Maple Leaf Logos – Can we Stop This?

Don't forget the stylized Maple Leaf on the Toronto FC badge, and the slapped-on Canadian flags on the sleeves for TFC and Vancouver Whitecaps (though US flags are on the US-based teams in equally insulting fashion).

Well the AHL St.John's is coming out today. the name sounds like it will be the Ice caps. How much you want to bet there will be a iced up maple leaf in there.

I do agree with you, but did you check YOUR primary logo ;) a lot of maple leaves on this page...

I'm approaching 50, my parents are from Montreal and I've been visiting Canada my whole life. The "slap a leaf on it" strategy has been a part of corporate Canada for DECADES. If I were to guess, my guess would be that it's because the Canadian flag itself has only existed since the mid-60s. Departments stores in nowheresville had souvenir sections. I assume that's because Canadians were, themselves, still struck by the novelty of that big red leaf. That McDonald's logo was the first example that jumped into my mind, but LOTS of logos familiar to U.S. consumers have a leaf added to them in Canada. I guess in the past 45 years or so "slap a leaf on it" has become a habit that can't be broken.

I actually thought the same thing when I first saw the Jets logo. This article is right on. Because so few Canadian cities have teams in major pro sports (relatively speaking) I can appreciate the desire teams have to celebrate their uniqueness in that way, but it's becoming quite cliche.

I think it would look way better if they put the script somewhere on the primary logo. Off Topic: Chris, why is your soccer section called "Fußball"?

To defend the Jays and Raptors, they are Canada's only team in their respective leagues. Toronto FC is also Canada's first MLS team.

CC, Ive noticed it too within the past 15 years or so. Im from Michigan and Like a lot of Canadian teams especially hockey ones. The Jays and Flames shoulder patches is too much. especially the Jays. I own more Jays merchandise then my beloved Tigers because ive always like their colors. I wont buy a blue black and grey jersey with a red maple leaf on the sleeve though.

It similar to a team in Texas having a Star

Like I wrote on the forum, too many maple leaves everywhere on canadian pro teams. The case of the Jets is a good exemple. Why a maple leaf? Its the Jets, not the canadian jets, or the RCAF hockey team. Do the NY Jets have a star on their logo? The Capitals play in the US capital city, they can have stars. Except the Jackets ans the Stars, for obvious reasons, name a US NHL team wearing stars? The MLB Nationals don't have any reference to the stars and stripes! Find one european pro rugby or soccer team wearing a logo with this type of national reference. Canadians dont need to see leaves on their pro teams logo to remind themselves they are canadian. This give weapons to those who say canadian do not have any pride.

The calgary flames slapped a canadian flag and an alberta flag on their unis a few seasons back. Makes little sense as they are niether the only canadian or albertan nhl team

That Jets logo would be fine on the shoulders, but hey - if they bowed to pressure on the overall name of the team, can't we pressure them into the old-school logo? After all, it's not REALLY a throwback to the REAL Jets (and a proper slap to Bettman's face) unless it has the old logo...

My Uncle lives in Canada

let me through the use of fleur-de-lis for formerly French American cities, teams in NOLA (obviously), St. Louis, Louisville, Montreal, Quebec are all guilty, perhaps next year's MLS Montreal Impact can go for the fleur-de-lis/maple leaf combo..fleur-de-leaf!

Great article, couldn't agree more. Put it this way, there are 7 Canadian NHL teams and 3 have a leaf as part of their uniform (Leafs, Jets and Flames) 2 are named after Canada (Canadiens and Canucks) and the Senators used to have a shoulder logo with a leaf on it. Only 1 team did not have some direct representation to Canada, and thats Edmonton. Just seems cliche and even tacky most of the time to force national pride on a uniform, I think we're a little bit smarter than this.

Listen, you should feel pride in the Maple Leaf. You have absolutely no case compared to native americans who have logos mocking them (Cleveland Indians, North Dakota Fighting Sioux, and even the racist Washington Redskins), so I don't wanna hear about how sick you are of seeing the Maple leaf in Canadian sports logos. Shut up and be happy your country even gets professional sports teams, you ungrateful canuck.

Dont forget about the logos for Air Canada, Molson, Labatt's, etc, etc, etc. We know---you're from Canada!

Its not a matter of proudness or whatever. Its a matter of originality. Theres no point in wearing leaves when everybody know you are from Canada. Its an admission of inferiority. We need to put leaves to show we are in Canada? This is stupid, not original, not creative. How come the Winnipeg Jets have maple leaves everywhere? If TNSE really wanted to go the way they wanted, I would have put the F-18 very alike jet in the roundel with no maple leaf that blurr and confuse the whole thing. I just don't like it period. And you are right, the MTL Impact should not have fleur de lys on their unis. The QC Nordiques will because QC is the capital of the province..

The new JAY uniforms from 2004 tried to attract Americans in buying Toronto merchandise as well without having the maple leaf I'm all for that. Raptors ditches purple and made the red primary colour. Then a few years later they got the leaf on their neck collar. It's fine for Toronto cuz they try to differentiate them selves from Americans by using the leaf. Cuz Toronto is an American city stuck in Canada. I love all the teams in t-dot except the leafs cuz they embarrass the country and I'm a huge Habs fan, which makes me entirely canadien! I have a derozen, wells from last year, and alouetts I dig the leafs. Alouetts no leaf? Yes! Check the logo ears out! Those are leafs!