def clean_team_name(team_names):
    """Take a list of team_names, modify the names to match the format specified in br_references, and return a new list

    Args:
        team_names: a list of team_names to be checked for validity, and if needed, modified
    """
    new_team_names = []
    for team in team_names:
        new_team_names.append(''.join(a for a in team if a.isalpha() or a.isspace() or a.isdigit()).upper())
    return new_team_names