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EL Eastern League

Weekly Sports League and Franchise Report

by Dan Krieger
February 24, 2025 - Eastern League (EL)


BASEBALL

Empire Baseball League: The independent developmental EBL announced the addition of a new travel-only team called the Los Angeles Bullies will be added for the upcoming 2025 season. The Bullies will join the league's four upper New York State teams that are returning from last season. The EBL has used travel-only teams in the past with the Road City Explorers (2015 and 2017), the Puerto Rico Islanders (2017) and the Japan Islanders (2022 and 2023).

Eastern League: The Manchester-based New Hampshire Fisher Cats of the Double-A Eastern League will play three games during the 2025 season as the New Hampshire Space Potatoes, which is a combined tribute to the white potato as the state's official vegetable and to the 1961 story of a local alien abduction. As part of an "Only in Akron" series, the league's Akron RubberDucks will play a game in 2025 as the Akron Cheese Salads to honor an obscure local food specialty.

International League: The Triple-A International League's Toledo Mud Hens will play six games during the 2025 season as the Toledo Mud Crawlers to pay tribute to the cities more than 80-year history in the production of Jeep vehicles. The league's Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp will play as the Jacksonville Honey Drippers for games on two weekends in the 2025 season to honor a local summertime frozen treat known as the Honey Dripper. The league's Durham (NC) Bulls will play a game in the 2025 season as the Durham Black Sox to honor the Negro Leagues and a former Negro League team by that name.

South Atlantic League: The Winston-Salem (NC) Dash of the High-A SAL will be rebranded as the Winston-Salem Hooch for one game in June of the 2025 season to pay homage to the city's legendary roots in stock car racing and a connection to bootlegging during Prohibition.

Mid-America League: The Abilene (TX) Flying Bison of the independent developmental MAL will play Thursday home games during the 2025 season as the Abilene Prairie Dogs, which was the name of two former independent baseball teams that played five seasons (1995-99) in the Texas-Louisiana League and one season (2012) in the North American League.

BASKETBALL

East Coast Basketball League: The men's semi-pro ECBL started its 2025 season last weekend with 17 teams each playing between 12 to 15 games through June 1, 2025. The Eastern Conference has a four-team Southeast Division and a four-team Southwest Division, while the Western Conference has a five-team Northeast Division and a four-team Northwest Division. Of the 17 teams that completed the 2024 season, four teams called the Charlotte Tribe, South Carolina Upstate Redhawks (Greenville, SC), Carolina Chosen Lions (Rocky Mount, NC) and North Carolina Capitals (Wake Forest) did not return. Four new teams for 2025 include the Goldsboro (NC) Wings, the Park City Dreamers (Manassas, VA), the Charlotte-based Queen City Vipers, which were the ECBL's former 2022 and 2023 team called the Bishopville (SC) Devils, and the returning Philly Raiders, which previously played three seasons (2021-23) in the ECBL.

Women's National Basketball Association: A group of investors has expressed interest in bringing a future WNBA team to Boston either through expansion or acquisition of a current team. One potential target for Boston is the WNBA's current Connecticut Sun team that is based 100 miles south at the Mohegan Tribe's casino complex in Uncasville. The Sun played a sold-out regular season game in Boston last season and another Sun's game in Boston is scheduled for 2024. The Mohegan Tribe has stated it has no interest in moving the Sun. The Boston group has not yet applied for an expansion team.

FOOTBALL

Arena Football One: After the loss of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (PA) Mavericks team last week, the new AF1 has posted a revised 2025 season schedule for 10 teams that will play 10 to 12 games from March 8 through June 15, 2025. The teams are currently aligned in a three-team East, a three-team Central, and a four-team West.

Entertainment Football Association: The proposed new 7-on-7 ENTFLA indoor football league announced its team based on Long Island (NY) will be called the New York Dragons when the league starts the inaugural season in June 2025 with four teams. A former Long Island-based indoor football team called the New York Dragons played eight seasons (2001-08) in the original version of the Arena Football League that folded after the 2008 season. The other first-season ENTFLA teams are the Danbury (CT) Diesel, New Jersey Ciphers (Morristown) and Fitchburg (MA) Heroes.

Indoor Football League: As part of a promotion with the University of North Florida, which does not have a football program and whose mascot is the osprey, the IFL's Jacksonville Sharks will become the North Florida Ospreys for a game billed as the school's first football game in April of the 2025 season.

HOCKEY

American Hockey League: The AHL's Charlotte Checkers played a game as the Charlotte River Rats this weekend as part of a "What If? Night" promotion. The AHL's Albany (NY) River Rats team was sold after the 2009-10 season and relocated to become the Charlotte Checkers, which replaced an ECHL team called the Charlotte Checkers that had been part of the ECHL since the 1993-94 season.

National Hockey League: The NHL was reported to have met with a group interested in bringing a future NHL expansion team to New Orleans. The NHL has not yet set a timeline for expansion but Atlanta and Houston appear to be the front runners, if the league decides to expand. In addition to the NHL's possible return to Phoenix in the future, other markets reported to be interested in an NHL team are Quebec City, Cincinnati, Kansas City and Omaha.

SOCCER

Major League Soccer: The men's Division-I professional MLS started its 30th season this week with 30 teams aligned in 15-team Eastern and Western conferences and each team playing a 34-game regular-season schedule through October 5, 2025. All 29 teams have returned from last season and the league added its 30th team called the San Diego FC to the Western Conference. The MLS will take a break for the FIFA World Cup (June 15-24) and MLS teams will participate in the Leagues Cup (July 29-August 1) tournament with teams from Mexico's Liga MX.

National Women's Soccer League: The Division-I professional NWSL's new Denver franchise, which is expected to start playing in 2026 as the league's 16th team, posted six potential team names for fan voting through February 26, 2025. The six names are the Denver Peak FC, Colorado 14ers FC, Colorado Summit FC, Denver Elevate FC, Denver FC and Denver Gold FC. Other write-in names will also be considered. The ownership of the NWSL's previously announced 15th team called the BOS Nation FC, which is also expected to start playing in 2026 at a renovated White Stadium, has placed $25 million into a construction account so demolition and renovation can move forward on the team's future home.

Northern Super League: Canada's proposed new six-team women's professional NSL announced its inaugural 2025 season will feature each team playing a 25-game schedule from April 16 through October 18, 2025. The NSL teams include the AFC Toronto, Calgary Wild FC, Halifax Tides FC, Montreal Roses FC (Roses FC), Ottawa Rapid FC and Vancouver Rise FC.

USL League One (United Soccer League): The USL announced the Sarasota Paradise (Lakewood Ranch, FL), which has been part of the men's pre-professional USL League Two since the 2023 season, will become a professional team and move up to the Division-III USL League One starting with the 2026 season. The team will play the 2025 season as part of the USL League Two.

OTHER

Premier Ultimate League: The women's professional PUL ultimate frisbee league recently announced its 2025 season schedule will feature 11 teams and each team will play 6 games from April 5 through June 8, 2025. The PUL had 11 teams last season, but the Portland (ME) Rising will not return and the league added the Los Angeles Astra team, which previously played four seasons (2020-23) in the women's Western Ultimate League and came under new ownership before moving to the PUL.

Western Ultimate League: The women's professional WUL ultimate frisbee league recently announced its 2025 season schedule will feature seven teams and each team will play six games from March 22 through May 18, 2025. All six teams from last season will return along with a new team called the Oregon Soar (Portland).

Dan Krieger is the creator of the Weekly Sports League & Franchise Report, which has been tracking the changes in the sports world's leagues, teams, and nicknames since April 2007.

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