The A's hit embarrassing trademark speed bump ahead of Las Vegas move

The Athletics are still looking at another season in Sacramento as they go forward with their eventual move to Las Vegas. But the actual team name might not be as straightforward as the A's would have thought.

According to Front Office Sports, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has denied the Athletics' attempt to secure trademarks for the "Las Vegas Athletics" and the "Vegas Athletics."

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Those denials apparently came on the grounds that the term "Athletics" was too broad, and the USPTO doesn't take into account that the Athletics held trademarks for their names in previous cities.

So, as it stands, the Athletics are in limbo with their team name in Vegas.

Now, I would expect MLB to get involved and resolve this for the A's. But at least for now, it's another embarrassment for a franchise that has abandoned its fan base in Oakland and alienated a temporary fan base in Sacramento.

Of course, this could have been avoided by just staying in Oakland, but we'll have to see how the A's sort out these trademark hurdles without a complete rebrand.

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This article originally appeared on For The Win: A's hit embarrassing trademark speed bump ahead of Las Vegas move