By Soren Bernyn
FSN
What a difference a year makes - Mojo D escaped to the North Nashvegas neighborhood of Buena Vista in February 2020, and helped the neighbors re-build after a March tornado. But over the weekend, an angry coalition of neighborhood groups descended on the Ballers' Monroe Street HQ, demanding the team drop "Buena Vista" from its official NFFA name.
"Ever since they showed up, the neighborhood's gone down the sh*tter," resident Darius X, president of Buena Vista United, said flatly. "We were already being run over with the 'tall & skinnies,' and now we have an uncontrolled hipster infestation and Chinese real-estate speculators lurking around everywhere, taking pictures. This wasn't happening before the tornado and Covid, so it's the Ballers' influence - they have welcomed unsavory elements here, and we have had enough of this colonialism. We demand you take our name out yo' damn mouth, Mojo D!"
After meeting with the coalition's leaders, a chastened Mojo D responded "this hurts - I love and respect Buena Vista and the proud people who live here. I was hopeful our economic and community development projects would lift up everyone, but clearly, the unintended consequences outweigh what seemed like progress a few months ago. So, effective immediately, the team will be called simply the 'Ballers'. We intend to play at John Lewis Stadium and keep our HQ here, but we will honor the wishes of the neighborhood as far as naming."
Questioned about the NFFA policy on changing names - a team must alert the league office by June of a name change - Mojo D smirked and said "Money can just f*cking fine me. Crypto is booming, and he's got more pressing sh*t to deal with, like pushing his cockamamie 15-game regular season."
The team has a long history of "re-branding:" starting from the Midtown Mojo to the Corsairs and now to the Ballers - and each of those had at least one location change during its "brand era." Unlike most of those name changes, this one appears to have at least some rationale behind it.
More information to come on this developing story.
