MafiaMan

Wait a second! White people mixed Native American horses and European horses and then used those very horses to hunt Bison? I smell a 'hostile and abusive' situation here. We'd better just go with the UND Daisies or the UND Maple Syrup Jars so that way we don't offend anyone. Well, unless you are the parent of a child who was maimed when his grandmother dropped a jar of maple syrup on his head or if you yourself had an allergic reaction to daisies that almost killed you...then I could see where you'd be personally offended. Oh boy...this nickname thing is going to be tougher than I originally thought. I love the fact, too, that the Kuntz brothers came up with the name "Nokota" on their own and have been calling horses that since the 1990's.

I agree 110% about the importance of a logo being interpreted correctly and establishing a brand identity. Let me give you an example and you tell me what you think it is: Mavericks Now, let me show you some Maverick logos... Now, let's go look at a the definition... Maverick: A definition So, tell me, where do posing horse-heads, galloping stallions, angry cattle, longhorn steers, and steroid-ridden bulls meet that definition?

Just, please, please, not something like this, one of the WORST third jersey logos of all-time...

(logo designed by 'alltherage' from www.calgarypuck.com)

I give you credit for the suggestion, PCM, and think it's admirable that people are already thinking of ideas. I'm still cringing at the thought of Heat, Wild, Storm, Surge, Shock, Magic, Lightning, Thunder, and other absurd nicknames of fluff that are going to be tossed into the fray for sure. How does the color scheme of white, black, and green remain though?

I stand corrected on the inheritance vs purchasing issue.

You're right about one thing...the North Stars, while not my favorite team back in the day, had one of the top logos and nicknames in all of professional sports. I guess I'd prefer not copying something, logo-wise or nickname wise, so how about the UND Big Dippers, a tribute to Wilt Chamberlain, or maybe the UND Shooting Stars?

The market for retro memorabilia is very much active. You think the Atlanta Hawks (Pac-man logo), Philadelphia 76'ers (Dr J era logo), New England Patriots (Steve Grogan era logo) haven't kept the trademarks up-to-date? Throwback outfits are HUGE business with profits involved. Trust me...the North Stars trademark is as active as the current Detroit Red Wings famed winged wheel.

I'm not. The North Dakota Nokotas. The Minnesota Hinnesotas. The Wisconsin Disconsons. The Detroit Netroits. Horse or imaginery, rhyming is silly.

I propose this: the-artists-formerly-known-as-sioux-sports-dot-com.com I think a bigger question is what the hell do I do with my tattoo?

I'm aware that the team could be called the North Stars and not use the trademarked logo. Thanks for the insight, though. Just because they sell a t-shirt doesn't mean the trademark is active? HUH? Go ahead and drive down to your local screenprinter and tell him you'd like to print off 1,000 copies of North Stars t-shirts and see the reaction you get. I agree with you on "Fighting Sioux" being the best nickname ever. When UND becomes something else, it'll just be one of a billion schools called the Tigers, Lions, or Bears. Personally, I'm in just the kind of mood today where the team should just be called the Fighting Mohammeds. We're watching people put into prison for naming a teddy bear, but people here are concerned with sports team nicknames. The free world has lots its collective mind.

North Stars T-Shirt Click on the link and enlarge the image. Note the little "TM" after the words "North Stars" and also after the "N*" logo. How much more active do you need?

Disagree all you want... UND had a version of the Chicago Blackhawks logo on it? Who knew? I attended UND from 1988-1992 and am very aware of the logo used during those days. UND had basically a handshake agreement with the Blackhawks to use the logo. When Bill Wirtz purchased the team in 1992 or 1993, he requested that UND pay a fee to continue using the logo. UND refused, hence the "NORTH DAKOTA" jerseys which appeared almost immediately after President Kendall Baker took office. This was immediately interpreted by fans as Baker trying to erase the Sioux legacy, which is somewhat misguided thinking. I'm sure an agreement could be reached with the Dallas Stars, however, given the financial state of the NHL right now (did you notice that the Dallas Stars didn't even sell out their arena during last year's All-Star game?), I can guarantee you there would be $$$$ involved, and probably too many for UND to want to borrow the logo.

The Hartford Whalers aren't in existence anymore either, but it doesn't prevent Peter Karmanos, owner of the now Carolina Hurricanes from making a buck or two off of the sale of Whaler merchandise. The North Stars don't exist any longer, but, trust me, their trademark has not lapsed. Just log onto www.nhl.com and check out the catalog. Retro is in...and North Stars stuff is everywhere.

Where is "here"? Seriously, the Blossoms? Yikes.

There is a school on the UP that is the home of the SpeedBoys and the SpeedGirls. All this mascot and logo talk reminds me a conversation with my best friend during a visit to his hometown several years ago: "So...what was your high school nickname?" "Hematites." "What is that? Some sort of Amish community in Ishpeming?" "No, it's a rock." "You guys are named after ROCKS? Why not be the 'Miners' at least?" "That's Negaunee. One town over."

Yes, I love how that rolls off the tongue! Here come your University of North Dakota Air Force of the North! How about the University of North Dakota Naval Force of the Red River? The UND Green Army of the Plains?

I remember that joke (but can't remember the comedian). Hilarious!

Yep, I remember good old Abe Pollin and that decision! People don't kill people...nicknames do!

USES? They haven't existed in six years!

Good luck with that. The PC movement is so strong that I even hear some people complain about why the Golden State Warriors can continue using the name "Warriors" because of its negative connotation. Yea, this is offensive...maybe to Captain America and Spider Man!

Seriously, how many times do I have to repeat myself? Do you see that little tiny "TM" underneath the logo? That stands for trademark. In America, that's when you register something and no one else can copy it as their own or create a "rip-off". That logo remains property of the Dallas Stars. Anytime someone buys one of those nifty North Stars retro jerseys, part of the money goes to the NHL and the Dallas Stars. You can't copy that logo any more than you can copy the Blackhawk logo without paying the owner of the trademark a hefty fee. And, if we're going to name the team after the state motto of a next-door neighbor, could we at least be the University of North Dakota Big Sky or the University of North Dakota Rushmores? God knows I don't want some knee-jerk academia nut to suggest that we become the University of North Dakota Peace Gardeners.

The sun'll come out tomorrow...if ya hold on 'til tomorrow...there'll be sun...

Hmnnn...for those thinking UNO will roll over GVSU...that CWU score is surprising, eh?

Yes, please, the more the merrier! Remember, you can order up thru December 18th, too, and use the name code and name. DON'T FORGET TO USE THE NAME AT THE END WHEN YOU CHECK OUT! I will post an update after the campaign and let you know how his final sales figure tally!