(1.School of Physical Education,South China Normal University,Guangzhou 510006,China;2. School of Physical Education,Zhaoqing University,Zhaoqing 526061,China) Abstract: Basing their theoretical bases on such disciplines as brandology and culturology, the authors studied the names of professional sports clubs at home and abroad, so as to provide reference for the naming of professional sports clubs in China, and revealed the following findings: professional sports clubs in China did not act based on brand naming principles in terms of name determination, their names are lacking in uniqueness, creativity, distinct-iveness and implications, which makes it difficult to carry on name culture; there was a lack of fan communication in the process of name determination; the fans’ sense of recognition of the teams was inadequate. The reasons were concluded as follows: cultural accumulation in club history development was inadequate; the degree of marketiza-tion was not high enough; management modes were overly privatized, the awareness of fan consolidation was insuf-ficient; the protection of club brand intangible assets was neglected. The authors offered the following suggestions: name determination should be carried out based on brand naming principles; the clubs should refer to brand naming processes, standardize name determination procedures, and strengthen fan communication; from the culture first perspective, the clubs should enhance the fans’ sense of recognition of respective club brands; related associations should strengthen team name construction management, and focus on intangible asset protection. Key words: sports management;brand;club name;club culture |