Why was the name of the Boston Americans changed to Red Sox?

Answer 1

The Boston Red Sox were known as the Boston Americans at the time of the American League becoming a part of Major League Baseball in 1901. The Chicago White Stockings were ALSO one of the original American League teams. The White Stockings won the very first A.L. Pennant and local sports writers and fans immediately began calling them the White Sox, though the organization didn't OFFICIALLY adopt the name change from White Stockings to White Sox until 1904...The Boston Americans didn't become the Boston Red Sox until 1908. Four years AFTER the White Sox.

The Boston RedSox have never been known as the RedStockings. They were the Sommersets from 1901-1902 and the Pilgrims from 1903-1906 and then the RedSox in 1907-present. The Boston RedStockings played in the National Association from 1871-1875.

The Red Stockings did not become the Red Sox. They eventually became the Atlanta Braves because they were in the National League. Here's what happened: The original professional baseball team was the Cincinnati Red Stockings. They played amateur teams in the around 1869-1870. In 1871 the first major league - called the National Association - was formed. Boston Businessman/Visionary Ivers Whitney Adams founded, organized and became President of the Boston Base Ball Club, the Boston Red Stockings. He brought in manager Harry Wright from the Cincinnati Reds when their team folded in 1970, and as a result, the best of the Cincinnati team moved with Harry to Boston to became the Boston Red Stockings. Five years later, in 1876, the National League as we now know it was formed and the Boston Red Stockings were a charter team. In the 1880's they changed their name to the Beaneaters. Later they changed it to the Doves, then the Boston Braves. In 1953 the Boston Braves moved to Milwaukee. In 1966 they moved again to Atlanta, where they remain today. So where did the Red Sox come into it? When the American League began in 1901 Boston was a charter team. Because Boston already had a National League team, the Boston Braves, the American League team called itself the Americans. A couple of years later they used Somersets and Pilgrims as nicknames. In 1908 the National League Boston Braves changed their uniforms. The new ones had blue socks instead of the red ones they'd worn since 1871. SO... the American League team decided to switch to red socks and take their nickname from the original 1871 National Association Boston Red Stockings, but then modernized it as Red Sox.

A side note: There was another league in the 1880's called the American Association, and the Boston team in that league called itself the Boston Reds. A different team altogether.

Boston has had Major League Baseball continuously since 1871...longer than any other city. Boston's own, Iver Whitney Adams, founded Baseball in Boston.

Answer 2

The Red Sox were started when Charles Somers moved his Buffalo team to Boston. -----
The Boston Red Sox were a charter team in the American League when it was founded in 1901. No team was moved from Buffalo to become the Red Sox, or the Americans as they were known as in 1901.

Answer 3

When the Boston Doves (now Atlanta Braves) abandoned using red stockings in 1907, Boston ownership adopted the name Red Stockings as the first official team name. It was shortened to Red Sox in 1910 when it became apparent that "Stockings Win!" was too big to fit in newspaper headlines. By the way, the Doves switched back to red stockings in 1908.

Answer 4

For years many sources have listed the early Boston AL team as the "Pilgrims", but researcher Bill Nowlin has demonstrated that the name was barely used, if at all, at the time. The name Red Sox, chosen by owner John I. Taylor after the 1907 season, refers to the red hose in the team uniform beginning 1908. Actually, Sox was adopted by newspapers needing a headline-friendly form of Stockings, as "Stockings Win!" in large type would not fit on a page. The Spanish language media sometimes refers to the team as Medias Rojas for Red Stockings. The name originated with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, 1867-1870 member of the pioneering National Association of Base Ball Players. Managed by Harry Wright, Cincinnati adopted a uniform with white knickers and red stockings, and earned the famous nickname, a year or two before hiring the first fully professional team in 1869. When the club folded after the 1870 season, Wright was hired to organize a new team in Boston, and he did, bringing three teammates and the "Red Stockings" nickname along (Most nicknames were then only nicknames, neither club names nor registered trademarks, so the migration was informal). The Boston Red Stockings won four championships in the five seasons of the new National Association, the first professional league. The success of the two teams in Cincinnati and Boston gave "Red Stockings" and other "Red" nicknames some historical and profitable grounding there and probably grounded other "Stockings" nicknames in other cities. Boston and a new Cincinnati club were charter members of the National League in 1876. Perhaps in deference to the Cincinnati history, many people reserved the "Red Stockings" nickname for that city with the Boston team commonly referred to as the "Red Caps" today. Other names were sometimes used before Boston officially adopted the nickname "Braves" in 1912; that club is now based in Atlanta. In 1901, the upstart American League established a competing club in Boston. For seven seasons, the AL team wore dark blue stockings and had no official nickname. They were simply "Boston", "Bostonians" or "the Bostons"; or the "Americans" or "Boston Americans" as in "American Leaguers", Boston being a two-team city. Their 1901-1907 jerseys, both home and road, simply read "Boston", except for 1902 when they sported large letters "B" and "A" denoting "Boston" and "American." Newspaper writers of the time used other nicknames for the club, including "Somersets" (for owner Charles Somers), "Plymouth Rocks," "Beaneaters," and the "Collinsites" (for manager Jimmy Collins)" The National League club, though seldom called the "Red Stockings" anymore, still wore red trim. In 1907, the National League club adopted an all-white uniform, and the American League team saw an opportunity. On December 18, 1907, Taylor announced that the club had officially adopted red as its new team color. The 1908 uniforms featured a large icon of a red stocking angling across the shirt front. For 1908, the National League club returned to wearing red trim, but the American League team finally had an official nickname, and would remain "The Red Sox" for good. The name is often shortened to "Bosox" or "BoSox," a combination of "Boston" and "Sox" (as opposed to the "ChiSox"). Sportswriters sometimes refer to them as the Crimson Hose, and the Olde Towne Team. However, most fans simply refer to the team as the "Sox" when the context is understood to mean Red Sox. (From Wikipedia).

Answer 5

For years many sources have listed the early Boston AL team as the "Pilgrims", but researcher Bill Nowlin has demonstrated that the name was barely used, if at all, at the time. The name Red Sox, chosen by owner John I. Taylor after the 1907 season, refers to the red hose in the team uniform beginning 1908. Actually, Sox was adopted by newspapers needing a headline-friendly form of Stockings, as "Stockings Win!" in large type would not fit on a page. The Spanish language media sometimes refers to the team as Medias Rojas for Red Stockings. The name originated with the Cincinnati Red Stockings, 1867-1870 member of the pioneering National Association of Base Ball Players. Managed by Harry Wright, Cincinnati adopted a uniform with white knickers and red stockings, and earned the famous nickname, a year or two before hiring the first fully professional team in 1869. When the club folded after the 1870 season, Wright was hired to organize a new team in Boston, and he did, bringing three teammates and the "Red Stockings" nickname along (Most nicknames were then only nicknames, neither club names nor registered trademarks, so the migration was informal). The Boston Red Stockings won four championships in the five seasons of the new National Association, the first professional league. The success of the two teams in Cincinnati and Boston gave "Red Stockings" and other "Red" nicknames some historical and profitable grounding there and probably grounded other "Stockings" nicknames in other cities. Boston and a new Cincinnati club were charter members of the National League in 1876. Perhaps in deference to the Cincinnati history, many people reserved the "Red Stockings" nickname for that city with the Boston team commonly referred to as the "Red Caps" today. Other names were sometimes used before Boston officially adopted the nickname "Braves" in 1912; that club is now based in Atlanta. In 1901, the upstart American League established a competing club in Boston. For seven seasons, the AL team wore dark blue stockings and had no official nickname. They were simply "Boston", "Bostonians" or "the Bostons"; or the "Americans" or "Boston Americans" as in "American Leaguers", Boston being a two-team city. Their 1901-1907 jerseys, both home and road, simply read "Boston", except for 1902 when they sported large letters "B" and "A" denoting "Boston" and "American." Newspaper writers of the time used other nicknames for the club, including "Somersets" (for owner Charles Somers), "Plymouth Rocks," "Beaneaters," and the "Collinsites" (for manager Jimmy Collins)" The National League club, though seldom called the "Red Stockings" anymore, still wore red trim. In 1907, the National League club adopted an all-white uniform, and the American League team saw an opportunity. On December 18, 1907, Taylor announced that the club had officially adopted red as its new team color. The 1908 uniforms featured a large icon of a red stocking angling across the shirt front. For 1908, the National League club returned to wearing red trim, but the American League team finally had an official nickname, and would remain "The Red Sox" for good. The name is often shortened to "Bosox" or "BoSox," a combination of "Boston" and "Sox" (as opposed to the "ChiSox"). Sportswriters sometimes refer to them as the Crimson Hose, and the Olde Towne Team. However, most fans simply refer to the team as the "Sox" when the context is understood to mean Red Sox. (From Wikipedia)

Answer 6

Over the years the Boston American League team has had several nicknames:

Boston Red Sox (1907-2003)

Boston Pilgrims (1903-1906)

Boston Somersets (1902)

Boston Americans (1901)

The name Red Sox simply evolved over the years as new team owners and

Baseball writers would attached nicknames to the team in hopes one name

would catch on.

The Red Sox were actually called the Red Stockings for a while but sports

writers shortened it to Sox (then a generally accepted alternate spelling

of the word: socks).

The name Red Stockings came from a old National Association baseball team:

the Boston Red Stockings. They played from 1871-1875. Red Stockings had

been a popular nickname and kind of got resurrected by the Boston American

League club in 1907.

Other teams in the old National Association include the Chicago White

Stockings, the St. Louis Red Stockings, the St. Louis Brown Stockings, and

the Philadelphia White Stockings.

Apparently, nicknaming your team after the color of your socks was a very

common practice back then.

Answer 7

In December of 1907, Tne National League Boston Braves team changed their socks color from a dull red to blue. The Americans of the American League took on the color for their team (although changed it to a bright red) and also changed the name from the Americans to the Red Sox.

Answer 8

Red Sox became the team's official nickname starting with the 1908 season.

Answer 9

1901 as the Boston Americans, then changed to the Red Sox in 1908.