Ever wanted to name a university's mascot? Now's your chance!

[RealSNR]

The University of North Dakota got rid of the Fighting Sioux in 2012, and since that time, they have been simply "The University of North Dakota." No mascot. Fighting Sioux was beloved by the community of Grand Forks largely because of the tradition associated with it in the university's college hockey program, which has been historically and recently one of the top college hockey programs in the NCAA.

The university has finally assembled a committee to look through suggestions and recommend a new mascot to the president of the university. They just need the suggestions. That's where you come in. Simply click the link and fill out the online form: http://und.edu/nickname/

Here are the basic guidelines to consider (from the UND announcement):

Spoiler!

Online suggestions, which must be 25 characters or less (including any spaces), will be accepted from Wednesday, April 1 at 8 a.m. CDT to Thursday, April 30 at 11:59 p.m. CDT. All mail-in submissions must be postmarked no later than April 25.

The Nickname Committee will evaluate submissions based on a list of attributes that the group has developed:

• Be unique, recognizable, inspiring, and distinctly UND’s;
• Promote a sense of pride, strength, fierceness, and passion;
• Be representative of the state and region in a way that honors the traditions and heritage of the past but also looks to the future; and
• Be a unifying and rallying symbol.

Submissions are anonymous; individuals submitting suggestions will not be asked to provide their names. All nickname submissions are subject to North Dakota open records law. Individuals submitting nickname suggestions are not entitled to compensation or anything of value in exchange for the submission, and all submissions become the property of the University of North Dakota.

The Committee will accept suggestions for nicknames only. Drawings, designs, logos, art files, special characters, etc. will not be considered.

Nickname suggestions will be sent directly to PadillaCRT, a group that has national expertise in nickname development and that has been advising the Nickname Committee. Any nickname suggestions known to be trademarked and/or subject to third-party rights or uses may not be considered by the Committee.

Since I'm originally from Grand Forks, I have connections to people who are abuzz with this process. I can tell you that there are already some favorites being championed:

--Flickertails. This was the university's mascot prior to becoming the Fighting Sioux in the 1930s. Given the university's recent goals of expanding into a tier-one research university, it makes a lot of sense to go with rodentia like their counterparts in the Big 10 (gophers, badgers). North Dakota is also known as the Flickertail State.

--Roughriders. The safest bet. Nothing says North Dakota pride like references to Teddy Roosevelt. Would also still manage to piss off a few people, since Teddy Roosevelt probably killed a few Indians when he was out in the North Dakota Badlands. It largely boils down to whether or not the university is cool with proudly stating to people, "Yeah, you might think of condoms when you hear our name, but we're still going to beat you in hockey!"

--Pilots. UND's aviation research and development program is unanimously known as the best in the country. It's odd to pick a mascot based on the strength of an academic program, but eh... weirder things have happened.

--Green Meadowlarks. This one combines creativity with tradition and old-sounding college mascot nomenclature, but it's also kind of weird. The Western Meadowlark is the state bird of North Dakota, and green and white are the school's primary colors. A problem with this is that I believe the Western Meadowlark is also the state bird of like 20 other states. It's still better than Banana Slugs.

--Keep using no mascot. The most likely option, I think. It's the last method that UND fans have to tell the NCAA to go **** itself for making the university ditch Fighting Sioux. There's a rule in place that they can't have a racial mascot, but there is no rule that says the school has to have a mascot, just a nice little memo that says, "It would be really nice if your school had a mascot so we could maintain the entire aesthetic of the neighborhood. Smiley face." It would also make the university stand out and be truly unique.

But that doesn't mean you can't play a role in creating collegiate athletic history! So get in there!

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Dicky McElephant

Just make it simple. The North Dakota Plague.

The North Dakota AIDS. Have the mascot be a guy wearing a big fuzzy HIV virus costume.

[Beef Supreme]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Ooh, thats a good idea. If they had a wooly mammoth mascot, they'd probably sell lots of mammoth toys and trinkets with their name on it.

And headgear with tusks and 70's shag carpet.

Also, the obligatory "Mammoths will be offended. They were wiped out by humans."

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by alnorth

The North Dakota AIDS. Have the mascot be a guy wearing a big fuzzy HIV virus costume.

North Dakota Small Pox Blankets

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by BigChiefTablet

Seriously though, how is Fighting Sioux against the rules and Fighting Irish isn't?

Technically "Sioux" isn't the name of the tribe. If you went on a reservation and asked somebody if they were a member of the Sioux tribe, they would all say "no." Sioux was a shortened version of some Algonquin word that French fur traders in the 18th/19th century used as a derogatory term. I'm not sure if it actually means "snake" like the rumor is, but it's not good.

It's kind of a different situation from the Illini or the Seminoles, which are actual tribe names. The Fighting Lakota would have been the better comparison if UND had the hope of getting the reservations' approval to use the name.

[Mojo Jojo]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

Why are Orca never used as the mascot for sports teams? I think Killer Whales have to be the most underused animal mascot.

Also gorillas. And ocelots.

The Vancouver Canucks have an orca as a mascot.

[ptlyon]

That settles it. The North Dakota Fighting Fur Traders

[Eleazar]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Ooh, thats a good idea. If they had a wooly mammoth mascot, they'd probably sell lots of mammoth toys and trinkets with their name on it.

I like Mammoths too. It's a rare unique mascot name. I think there might be a NLL team with that name, but it's still fairly unique. Lots of merchandising opportunity there too. Lots of opportunities for jokes about the size of women in Nodak. Everybody wins.

[Rain Man]

Originally Posted by ThaVirus

Why are Orca never used as the mascot for sports teams? I think Killer Whales have to be the most underused animal mascot.

Also gorillas. And ocelots.

The North Dakota Orcas would be pretty cool.

[Beef Supreme]

Originally Posted by Rain Man

The North Dakota Orcas would be pretty cool.

Land locked state doesn't seem to fit the aquatic theme.

[ptlyon]

The North Dakota Oil Barons

[kepp]

Originally Posted by Hootie 2.0

cuz every time i watch the shockers i can't stand up without having a boner

it's EMBARRASSING

[RealSNR]

Originally Posted by Zebedee DuBois

Mascots are overwhelmingly mammals - usually predatory ones. Birds are probably second, followed by amphibians and reptiles. Predation is preferred for the implication that they will consume the opponent.
Vegetative ones like Stanford and Wichita State are very rare.

Still there are a lot of life forms that are not represented, some very predatory ones. Some that I would have thought ThaVirus would have listed.

I thought this was interesting:

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_eye/2...o_replace.html

What, then, will be next for North Dakota? The university has established a “Nickname and Logo Process Recommendation Task Force,” which may in turn appoint yet another committee to help select a new name this year.

In my opinion, universities have often not done a good job of replacing Native American nicknames and logos. Fearful of controversy and hamstrung by committee decision-making processes, they have often selected names and marks that are bland, generic, uninspiring, and lacking in distinctiveness.

Birds are a typical choice. Of Division I schools that dropped Native American nicknames, 39 percent subsequently adopted bird mascots. By comparison, among other Division I schools, only 15 percent have bird mascots.

Colors are also popular in post–Native American nicknames. Fully half feature some reference to color, compared with just 7 percent of other schools’ nicknames.

Sometimes, birds and colors are combined, as in the case of the Miami RedHawks, Seattle Redhawks, Southeast Missouri State Redhawks, and Marquette Golden Eagles. UND would do well to avoid these clichés by selecting a name that is distinctive and memorable.

Logos can be very important to universities, and not just for their symbolic value; just ask the University of Texas, which makes more than $10 million a year by licensing its Longhorn mark. In designing a new logo, North Dakota would be wise to avoid a visual trend that has been plaguing college sports in recent years: the “mean mascot” logo. While mascots have long been depicted in aggressive postures that imply competitiveness, college mascot logos of late have adopted a succession of dour grimaces and pained expressions that seem to suggest that athletic competition could never involve an ounce of fun.



And this parade of gruff forest creatures, pissed-off men in hats, and angry birds doesn’t just connote joylessness, but may also signify insignificance: While 54 percent of schools in the NCAA’s “Power Five” conferences, the true big-time schools of college sports, have mean-mascot logos, fully 73 percent of the other Division I universities, the more small-time schools, do. And 19 percent of the Power Five have smiling, happy mascot logos, compared with just 5 percent of the smaller schools. In some sense, a mean mascot may be a sign of being small-time: The more prominent college athletic programs are more likely to have the confidence to go with a less “intimidating,” more relatable, happy mascot.



I submit that if UND wishes to be perceived as a powerful sports program, it should avoid a logo with a cranky mascot and instead opt for one that suggests confidence, positivity, and fun.

The most fertile ground for creative, fun sports nicknames and logos currently exists around minor league baseball teams. These organizations, compared with universities, are relatively unencumbered by tradition and the need for solemnity. They seem to pick names and logos that will draw fans and sell T-shirts through attractive design and good humor.

[The Franchise]

The North Dakota Tortugas

[ThaVirus]

Originally Posted by BigChiefTablet

Land locked state doesn't seem to fit the aquatic theme.

Sports teams that have relevant mascots certainly deserve praise, but there are tons that don't make any sense whatsoever.

Detroit Lions? Pitt State Gorillas?

[ThaVirus]

Now that I think about it, there are tons of fierce and dangerous animals that never seem to be used as mascots. Elephants, hippos, any type of shark, any type of snake, any type of arthropod, etc.

You see bears a lot but they're generally depicted as brown or Grizzly. How about polar bears?

Leopards and cheetahs are woefully underrepresented as big cats. Lions, tigers and Jaguars get all the love.

THIS IS BULLSHIT.