"Don't count your chickens before they hatch" - Annoying anonymous person
"Stop talking about chickens and count these rings" - Pat Riley, apparently
Yes, the Miami Heat president and architect cares not for superstition or jinxing or anonymous proverbs as his Heat chase their third consecutive NBA championship.
According to a ESPN's Darren Rovell Da Gawd himself, Riley has filed a trademark on the term "Three-Peat" in expectation of the Heat three-peating as champs.
From Rovell:
And although it's unknown whether Riley intends to license the phrase to companies making championship gear, the former coach seems to be thinking about it.
Records with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office reveal that, last Thursday, an attorney representing Riley's company, Riles & Co., filed a trademark to use the phrase "3-Peat" on "jewelry, namely rings and sports memorabilia."
Riley wouldn't have to file for a trademark if he had planned on putting "3-Peat" on the Heat's championship rings, should they win the title, but would want to protect his investment if there were discussions about selling rings at retail.
Riley is clearly nobody's fool, realizing there's a buck to be made off of just about everything.
This also isn't the first time Riley's dabbled in trademarking this phrase:
Riley first filed for "Three-Peat" at the start of the 1988-89 season, months after the Los Angeles Lakers won their second title. The Lakers fell to the Detroit Pistons the following year, but Riley cashed in in 1993, when the Bulls three-peated and did it again in 1998. The trademark was also used when the New York Yankees did it from 1998 to 2000, and the Lakers won three in a row from 2000 to '02.
Riley has continued to add to his "Three-Peat" empire over the years by registering the phrase in various versions, including "3Peat" and "ThreePeat." Meanwhile, the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office has protected the phrase by making initial rulings against filings by other individuals that refer to three-peat and the Heat such as "Heat3Peat" and "Big3Peat."
Don't get uptight about this, however, as Riley has said before he donates any proceeds from his trademarks to charity, perhaps realizing that if someone is going to make money off the phrase, he may as well ensure it goes to a good cause.