After looking through the official logos of each of the 300+ professional and college sports teams in the United States, one thing became clear: There’s no rhyme or reason to what makes a great sports logo. Some are clean and simple. Others are delicate and intricate. Some have hidden messages. Others have all the subtly of an episode of Bachelor in Paradise. Some include the team names. Others go without it. The NHL has the best logos, while the NFL has the worst. Colleges, surprisingly, have generally boring logos despite all the odd mascots that would theoretically make for interesting illustrations. Through all that, FTW selected the 30 best logos in American sports, a top 19 for logos currently in use and 11 more historical logos no longer used (though they should be). All pictures and info via Chris Creamer’s indispensable sportslogos.net.
Current logos
1. Dallas Cowboys
2. Golden State Warriors
3. Major League Baseball
4. Texas Longhorns
5. Detroit Red Wings
6. Columbus Crew
7. Kansas Jayhawks
8. Brooklyn Nets
9. Edmonton Oilers
10. New York Yankees
11. New York Islanders
12. Army West Point
13. University of Miami
14. Boston Celtics
15. New York Jets
16. Toronto Maple Leafs
17. Boston Bruins
18. New York Mets
19. Stanford Cardinal
Throwbacks
1. Washington Bullets (1987-1997)
2. New England Patriots (1971-1992)
3. Houston Colt .45s (1962-1964)
4. Minnesota Twins (1976-1986)
5. Buffalo Bills (1970-1973)
6. Milwaukee Brewers (1978-1993)
7. Cincinnati Reds (1954-1959)
8. New York Jets (1963)
9. Baltimore Orioles (1966-1988)
10. Philadelphia Eagles (1948-1960)
11. Houston Oilers (1980-1996)
