zonadub

Rock-paper-scissors-lizard-Spock.

Better than most

doggone it, ira... there you go makin' sense again. thanks

and yet, some on this forum continually point out that Standing Rock has elected tribal council members that do not vote 'for' the nickname. sorry to point this out, but the nickname is not the most pressing issue for any elected official, whether federal, state or tribal. as such, UND is just going to have to live with the consequences. unfortunately, ira, sica, scott and others are probably correct that even with Standing Rock tribal approval, at this point it is too late. so, the only recourse left is Spirit Lake's pending suit. and that will be a long, expensive process that may result in nothing changing either.

how about the WASPs?

and the Portland Vikings

Thank you, Benny. I have skimmed the 4 articles you linked, but not being an attorney, its going to take me a while to actually try to digest what they say. An early reaction to them is that basically, there is nothing that has not been discussed in these threads already. Seminoles, Chippewa & Utes got tribal approval, Illini got a pass by dropping the Chief & saying its about the state not a tribe, and almost everyone else changed their nicknames. Illinois lost the chance to host an NCAA tennis tournament before the waiver was given to them. The NCAA did not keep them out of the tournament, but they could not host it. but, as I said earlier, I'm a layperson when it comes to the law, so I don't know what I missed. googling "Sioux Unhappy: Challenging the NCAA’s Ban on Native American Imagery, 42 Tulsa L. Rev. 171 (2006-2007)” by Kelly P. O’Neill" brings up a lexis nexis link, but only gives the intro paragraph to the non-subscriber. Maybe one of the attorneys on this forum would be able the check it. You sound like you have a law background, Benny. Do you have access to lexis nexis? Thank you again, Benny.

if you have a link, I would really like to read that. thank you!

yeah, if NDSU would express some interest in rounding out the Big Sky & being a travel partner for UND, I think the Big Sky would listen. eventually, SDSU and USD could follow. but this has been discussed on other threads before...

State Board asks for statement from ND Supreme Court declaring nickname law unconstitutional

Maybe, just maybe Faison knew the South Dakota Board of Regents was not going to approve the exit fee for the Coyotes to get out of the Summit. If that was the case, was Faison jumping the gun or being proactive? If the Big Sky presidents knew that USD was not going to be joining the league along with UND, would they have pulled the offer? Maybe Faison accepted the offer early for a good reason. The MVFC has never been receptive to UND, and I really wonder where the idea came from that there is a gentleman's agreement not to leave a team without a conference. I also wonder where the idea is coming from that UND can just go to the Summit. If I remember correctly, Douple & Faison had a bit of a contentious media exchange last year and there may be a bridge to rebuild before the Summit would consider UND. Plus, the Summit has already come out publicly with the position that the nickname issue must be resolved first.

that is assuming, if the Sioux do not win the conference tourney, that they will get an at-large bid. the NCAA can select whomever they decide. will the nickname cause them to pass over the Sioux in favor of another school if it is a close call?

it may have been quite a few years ago, but when I was a student (in the 70's) & Rube Bjorkman was the hockey coach, the football team was bigger than hockey. I think basketball was also bigger in the 60's. I know, a long time ago for some of you, but history has a way of repeating itself.

too bad that is not a poll of the people who have the deciding vote in Indianapolis

OK, what if the Fighting Sioux football team doesn't win the conference to get a tournament autobid and is ranked, say, #19 or #20 in a 20 team playoff scenario? If the NCAA has any 'justifiable' reason to pick another team over UND for the playoffs, what does the nickname mean then? Same thing for other playoff possibilities... men's hockey (they seem to be teetering on that precipice right now), women's hockey, volleyball, women's basketball, even possibly men's basketball, others as well... you do not have to win the conference to get an at-large invite to the tournaments, but will a school on the H & A list get the benefit of the doubt? We do not have the answer to that one until it happens, but I have a strong uninformed opinion. If the Fighting Sioux are passed over for a playoff berth because of the nickname, it is doing harm to the school, the athletic teams and to the conference. The Big Sky presidents & Fullerton will definitely take notice of something like that happening. Let's say that UND finishes just ahead of Eastern Washington in the conference football standings, but the Screaming Eagles would have been ranked #20 had they not played and lost to UND in a conference game, which (hypothetically) pushed their rank to #22, and then out of the playoffs. Where, if UND had been relegated to the Great West Conference (or now, independence since the GWFC is gone), E Washington would not have played the Sioux and beat someone like McNeese State instead and thus been ranked high enough to get an at-large bid. What would the conversations be like at the conference meetings if the Sioux were excluded from the playoffs for the nickname then? Would UND be kicked out of the Big Sky for something like keeping another Big Sky team from getting an at-large invitation? I still believe the Montana's and Northern Colorado would back UND, but in a case like this, all bets are off. Sorry, seems like I'm rambling with a bunch of random thoughts here, but hope you get my idea. Its not just home field if UND wins the conference, its the risk of giving the NCAA a reason to pick someone else for at-large bids, too.

anygivensaturday.com a very good FCS fan forum. another good one is championshipsubdivision.com

So, here is a question that I have not seen come up in this thread, yet... What if... the repeal initiative goes to a vote. The state votes it down, because we are afraid of what it means to UND with the NCAA and especially the Big Sky. BUT, there is a two-thirds approval in BOTH of the reservation precincts, such as Sioux and Benson Counties? Would the people who are supposedly supporting the rights of native americans in Indianapolis listen to the native vote or the statewide (mostly white) vote, since they are doing this FOR the native americans? Would someone who has a better grasp of the legal side of what is going on here have any ideas?

What planet have you been hanging out on?

Yes. and in case you didn't, here it is again, and I took the liberty of highlighting a few of the high points. 82 is spot on. If anyone thinks that the Big Sky needs UND more than UND needs the Big Sky probably forgot that the Great West is folding and the Summit won't accept the Fighting Sioux either. FCS/Small-Mid Major DI independence is not the way to go. The Big Sky is a destination FCS/Mid Major conference. It is not a transitional conference like the Great West or a 'we hope we get invited to the Missouri Valley Conference' conference like the Summit. UND is very fortunate to have the opportunity to move to the Big Sky (not vice-versa), and despite the fact that the NCAA policy sucks, they are driving the bus. Yes, at this point, the complaints from the Big Sky Conference seem to be coming from the fans & press of schools like Sacramento, but what would it take for the people who are in charge of those schools to decide its best to have an even number of schools in the conference. 10 and 12 are easier scheduling than 11 and 13. If you dispute that fact, I really wonder what your foundation for that rationale could possibly be. Also, please remember that the people who run those schools are cut from the same mold as the people who (1) run the NCAA, (2) voted for the Hostile & Abusive policy (even if it was Myles Brand's idea, they did endorse it), and (3) have considerable influence over who they schedule in future athletic events. Personally, I think the Montana's and probably Northern Colorado would block UND's expulsion from the Big Sky, but can we be sure? What if the Montana's leave for the WAC, MWC or something else? (I think the Big East would welcome them with open arms if the Griz & Cats were so inclined. Again, don't think it will happen, but would have said the same thing about Boise & San Diego six months ago.) By the way, DaveK, would you continue to follow and be a fan of the University of North Dakota Penguins?

what would lakes do? thought NDSU was supposed to be headed to the Big 12

Isn't this what Big Sky TV does? Won't UND have the ability to put their hockey games on the net like the Big Sky games will be. I don't think the Root deal is going to shut down Big Sky TV, so all the UND (non-hockey) games will be available there. I would think that UND will have to address this angle. I know someone said earlier that the Big Sky webcast is not top quality, but with streaming services becoming more commonplace, the technology will improve on both the broadcast and the receiving ends. My son has Roku/Netflix and the quality is as good as cable or satellite is. My cable company is also my internet provider, so maybe Midco (or Comcast or Cox, or whoever is your cable provider) will provide an answer that has not even been mentioned on this board. Its all about competition, and this type of service will give someone (cable/internet providers?) a service advantage that they may be already looking at in more than one form. I don't know what options will be available, but I know that there are more now than there were 18 months ago...

since you're into fixin', I fixed your post but then, that's ag schoolin' for ya...

This is probably a big part of the reason that Notre Dame turned down the National Conference. They have a tv deal that's better than CBS Sports and brought that with them to Hockey East. Maybe Mr Faison should have brought Fox College Sports with UND to the NCHC, escpecially since he seemed to be the ringleader in the press until the new commissioner was named.

I know it is not a popular choice, but Blazers, as in Trailblazers, gives a nod to the Lewis & Clark history of the state. There are several better nicknames, but I am willing to wager that Trailblazers is better that whatever PC color* or weather phenomena the Kelly committee comes up with. * like Stanford Cardinal and Harvard Crimson, cough cough, North Dakota Kelly (as in kelly green): gag!

sorry, thought the football team being competitive was step #2 (great conference is #1) to filling existing facilities so they actually need to move to a larger one