fightingsioux4life

I am no lawyer (and I didn't stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night), but I think that the lawsuit is based on Federal civil rights and equal protection laws. The idea is to get the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo declared a violation of Native American civil and human rights under Federal law because it creates a hostile educational environment for Native American students. Because UND is a public institution that gets Federal dollars from many, many different sources and is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action institution, I think it is plausible that a Federal court could order the official use of the name and logo discontinued. I think they will have to come up with solid evidence to prove their case; whether they have that is anybodys guess. We'll just have to wait and see what happens.

I think that truth is self-evident. I would imagine that if a Federal Court ruled that the Fighting Sioux nickname had to be retired based on that lawsuit, Al Carlson would make some stupid statement about North Dakota's "sovereignty" and how "the Federal Government has no real power here". In other words, he just wouldn't get it.

Then the people you have been speaking with are foolish and stubborn. I can assure you we are not all like that.

Then you, my friend, are part of the problem. Just go back to Bisonville where you belong. Troll.

That should not surprise anyone. Let's Play Hockey is a Gopher-sucking publication and it always has been. I am willing to bet some of the people that work there don't even realize that there is more than one Division I program in the State of Minnesota. If some private entity decided to set up their own Midget team based in the Twin Cities (Xcel Energy Center?), these same people would call it the greatest thing since sliced bread because it would benefit the Rodent Hockey Program. I think Karl Goehring had a nice response to this drivel.

I have an idea, we can call THIS team the Fighting Sioux! Then we can keep selling merchandise with the name and logo on it and the nickname-at-all-costers can switch their UND Men's Hockey tickets for season tickets to watch THIS team instead! Then they don't have to keep whining, moaning and complaining about UND not using the name and logo and UND can move on in Division I athletics. It's a win-win!

Apples and Oranges comparisons are entertaining, but not accurate to the matter at hand. Notre Dame is an independent in FOOTBALL, but all their other sports are in the Big East. They knew it wasn't economically viable to remain an independent in everything a long time ago and thus they joined a legitimate, established conference. I honestly hope this post is a joke; if so please accept my apology.

I am so sick of this whole thing I want to throw up. But it's so vital for the future of UND athletics and the vitality of the institution as a whole that we can and must continue talking about it. People need to know what the consequences are of keeping the name and logo at all costs before they vote in June and (presumably) in November. The Legislature needs to know that we want UND athletics to become a viable Division I member and that we will hold them accountable if they don't do what they need to do when they go to Bismarck in 2013. This isn't an argument over who should start at QB or what line combinations Hakstol should use. This is very serious business. Do you want UND playing the likes of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa and NDSU or do you want us stuck playing Mayville State, Dickinson State, Sioux Falls College and UM-Crookston? That is what is at stake here. So, as sick and tired of the arguing and bickering that we all are, it is just too important of a matter to be left to chance.

This sounds like a tongue-in-cheek post. All sarcasm aside, the Big Sky has made it abundantly clear from the start that if UND does not get rid of the sanctions (either by getting off the H&A List or dropping the name), they are not interested in having us as a member. Have they said that explicitly? No. But based on all their public statements over the past 2 years, have they not implied that one of the qualifications for membership is resolving the name issue one way or another? Yes, they have. They have been very consistent about this right from the start. If the SBoHE hadn't announced their intentions to drop the name and logo when they did, I don't think the Big Sky would have extended their invitation to us and we'd still be looking for a conference home. I guess if the nickname-at-all-costers wanted to help pay the bills of being a Division I Independent, we could take another look at it. But since that likely isn't going to happen, we had better resolve this issue ASAP or else UND athletics as we have known them will cease to exist. But at least we can keep that sizzling FB rivalry with Sioux Falls College going, right?

That sounds good for those of us hoping to hang onto Eades.

Thanks, that is better!

Congratulations to Coach Hakstol. One of the best examples of getting more out of less that I have ever seen!

*Pending outcome of the Fighting Sioux Nickname and Logo fight.

I think Eades has actually submitted a formal application for the job, so that is why he is considered the favorite.

Before August 5th, 2005, we had developed a reputation for success in NCAA Division I Men's Hockey.

You are 100% dead wrong about that. A strong, successful and vibrant athletic program is a tremendous marketing tool for colleges and universities. Want proof? How many people would know where Gonzaga is if their basketball team hadn't knocked off some big-time programs in March in the late 1990's? How many people now know where NDSU is after they won the FCS Football title in January of 2012? How many people know about UND because of the success of our hockey program at a national level? This isn't Europe, where you don't have organized college sports. And it isn't Canada, where college sports is really for participation and nothing more. College athletics are an important part of the college experience in the United States. Sometimes it's for the better, sometimes it's for the worse, but it's an undeniable fact. And destroying the athletic department at UND would have a negative impact on everything else.

First off, I want to make it clear that I do not blame this kid for making this decision. So you can hold back the "You just can't blame the kid for doing what he thinks is best for him" comments. My blame goes to the adults in his life and the deceptive tactics of Major Junior hockey. This is what I have been talking about in other threads. These young kids are very impressionable and are easily influenced by others. I imagine that these Major Junior suits promised him the moon and told him that if he went the college route, nobody would give him the time of day when it came to draft positioning and signing a professional contract (yeah, the college route really hurt Jason Blake and others ). If he had stuck with high school and kept improving as a player and maturing as a person, he would have even more leverage with Major Juniors and U.S. Colleges. But he chose instead to drink the Kool-Aid and flush any other options down the toilet. I believe that College Hockey, Inc. has done good things in Canada educating kids on their real options (not the lies and distortions the Don Cherry types will dish out), but it looks like they need to shore up our defenses at home. This is war and the future of NCAA hockey hinges on whether we win or lose it.

I am afraid the answer to that question is yes.

What you have to understand about the nickname-at-all-costs crowd is that anything and everything that happens as a result of keeping the name and logo is "a small price to pay": -No conference home in the Big Sky? A small price to pay. -A growing list of schools that will not play us in any sport? A small price to pay. -No home playoff games? A small price to pay. -Forfeiting playoff games to make a point? A small price to pay. -Losing recruits because of the sanctions? A small price to pay. There is no telling what other garbage they will come up with; I honestly don't want to think about it. If all these things come to pass and UND athletics are destroyed for at least a generation, their answer will be the same: "It's a small price to pay to keep the Fighting Sioux name and logo!". Now back to Planet Earth where the rest of us reside.

There is zero chance the NCAA would ban the general public from wearing Fighting Sioux clothing. The reason is simple: $$$$$. If there is one thing these people care more about than "cultural diversity" and "sensitivity to minorities", it's the Almighty Dollar. Banning the general public from wearing Fighting Sioux clothing would hurt their bottom line because people would simply refuse to attend under those circumstances. I know I sure as heck wouldn't buy tickets under those conditions.

No problem, that's pretty good.

And I stupidly gave up that game to watch the UND Women's Basketball team lose the North Central Regional Tournament Championship to the NDSU Bison at the Bison Sports Arena. I still regret that decision. But on the bright side, I watched us win the Final Five at the Target Center and the NCAA West Regional game vs. Niagara in Mariucci. So it all balances out. Great Memories.

The NCAA can't stop college kids from signing professional contracts. At least not yet.

They suck because they had poor front office management for years and they also had a coach who taught pre-NHL lock-out systems that just don't work anymore. If you couldn't shoot it in the ocean, but could backcheck for 60 minutes, you had a job with the Wild. It's going to take years for them to recover from all that baloney.