Call of Duty League’s New York Subliners deny “Pizza Rat” name rumors

Theo Salaun
call of duty league new york subliners pizza rats

In just two years of existence, the Call of Duty League has had a ton of naming and ownership discussions. But the New York Subliners clarified that no, they do not actually want to be called the Pizza Rats.

It’s not every day that you get to talk about New York rodents and their affinity for cheese and marinara sauce. But it’s the CDL offseason and that means that no content stone can go unturned.

While people wonder about the rumored Washington team’s potential team name (the Demon Cats?), the Subliners have set their own record straight.

Former Subliners pros, Tommy ‘ZooMaa’ Paparatto and Dillon ‘Attach’ Price, seemed to suggest that NYSL initially considered “Pizza Rats” for their team name. In response, co-founder Farzam Kamel has shut the speculation down.

New York Subliners were never going to be the New York Pizza Rats

Kamel had a simple rebuttal to the rumored cheesy rodent name: “You guys are faded.”

And it’s easy to see why, as the replies included concern from current player (and presumed team captain) James ‘Clayster’ Eubanks. As Clayster jokingly expressed, “if it was the Pizza Rats, I wouldn’t have joined.”

New York Pizza Rats CDL alt jerseys?

Still, others are kind of into the team name. As we poked fun at the idea of Pizza Rat alternative jerseys, another user — ‘Jake Patterson’ — responded in agreement. 

The Pizza Rat mythology in New York is well-documented, so it’s easy to understand why people could get behind the concept. At the very least, it could work for an alt jersey even if it’s not the default branding.

For what it’s worth, NYSL’s navy and yellow branding is considered by many to be among the CDL’s best. But the rumors have lit the fire for another potential colorway: grey, yellow, and red.

About The Author

Théo is a former writer at Dexerto based in New York and built on competition. Formerly an editor for Bleacher Report and philosophy student at McGill, he fell in love with Overwatch and Call of Duty — leading him to focus on esports for Dex.