St Louis Cardinals Flying High As Most Successful Bird In US Sport
January 5 is National Bird Day, which alerted us to the number of U.S. sports teams that have birds in their name. At present, 13 franchises have names associated with birds -- five in the NFL, three in the NBA and MLB and two in the NHL.
But which is the most successful? We've analyzed each team's history and after considering their winning percentage, championships won and players in their sport's respective Hall of Fame, we've compiled our top 10 list.
And it's good news for the St Louis Cardinals, who come out on top.
Cardinals Rule The Roost
Of all the current teams in the four major leagues in the States, the St Louis Cardinals are the ones flying highest. It helps that the franchise has been around longer than any of the other teams in our top 10 of teams with birds as their logo.
The baseball team was founded in 1882 and over their 141-year existence, they have the best winning record, won more titles and have had more players inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Only three teams have played more regular season games than the Cardinals, who have won 11 World Series titles, which is 16 short of the all-time leader -- the New York Yankees.
After finishing at the bottom of the National League Central last year, the Cardinals are not among the favorites with sports betting sites to add to their total.
Pelicans Have Plenty Of Catching Up To Do
The New Orleans Pelicans are at the bottom of our list. The NBA team is the newest franchise in our study, having been established in 2002. If often takes teams a while to find their feet, and that has been the case with the Pelicans.
Since joining the NBA 21 years ago, New Orleans has a winning percentage of 46.6%. The Pelicans, who began their existence as the Hornets, have made the playoffs eight times, but they have only won two series in the postseason.
You won't find the Pelican near the top of many markets to win the championship on the leading NBA betting sites this season.
The Philadelphia Eagles started the season 10-1, but their quest to win a third Vince Lombardi Trophy has stumbled in the closing weeks of the season. They have secured a playoff berth, but will it be Fly Eagles Fly, or Cry Eagles Cry?
The Eagles are one of the most storied franchises in the country with arguably the most demanding fanbase. They have 22 players in pro football's Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and more will follow after newer players become eligible.
The Baltimore Ravens are also on course to add to their two Super Bowl titles this season, which will make them the most successful NFL team with a bird as its logo.
There are only two teams in the NHL who have birds in their names -- the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Anaheim Ducks. The Penguins have been around since 1967, and they have lifted the Stanley Cup five times.
The Anaheim Ducks, set up in 1993 by Disney after the movie "The Mighty Ducks," which was released the previous year, dropped the "Mighty" part of their name at the end of the 2005-06 season.
They could have kept it, however, because the Ducks won their one and only Stanley Cup the following season. This season looks to be a seventh successive campaign without making the playoffs.
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