The NBA (National Basketball Association) is a league that many aspiring basketball players dream of playing in one day. The league itself houses 30 basketball teams, from the Los Angeles Lakers to the Golden State Warriors. Each of these 30 teams fights to win the National Basketball Association title. A winning team is naturally one with great players, excellent management, and a considerable amount of investors and sponsors. However, if you go one layer deeper, you will see that what makes the difference at this high level of play is team spirit. The kit and emblem that players wear day in and day out —the one for which they fight tooth and nail to defend their team name, and that they spend hours training for —are the logos they proudly wear on their chests. It is said that there is only one NBA team that has never changed its logo: the Chicago Bulls.
The History Behind the Chicago Bulls Logo
The Chicago Bulls have an aptly matching logo, namely the face and horns of a bull. The logo was reportedly created by designer Dean Wessel. He made the design for his friend, Dick Klein, who was the founder and first owner of the franchise. Of course, the story cannot be confirmed, but the name 'Bulls' came to Dick Klein when he was coming up with some names for the franchise, and his son responded something along the lines of 'Dad, all your ideas are bull.' And thus, the Chicago Bulls were born. Klein and Wessel had children of the same age and taught Little League together. When Klein needed a sketch done, he knew exactly who to call, his friend in the neighborhood, Wessel, who gave him two free tickets in exchange.
The logo was designed in 1966, and since then, the Chicago Bulls have been a formidable force in the basketball world. Take, for example, the 1990s NBA, where the Bulls attracted substantial betting attention from both inland and overseas betting sites. A significant surge in wagers marked the era of Michael Jordan as fans speculated on the team's awe-inspiring success. And, the team's six NBA championships during that period further fueled the betting fervour.
Just think, those gambling Bulls fans - from the '60s to the modern day - have seen the same Bull logo staring them down on their old television sets or modern mobile devices. That's not something you see or hear every day.
A Closer Look at the Famous Logo of the Bulls
To fully appreciate why the logo was never changed, you must take a step closer and see the story behind the logo. If you take a closer look, you will see that Klein was trying (and managed) to communicate a few simple yet effective messages in the design alone, and how he created key team spirit subconsciously.
The fact that the chosen animal is a bull reveals one major thing: the team was always meant to be a strong competitor who did not shy away from a fight. If you think of a bull, you think about strength, endurance, and power. This is exactly what the Chicago Bulls team wanted their competitors to think of their playing style. Or at least, that's what Klein's intention for the team was.
Then you move on the the mean expression of the bull, the slightly forward arched angle, which looks as though the bull is about to charge at any given moment, plus they turned down eyes, creases in the forward, angry angled eyebrows and perhaps even flared nostrils all offer insight in the teams style of play. What the team stands for is that they do not shy away from a fight, are competitive and filled with rage from the start, and are not a team to be messed with or undermined.
Now think about those large horns of the bull, showing that they're fully able to partake and most likely win a fight, should it ever come to it. In basketball, this means a fight for the win, conducted in the most sportsmanlike and professional manner, of course. Have you ever noticed that the tips of the horns are a distinctive red color? That was a direct request from Klein to Wessel and was meant to illustrate that the Chicago Bulls are always coming from a fight (which they naturally won, as there are no injuries on the face of the bull) and that the bull's angry expression is meant to show that they're ready for the next challenge, no questions asked.
Final Thoughts: The Importance of Team Spirit
One of the often-overlooked areas that makes great NBA teams exceptional is the team spirit they carry with them. This is the positive locker room talk the coach might encourage, the team dinner that they go on to ensure everyone feels involved, but it's mainly the hours they spend in matching outfits, fighting, and representing the team for which they proudly play. This team is made up of a motto, a mission, a name, and a logo. The logo ties it all together, as you can see from the above, the logo tells an entire story. The story of the Chicago Bulls is that they're mean, capable, never back down, and won't change for anybody, not even to suit the modern times of more elaborate logos. The Chicago Bulls come as they are and have been since 1966, with their first and only famous bull logo.
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