Did you know that North Sydney's distinctive red and black hoops on its jerseys earned the team the politically incorrect moniker of 'The Bloodstained Niggers' in the early days?
They became known as 'The Shoremen' (which is the same of their rugby union team). My father was a NS supporters and he told me that they then became the North Sydney Kangaroos, but I have been unable to verify this. I know they had a lot of Australian representative players in the 1920s.
What is indisputable is that in the 1950's they changed their name to The Bears as part of a sponsorship arrangement with the 'Big Bear Supermarket' which is still operating at Neutral Bay, albeit in a much reduced capacity from the original concept.