(CelebrityAccess MediaWire) — It was dubbed “1836” to celebrate the birth of the Houston Major League Soccer team’s home city. Now, some Hispanic, corporate and political communities have decried that it is offensive to Mexican-Americans, as it is also the date of the Battle of the Alamo and the defeat of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's Mexican army to General Sam Houston in the Battle of San Jacinto during the Texas Revolution.
Only a month after moving the team and changing the name from the San Jose Earthquakes, Anschutz Entertainment Group is preparing to replace the moniker with something more universally accepted.
“He (Anschutz) indicated that they (AEG) were strongly considering a name change, and before the weekend was over they committed that they would be doing it,” Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Sylvia Garcia told the Houston Chronicle. “I suspect we'll be hearing an official announcement very soon.”
Sources told the paper that “Lonestar” or “Lone Star” looks to be the team’s new name, but choices such as “Apollos” or “Mustangs” are also being considered.
“The bottom line is that at no time did the team or Major League Soccer ever want to offend any members of the Houston community,” league spokesman Dan Courtemanche told the paper. “We certainly apologize to those who feel wronged or insulted. We're listening to their concerns, and we're carefully analyzing the situation. We want everyone to be part of Major League Soccer in Houston.”
The name 1836 was the leader in an online poll conducted after AEG announced the move of the franchise, known as the Earthquakes, from San Jose, Calif., in December.
An announcement regarding the name change is expected very soon. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
