*A sad goodbye and a new era

AW13 · (This post was last modified: 06-20-2019, 12:10 PM by AW13.)

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I had been waiting to write and post something like this for about a week now and even though I thought about it and what I was going to write, I still can't seem to exactly know what I am going to write, so first and foremost...

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I feel like it was necessary to do at least something, cause that is what this team is, a family, and it is something I want to keep strong and true as the next GM of the Sabercats.

@ckroyal92 you put so much hard work into running this team and really were able to make this your own team and have the Sabercats legacy always be connected to you. Sure, a lot of people love to point out that this team was cursed for 13 seasons, not being able to grab a single playoff win, but that did not make you hide away or give up, I respect that a ton. When I first signed up to be co-GM of San Jose, I had not known what I was doing, or what I was getting into but the spot was open and I took the opportunity to work with someone I had previously had interactions with in the PBE to help build a winning team in San Jose. It was tough, but people noticed all the young talent that this team was acquiring, people noticed that San Jose became a good team, people noticed that we were not going to be a team that just competes for one year, people noticed the hard work. Together, we became only the second GM and co-GM pairing to ever win the GM of the year award more than once and you have 2 of those awards to your name, more than many GMs in the history of the NSFL, that is nothing to overlook. We went from having no playoff wins in the history of the franchise, to 3 in the final couple of seasons, including that ever so beautiful S14 Ultimus trophy for being the NSFL Champions, beating the Philadelphia Liberty in the Season 14 Ultimus game! That was a special moment, I remember when I was driving to Salt Lake that day to go to a Jazz game and had to pull over to watch it and hop in the voice chat for everyone so excited that we finally did it. It is moments like that, that make the NSFL, and sim leagues in general, worth it.

So, that was a long rambling, but it was justified. I will always give you crap about PBE, it is what I do, so hopefully you won't be too offended. Hopefully Trey Staley has a long career and is a cat for life because while you are not the GM anymore, you are still very much part of this team. So, from myself and the rest of the San Jose team, thank you @ckroyal92.

So...where do we go from here...?

How in the world do I follow that? How do I follow that kind of tenure?

The answer is...I don't, I can't.

Yes, I technically have the Ultimus titles to my name as well, but all I brought to the table was talking to Daybe, trading for Davenport, and testing and installing the spread offense, which all helped in their own ways, but it was CK at the helm doing most stuff for the franchise. I will definitely still be relying on CK at the beginning of my GM career while the transition takes place and I know that he will be a valuable resource to have still with the Cats.

Now, this is a part that will scare a lot of people, and maybe it won't even happen but I'd like to think that I have good reasons for doing this.

A PARTIAL REBRANDING OF THE SABERCATS!

A partial rebranding of the sabercats!?

Yeah.

Here are my reasons.

1) What CK did for the team and making SJS his, is nothing to just overlook. When you think of the name SJS, you think of a team run by CKRoyal and hopefully always will. I want the whole SJS thing to be forever tied with him, the tough times, and the great times because he put a ton of work in no matter if the team was 1-13 or Ultimus Champions. SJS should die with CK's GM tenure, hands down. For this reason, our new stadium, if approved, will have our field named "Chaos Field" at [Insert Stadium Name Here] to recognize Professor Chaos (CK's GM persona).

2) Why a partial rebranding? Well, the branding is great and recognizable to many in the NSFL, the Sabercats are an institution in the league and we will not be planning on changing the team's nickname of Sabercats, and we will not be making drastic moves in terms of changing our logo.

3) This will be a chance to usher in a new era of Cats' football and hopefully the next 15 seasons can be as successful or more successful under that new era, under myself and my next co-GM that should be named sometime soon. It will give a fresh look to a team that has existed since the dawn of time and while we will always have our team history, we will have a somewhat new identity. It is a chance for all Sabercats, young or old, to come together and kick off the Post-CK era with a winning strategy and mindset.

So, the idea...

It is quite simple. The people of Oakland lost the Raiders in the NFL assuming the NFL exists in the NSFL world, and they are some of the most ravenous and supportive fans in the entire country. While the move from San Jose to Oakland is just a 40-mile venture and Oakland has a smaller population than greater San Jose, it will allow the San Jose fans to still have the team local, while also making things easier for fans in San Francisco (Just a 12 mile drive into Oakland opposed to 55 to San Jose) to enjoy a more local team. Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose can all come together to support their local team in the city of Oakland!

The branding is quite simple, keep the Sabercats' name, move to Oakland, and change the color scheme a bit and the acronym in the logo. It is not a difficult rebranding, but one that signifies a new era of Sabercats' football.

Big thank you to a San Jose legend @tlk742 for the logo.

I give you...the proposal for The Oakland Sabercats.

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