One of the biggest Titans rebrand changes has NFL fans missing the point on why the team is called the Titans in the first place

No, the Titans shouldn’t consider changing their name.

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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The Tennessee Titans are unveiling new jerseys and a new logo ahead of the 2026 NFL season. If this is brand new information to you, I highly recommend reading the report at this link first.

The conversation surrounding this rumor-turned-report has gotten louder by the day since the offseason began for Tennessee. Following the accidental leak of the new logo by fanatics.com and the report confirming it as the new logo along with additional redesign information, that conversation has reached a fever pitch. Everybody is chiming in on the new look on social media.

And one very common question is a simple one: why even call them the Titans anymore?

Why it the Titans’ team name still makes complete sense

The new logo is a lot like the Titans new coaching staff: bald. It’s a similar structure to the old logo, minus the flames. Part of my report was that this rebrand was going to take a step back from the Greek Mythological imagery such as swords, and towards the vibes of the “Luv Ya, Blue” era of the franchise’s history as the Oilers.

The Titans put the Oilers throwbacks on the shelf a year ago as a transitional step towards their new look, which ultimately merges the Titans and Oilers look into one. The new logo leans into the Oilers color scheme, and the jerseys will too.

So why not just change the team name at this point?

This is a question I’ve seen from plenty of people on X and Reddit today. Why not just go back to the Oilers name too? I’ve seen arguments that they might as well, since this rebrand is apparently removing all of the iconography that connects the team to their ancient Greek roots. The Titans were mythological deities who ruled the cosmos before the gods of Olympus. The Titans of Tennessee were meant to be emblematic of those fearsome characters, and now what connection to them do they have?

The answer to that question is the city in which they reside. Folks who don’t live in Nashville may not realize that it’s known as “the Athens of the South”. And even if you knew that, you may not know the full story behind it. This nickname dates back to the 19th century. It’s a nod to the city’s rich history of higher education and learning, which of course mirrors ancient Athens’ reputation for being a center of philosophy and knowledge.

Nashville was one of the first southern cities to set up a public school system. It was the home to an unusual concentration of newly founded universities, most of which still operate today. By the end of the 1800’s, history books were remembering Nashville as more refined, cultured, and intellectually progressive than much of the surrounding region.

This nickname was cemented in a way (quite literally) with the creation of one of Nashville’s most iconic features: The Parthenon. During the Tennessee Centennial Exposition in 1897, organizers leaned into the city’s nickname by building a full-scale replica of the Parthenon in Athens, Greece as the exposition’s fine arts building. The original structure was temporary, but was such a big hit that it wasn’t taken down afterwards and was rebuilt permanently in the 1920’s. Over 100 years later, it’s still the centerpiece of Centennial Park here and is a museum and multipurpose venue throughout the year.

When owner Bud Adams picked up his team and moved to Tennessee near the turn of the century, they didn’t just pick a name that sounded cool. They picked one that was a nod to Nashville’s history and pride. So while it’s not hard to understand some people’s desire to change the name back now that the color scheme of the Titans is pivoting back towards that of the Oilers, it just doesn’t make much sense to do so when you look at the facts.

I’ve been digging in my backyard for 26 years and haven’t found one drop of oil! But I know why the professional football team in Nashville is known as the Titans, even if they don’t have as many flames and swords in their marketing materials anymore.

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