London Rippers

The choice of the name and mascot proved controversial with some, as it was felt to represent Jack the Ripper. Megan Walker, director of a local London Abused Women's Center stated that "People are outraged. I think it's appalling. It's insulting and stupid and they better rethink their entire marketing strategy". Mayor Joe Fontana seemed uneasy about the team name but stated there is little the council can do to prevent the team from playing in Labatt Park, which is city owned. The name choice was defended by Rush Limbaugh, Rick Chandler of NBC Sports, Ryan Mahan of the State Journal-Register and comedian Adam Buckley, briefly the team's PA announcer in 2012, who supported the logo as well as the name. ==2012 season==

The London Rippers opened their season against the Southern Illinois Miners. After a 1–5 start on their first road trip, London played their first game at Labatt Memorial Park on May 25, 2012 against the Gateway Grizzlies, winning 4–3. ==Eviction and folding==

On July 18, 2012, an eviction notice was posted on the door of the London Rippers' Team Store in Market Tower, which was later attributed to their failure to pay rent. This led to the Frontier League stepping in to work with owner Othman Kadry and widespread speculation that the team's future was in jeopardy. Six days later, on July 24, 2012, it was first announced that the team would play the remainder of their season on the road, but was announced later in the day that the team would be folding altogether. ==References==