Turning words into profit is a new-found industry in sports

What’s with athletes trying to trademark catchphrases and nicknames lately?

It’s not unusual to see them trademark their appearance on clothing, but there are some sports stars who want to turn a group of words into cash in their wallet.

Johnny Gaudreau, left wing for the Calgary Flames, filed a trademark for “Johnny Hockey,” in both the United States and Canada. Gaudreau follows in the footsteps of popular athletes such as Cleveland Cavilers’ LeBron James, also known as King James; Los Angeles Lakers’ Jeremy Lin, whose nickname is Linsanity and Miami Heat’s Chris Andersen, known as Birdman.

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