That's gold, Jerry! Gold!
I'm thinking that Kenny Bania may be the only person who actually likes the new nickname at Marquette.
Ladies and gentleman the Marquette .... Gold?
Yep, it's true.
Apparently, the university responded to focus groups that said the school's current nickname - the Golden Eagles - was too boring and too common. No argument here.
And the university wasn't going to give in to alums that wanted the school to go back to its old nickname, the Warriors. That nickname was tied into an Indian mascot, which met with the disapproval of local Native American tribes. No argument there.
But Gold? Will Marilyn McCoo be the mascot?
As the guys on 850 The Buzz said this morning, it sounds like the name of an easy-listening station. I myself am wondering if afternoon host Adam Gold will be suing Marquette.
Methinks Nike might have something to do with this. They were allegedly behind Syracuse's move from the Orangemen to the Orange. And Marquette recently became a Nike school.
Here's my new suggested NCAA rule - You can't have a team name if that name can't be represented by a physical mascot. Gold? Gone. Orange? Gone. Cardinal? Make it plural and make it a bird.
Comments (5)
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I can think of easy ways to physically represent the Marquette and Syracuse team names.
Gold
Orange
I always assumed it was "Banya."
Posted on May 5, 2005 2:26 PM
Jason, you sent me scurrying to IMDB, but I did confirm it - it's Bania. Played by Steven Hyntner, if you were curious.
I could maybe buy having someone dress up as a gold block, but really, isn't that a stretch.
As as for Orange. No go. Not unless you're called the "Oranges." Then you get to use the fruit. Otherwise, you're still just a color. Maybe have someone dress up as one of those monochromatic prints that hang in the Museum of Modern Art in NY.
Posted on May 5, 2005 2:44 PM
So maybe the issue isn't about being able to physically represent the team mascot, but about singular vs. plural team names. Do you have an issue with the Utah Jazz, William & Mary Tribe (woohoo!), Orlando Magic or Long Branch (N.J.) High School Green Wave?
I think we're on the same page. I was just being a smartass when I suggested a gold brick and orange fruit as mascots.
I was killing, Jerry. Killing! I killed! I'm gonna go pick up some chicks. Good-looking ones, too!
Posted on May 5, 2005 3:05 PM
My rule is no "concept" names. And, as a rule, if it's plural, there's no problem. So, I'm down on the Magic and Jazz and basically all WNBA names. My exception: Good soccer names, i.e. D.C. United. Most of the European clubs tend to stand alone as Arsenal, Manchester United and so on. But even they have plural mascots, such as Gunners or Red Devils.
I'm going to go grab me some Ovaltine now. Of course, that should be Roundtine.
Posted on May 5, 2005 3:21 PM
It's not gold, Jerry, it's not gold!
After hearing from its rabid and angry fan base, Marquette has nixed Gold as a new mascot and opened up an Internet vote on 10 possibilities, none of which is the old Warriors mascot.
Posted on May 11, 2005 6:01 PM