Determiners,definite article

[sofiab]

Which is correct?
The Orlando Magic lost five times or Orlando Magic lost five times. In my class, the instructor told us that it should have "the". I answered that it is a zero article since Orlando Magic already is already restrictive and specific.

[pyoung]

Which is correct?
The Orlando Magic lost five times or Orlando Magic lost five times. In my class, the instructor told us that it should have "the". I answered that it is a zero article since Orlando Magic already is already restrictive and specific.

The Red Sox won the World Series.
The '49's were a great team in the 80's.

However,

Manchester United traded its star player.
Real Madrid is a football powerhouse.

So, the generalization I draw from this is that US teams take the definite article while international football teams don't.

Why? I have no idea!

Best wishes,

Petra