In sports, a revival of a sports team is the naming of a new franchise or club in a sports league after a defunct franchise or club in a possibly defunct league.
Sports teams names or nicknames are copyrighted in North America and elsewhere. Therefore, permission often must be granted from the owner or family of the defunct team.
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Milwaukee Brewers are named after an earlier club, which relocated to St. Louis, Missouri and eventually became the Baltimore Orioles, and a minor-league club named the Brewers.
Baltimore Orioles are named after an earlier club, which relocated to New York, New York and became the New York Yankees
Washington Nationals are named after an earlier club, which relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota and became the Minnesota Twins
The Ottawa Senators ice hockey team is named after an earlier Senators ice hockey team. Originally founded in 1883, the team was a member of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1917–1934. After the 1933-34 season, the NHL franchise relocated to St. Louis, Missouri. The Ottawa Senators continued as a senior amateur, and later a professional, team until 1954. The founders of the current franchise received permission from the descendents of Tommy Gorman, who owned the Senators in 1954, to use the name.
In 2011, the Atlanta Thrashers were sold and relocated to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where the team was renamed the Winnipeg Jets. The 'original' Winnipeg Jets team existed from 1972-1996 until it moved to Phoenix in 1996 to become the Phoenix Coyotes. The Jets' team name and trademarks had reverted to the possession of the NHL after the move, although the franchise history (retired jerseys, team statistics) is continued by the Coyotes.
The Cleveland Browns were a professional football team from 1946 until owner Art Modell moved the club to Baltimore in 1995. However, in a deal with the NFL and the City of Cleveland, the team was declared inactive for 3 years until a new expansion club, under the old name and colors, was established in 1999.
The Montreal Alouettes are named after an earlier franchise which became defunct in 1981. The Baltimore Stallions relocated to Montreal after playing Baltimore from 1994 until 1996.