Houston Comets – The WNBA’s 2027 Houston plan to revive the Comets name may be delayed or reshaped after a separate company filed a competing trademark application.
The WNBA’s plan to bring the Connecticut Sun back to Houston in 2027—and revive the historic Comets identity—has hit an unexpected roadblock on the branding front.
Right now, the biggest uncertainty isn’t basketball operations. It’s a trademark dispute over the “Comets” name, with the WNBA’s path to using that brand potentially complicated by a filing from a Delaware-based company.
Trademark filings cloud the Comets name
When the WNBA later attempted to secure the same branding early in 2025. it reportedly discovered another party had already moved first.. The league then filed a notice of opposition a few months later—turning what could have been a straightforward branding step into a legal and administrative process.
Why the Houston plan still matters to fans
That matters because sports branding is rarely just cosmetic.. Team names carry history. fan memory. and identity—especially in a league like the WNBA where local investment and storytelling help build momentum.. For supporters in Houston. “Comets” is a shorthand for a specific era of WNBA history. not just a word on a jersey.
The Comets history raises the stakes
Reintroducing the name, then, is about more than nostalgia. It’s also a branding strategy—one that can help the relocated franchise generate immediate emotional buy-in rather than starting from scratch in a new market chapter.
But if the trademark process drags on, the league could face pressure to make decisions on timing, merchandise, and public messaging. Even a temporary delay could affect how soon fans see the Comets identity fully integrated into the team’s rollout.
What comes next: timing and branding scenarios
Still, the practical reality is that branding decisions often require a certain degree of certainty.. Leagues and ownership groups plan release schedules—jersey drops, ticketing packages, sponsorship activations, and social media campaigns—around predictable timelines.. A trademark dispute can force those plans into contingency mode.
From the fan perspective, that could mean a slower or less confident build-up of the Comets identity, even if the team on the court is effectively ready for the 2027 shift.
A broader lesson in modern sports IP
In other words, reviving history in sports isn’t only about decisions made on the court or in the arena. It’s also about protecting the symbols fans attach to—names, logos, and narratives—before competing interests lock them behind legal processes.
For Houston, the relocation deal may be progressing, but the “Comets” label now carries an asterisk until the trademark question is settled. The basketball story is scheduled for 2027; the branding story could become a longer subplot.