blue uniforms it looks even more bad ass!

#9. New Orleans Saints - Again, simple and what other than a Fleur De Lis would speak to New Orleans French Heritage.

#10. Tie between the Miami Heat, Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Angels. A flaming (because it's hot in Miami) basketball flying through a hoop, a futuristic "R" with a rocket flying around it (because NASA's Mission Control is in Houston) and an "A" with a halo around it (city of angels) all represent their cities well. Yeah, I know having a 3 way tie at #10 is a cop out but I couldn't decide.

Honorable Mention: I have a real hard time putting a team on this list that has a name associated with the city they used to live in. For instance I'm a Lakers fan and I like the logo but there are ZERO lakes in the City of Los Angeles. The Utah Jazz... yeah, I think Louis Armstrong would have been awfully bored in Salt Lake City. Or how about the Calgary Flames? The Atlanta Flames most certainly would have made my top 10. A burning "A" signifying the burning of Atlanta during the civil war? Awesome. The only burn you're going to get in Calgary is frost burn.