zonadub

if this part of your statement is correct, dagies, then we have been barking up the wrong tree. Standing Rock is not the second closest tribe: Sisseton-Wahpeton is 135 miles away from Grand Forks, Standing Rock is well over 200, even on a direct course. Why isn't the save the nickname movement working with the Sisseton tribe since Standing Rock's Tribal Council refuses to help?

Sorry, Dave. It's not about disrespecting the Native Americans any more. As much as it may have begun that way, it has now become a struggle to avoid sanctions and punishment levied on UND by the NCAA. And for the Fetch crowd that thinks a Grand Forks Fighting Sioux AHL team is the answer, please take it and a use it with respect so that UND can get off the NCAA sanctions list. (If memory serves, though, the NCAA settlement agreement requires UND to retain control of and prevent the re-use of the Fighting Sioux name) We pretty much all agree that the NCAA is abusing their position and power in this situation, but that abuse does not mean that they cannot continue on the path they have already charted.

WHere would they play? The Fargodome?

That is the most succinct statement you have made, Benny. The NCAA is run by academics, and they know they know better than a bunch of hicks from the Dakota sticks or a namesake Native American tribe.

off topic: still think Nielson would be a great football coach for UND to go after

everyone (well, not quite everyone) was clamoring for national media stories on the arbitrary NCAA policy. well, it is in the national press now, Blount's piece was picked up all across the country. it is not good press for UND or the Fighting Sioux nickname. we better watch out what we ask for, because we just might get it. hate to see it go, but it is time for UND to move on...

yeah, i get it - he must mean Penn State

Huh? What? Did I miss something here?

the statement she makes that really gave me pause: this whole fight among ourselves is really being looked at as a joke by the rest of the country. I don't like reading statements like that, even from Twin Cities writers. Benny... there are so few teams with native american nicknames, it will be difficult to come up with a list of schools who have announced that they will no longer play teams with native american nicknames, I just don't know how you can list the schools that won't play Alcorn State because of their nickname. Really, what other measure is there besides the list of schools (MN, WI, IA) that have officially announced they won't play UND?

That may be, but USD was added to the MVFC, and the MVC may be looking for an all-sports member to keep the status quo in the MVFC with the Summit schools. North Dakota would bring no Summit League ties into the MVC that a NDSU, SDSU, USD or another previous member of the Summit would. Bottom line is that UND will still have to get off the NCAA sanction list to get in to any conference - BSC, WAC, MWCUSA, MVC, Summit - you name it.

not if UND is still dealing with NCAA sanctions

Wouldn't you think that recruits are a lot more on top of what school is the Fighting Sioux than some headline writer in Connecticut?

I think what you are forgetting is that for every casual one-game-at-a-time Bison fan that couldn't afford the extra $$, there would be a Sioux fan lining up to pay that extra cash to the NDSU athletic dept. Wouldn't that be satisfying to the Bison faithful? Gouging the Sioux fans for an extra $10 or $20 a seat? How many out of town fans come to Fargo to watch the Robert Morris's and Wagner's? You certainly cannot infer that the UND-NDSU game could not sell out at a higher price. It must be that you fear that NDSU fans can't afford the ticket price and that there would actually be some Sioux fans at the Fargodome. Disclaimer: I would prefer that UND-NDSU play every other or every third year and put the South Dakota schools and Northern Iowa into the mix. This is with the caveat that UND gets to join the Big Sky after all the other distractions are addressed.

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.