breakin face Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 The overwhelming majority of focus on the NFL broadcasts is on the team, players, event they're playing in, and team. That doesn't mean everything said about the NFL is positive. UND should adopt a nickname for a variety of reasons, one of which includes media coverage before, during and after a sporting event. It's by no means the main reason but it definitely is a legitimate reason. Go on with the variety of reasons please. I'd like to know how our athletic programs will be any different than the last three years. Quote
siouxstudent Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 The overwhelming majority of focus on the NFL broadcasts is on the team, players, event they're playing in, and team. That doesn't mean everything said about the NFL is positive. UND should adopt a nickname for a variety of reasons, one of which includes media coverage before, during and after a sporting event. It's by no means the main reason but it definitely is a legitimate reason. I hope UND doesnt turn into the NFL.... Quote
southpaw Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 Go on with the variety of reasons please. I'd like to know how our athletic programs will be any different than the last three years. In no particular order: Marketing of apparel, less focus on the school with no nickname and more on the game, moving past the Fighting Sioux name, allows the school to control how the teams are referred to by the media, less confusion between und and ndsu across the country, not having to go through this asinine process in 5-10 years when the new president demands a nickname, being 100% guaranteed of compliance with the ncaa. There are at least Two reasons for you which have an impact on the school's finances, which would mean the ability to better fund some teams which could lead to an increase in quality of teams. I would like to hear your variety of reasons as to why not having a nickname would benefit the University. Quote
Siouxphan27 Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 Again I will ask the question how many more games would we have won had we had a nickname or the past three years? How many more people would have been at basketball games had we had a nickname? The cooling off period was idiotic because it allowed all this divisiveness to fester, however not having a nickname did not damage any of our athletic or academic programs. Volleyball and Women's Basketball both won conference titles under the no nickname banner, Baseball has had their most noteworthy seasons in a long time, and the football program has a shot of energy. The argument not having a nickname somehow hurts every sport except hockey does not hold up for me at all. However if a big donor out of the 6000 petitioned people (speculative, however if i'm 1% right that's 60 donors) decides they want to dispose their income elsewhere over this issue we lose far greater than by maintaining the status quo, and it's the non-revenue sports that will suffer because of that. Eleventy-two? Quote
82SiouxGuy Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 We've heard it all! UND needs a new nickname so its sports information director doesn't have to spend a handful of minutes talking about it with broadcasters. God forbid the media give UND press by talking about the school's nickname. If that's what this hoopla is about, I am more than fine sticking with North Dakota. UND needs a new nickname so its sports information director doesn't have to spend a handful of minutes discussing the nickname with broadcasters. I've now heard it all. God forbid the media give press to UND by talking about its nickname during a sporting event. Wow, you had to reply to the same quote twice. Jayson has plenty of real work to do that can be positive for UND. Constantly having to explain why UND doesn't have a nickname is a waste of his time. Even 5 or 10 minutes per week adds up to quite a few hours during a year. Broadcasters talking about UND not having a nickname is not good press for the school. UND isn't some how going to punish the NCAA by not having a nickname. I would rather that Jayson spend his time doing things that bring good press to UND when possible, not waste time discussing such a petty issue. Yet he can't ignore it when broadcasters bring it up. If UND is playing in the game the broadcasters are going to be talking about UND, feed them information on all of the good things the students are doing rather than having them talk about how UND is the only school that hasn't managed to get a nickname for the team. This is just a small example of the many reasons why going without a nickname is a bad idea. Quote
TBR Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 Wow, you had to reply to the same quote twice. Jayson has plenty of real work to do that can be positive for UND. Constantly having to explain why UND doesn't have a nickname is a waste of his time. Even 5 or 10 minutes per week adds up to quite a few hours during a year. Broadcasters talking about UND not having a nickname is not good press for the school. UND isn't some how going to punish the NCAA by not having a nickname. I would rather that Jayson spend his time doing things that bring good press to UND when possible, not waste time discussing such a petty issue. Yet he can't ignore it when broadcasters bring it up. If UND is playing in the game the broadcasters are going to be talking about UND, feed them information on all of the good things the students are doing rather than having them talk about how UND is the only school that hasn't managed to get a nickname for the team. This is just a small example of the many reasons why going without a nickname is a bad idea. Oh for crying out loud, he could make an info release to all the other sports info directors if he has not already done so. Might take three minutes of his time. Quote
FSSD Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 Maybe things have changed, but growing up in North Dakota I never heard somebody from North Dakota call themselves or another North Dakotan a Nodak. It was something that I heard Minnesotans call North Dakotans after I moved down here, and it was usually derogatory. Exactly..... I live in the Twin Cities and hear it many times and not in a positive way... please stop this Nodak and Sun Dogs madness Quote
Irish Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 University of North Dakota Nodaks. That's why. Sounds way too stupid. The Shelbyville Shelbyvillians Quote
Dagger Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 I am not sure if leaving the name as just North Dakota is exactly helping us in feeling distinctive and different when the school to the south is named North Dakota State University. Their is already enough confusion between the 2 schools. We need our own identity. Quote
Siouxphan27 Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 So if I'm reading this correctly, if UND goes forward without a nickname, valuable broadcast and pre broadcast time will be wasted. But, if UND does choose a nickname, zero time will be wasted, as no one from other schools will bother to ask about the new name or how it was chosen; it will be just business as usual and the new name will only be uttered as a last resort during the course of live game action. Got it. Quote
southpaw Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 So if I'm reading this correctly, if UND goes forward without a nickname, valuable broadcast and pre broadcast time will be wasted. But, if UND does choose a nickname, zero time will be wasted, as no one from other schools will bother to ask about the new name or how it was chosen; it will be just business as usual and the new name will only be uttered as a last resort during the course of live game action. Got it. There will eventually be an end to the questions about the new nickname. There would never be an end if und didn't pick a name. Quote
Siouxphan27 Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 There will eventually be an end to the questions about the new nickname. There would never be an end if und didn't pick a name. I disagree. I can't imagine a scenario where the other schools and the media repeatedly ask the same questions over and over again every few months. That's sort of the definition of insanity. Quote
southpaw Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 I disagree. I can't imagine a scenario where the other schools and the media repeatedly ask the same questions over and over again every few months. That's sort of the definition of insanity. How many teams are in the ncaa? How many broadcast crews will do und games each year? You can bet the teams UND plays and the announcer teams will continue to change. Quote
Siouxphan27 Posted July 24, 2015 Posted July 24, 2015 How many teams are in the ncaa? How many broadcast crews will do und games each year? You can bet the teams UND plays and the announcer teams will continue to change. Unless those schools live in a cave, they will have heard. But if they do in fact live in a cave and we choose a new nickname, they will also be wasting valuable pre broadcast and broadcast time, talking about the" new" name, even if it's 5 years down the road due to their aforementioned cave dwelling lifestyle. So now the discussion has come full circle. Talking about new name/talking about no name = same amount of time spent talking about each. Glad we solved that. Thank you. Quote
Blackheart Posted July 25, 2015 Posted July 25, 2015 How is it derogatory when people use it to abbreviate our state and there are businesses with that name, Nodak Rural Electric? Call them up and tell them their name is derogatory, after they laugh at you and hang up report back to us on your findings.im talking about interactions with our good friends to the east. Quote
southpaw Posted July 25, 2015 Posted July 25, 2015 Unless those schools live in a cave, they will have heard. But if they do in fact live in a cave and we choose a new nickname, they will also be wasting valuable pre broadcast and broadcast time, talking about the" new" name, even if it's 5 years down the road due to their aforementioned cave dwelling lifestyle. So now the discussion has come full circle. Talking about new name/talking about no name = same amount of time spent talking about each. Glad we solved that. Thank you. Of course the announcers will all be the same in 10 years for the Frozen Four so they won't have any need to mention the lack of a nickname to the viewers. UND is such a well known shool throughout the nation that nobody will think it's weird or wonder why UND is the only school in D1 without a nickname. Just keep thinking that will be the case. Quote
iluvdebbies Posted July 25, 2015 Posted July 25, 2015 Most people against being North Dakota just want a nickname. I get it. We have 3 other choices. Under no scenario should Nodaks or Sundogs be chosen. Period. If for whatever reason one of the other 3 choices do not work.....the only choice is to start over or at least rewind to a previous point in this "process". Nodaks and Sundogs are on equal footing. Quote
Siouxphan27 Posted July 25, 2015 Posted July 25, 2015 Of course the announcers will all be the same in 10 years for the Frozen Four so they won't have any need to mention the lack of a nickname to the viewers. UND is such a well known shool throughout the nation that nobody will think it's weird or wonder why UND is the only school in D1 without a nickname. Just keep thinking that will be the case. If we are still getting extra air time from announcers that want to talk about how unique we are 10 years down the road, I would consider it yet another reason why going with no nickname is a good choice. Quote
southpaw Posted July 25, 2015 Posted July 25, 2015 If we are still getting extra air time from announcers that want to talk about how unique we are 10 years down the road, I would consider it yet another reason why going with no nickname is a good choice. Ermine is unique too, doesn't make it good. Quote
Siouxphan27 Posted July 25, 2015 Posted July 25, 2015 Ermine is unique too, doesn't make it good. Lol. So you don't want positive exposure for the university based on uniqueness, which was one of the criteria the committee was considering? Lol. I don't always win debates; but when I do, I drink Dos Equis. Cheers, friend! Quote
southpaw Posted July 25, 2015 Posted July 25, 2015 Lol. So you don't want positive exposure for the university based on uniqueness, which was one of the criteria the committee was considering? Lol. I don't always win debates; but when I do, I drink Dos Equis. Cheers, friend! You assume all exposure for not having a nickname will be positive. Here in Colorado, plenty of people have asked why a bunch of hicks from North Dakota don't have a name. Quote
breakin face Posted July 25, 2015 Posted July 25, 2015 In no particular order: Marketing of apparel, less focus on the school with no nickname and more on the game, moving past the Fighting Sioux name, allows the school to control how the teams are referred to by the media, less confusion between und and ndsu across the country, not having to go through this asinine process in 5-10 years when the new president demands a nickname, being 100% guaranteed of compliance with the ncaa. There are at least Two reasons for you which have an impact on the school's finances, which would mean the ability to better fund some teams which could lead to an increase in quality of teams. I would like to hear your variety of reasons as to why not having a nickname would benefit the University. -Marketing of apparel is a non-event in the grand scheme of things, we are taking not even a percentage point of the university's total revenues. With a nickname there would be a slight increase however the risk of alienating long term donors or future endowments is a far greater financial risk than maintaining our merchandise revenue at its current level. -Media: The fact a sports journalist may refer to as the Green and White instead of our divisive new nickname is not a win. In fact at this point media outlets can belittle you over a lot more than your nickname. See: http://whotv.com/2014/08/26/soundoff-whats-bugging-andy-12/ -Confusion with NDSU: We are both small division one programs. If someone in Tupelo, MS doesn't know the difference between North Dakota and North Dakota State the nicknames Bison and Rough Fighting SunStarDaks aren't going to provide any more clarity. -Process: If the university embraces being the school without a nickname who listened to its constituents there will not need to be a nickname. This is actually your most credible point because we are dealing with Academia and they are really good about stirring up controversy, however if the university comes out today and says we are not going to have a nickname, we are going to be the University of North Dakota the fan base will rally around it. -Compliance: There is zero chance we wind up with no nickname if the NCAA isn't going to be ok with it. This is a moot point. The pros of going with no nickname are: -Status Quo: We have gone without a nickname for three years and the university is in no worse place than when we had Fighting Sioux. Hockey coming off a Frozen Four appearance, football has a new regime and is building a program, volleyball andwomen's basketball both had trips to the NCAA tournament in the no nickname era. UND has a winning record vs NDSU in the no-nickname era. -Differentiation: By not having a nickname we are the only division one program who can brand its university as strong enough to stand on its own. That's a much better outcome than having a punchline for a nickname like Nodaks. Sundogs, Chanticleers, etc. -Certainty: The process will come to an end, we would have no nickname with no speculation of Fighting Sioux being replaced. There will be no cooling-off (speculation) period. There is a very large faction of our fan base who this change would scorn. Many are threatening to not renew their tickets, donate to the university, etc. I will not be one of those people if we end up without a nickname, however that base is still extremely important to the university going forward. Ralph Engelstad himself would not have built the best arena in the country in Grand Forks had we changed our nickname. Ultimately we have been without a nickname for three years and everyone fighting on this site for a nickname are still here as fans of the university. You still attend games, you still go to the message boards, I don't doubt for a second that you all truly love UND. We have proven that we will be loyal supporters with no nickname, I don't think any of us should be willing to play chicken with 30-40% of our fan base for such marginal upside. Quote
82SiouxGuy Posted July 25, 2015 Posted July 25, 2015 You assume all exposure for not having a nickname will be positive. Here in Colorado, plenty of people have asked why a bunch of hicks from North Dakota don't have a name. Very little of the exposure I have seen about UND not having a nickname would be what I consider positive. Quote
southpaw Posted July 25, 2015 Posted July 25, 2015 -Marketing of apparel is a non-event in the grand scheme of things, we are taking not even a percentage point of the university's total revenues. With a nickname there would be a slight increase however the risk of alienating long term donors or future endowments is a far greater financial risk than maintaining our merchandise revenue at its current level. -Media: The fact a sports journalist may refer to as the Green and White instead of our divisive new nickname is not a win. In fact at this point media outlets can belittle you over a lot more than your nickname. See: http://whotv.com/2014/08/26/soundoff-whats-bugging-andy-12/ -Confusion with NDSU: We are both small division one programs. If someone in Tupelo, MS doesn't know the difference between North Dakota and North Dakota State the nicknames Bison and Rough Fighting SunStarDaks aren't going to provide any more clarity. -Process: If the university embraces being the school without a nickname who listened to its constituents there will not need to be a nickname. This is actually your most credible point because we are dealing with Academia and they are really good about stirring up controversy, however if the university comes out today and says we are not going to have a nickname, we are going to be the University of North Dakota the fan base will rally around it. -Compliance: There is zero chance we wind up with no nickname if the NCAA isn't going to be ok with it. This is a moot point. The pros of going with no nickname are: -Status Quo: We have gone without a nickname for three years and the university is in no worse place than when we had Fighting Sioux. Hockey coming off a Frozen Four appearance, football has a new regime and is building a program, volleyball andwomen's basketball both had trips to the NCAA tournament in the no nickname era. UND has a winning record vs NDSU in the no-nickname era. -Differentiation: By not having a nickname we are the only division one program who can brand its university as strong enough to stand on its own. That's a much better outcome than having a punchline for a nickname like Nodaks. Sundogs, Chanticleers, etc. -Certainty: The process will come to an end, we would have no nickname with no speculation of Fighting Sioux being replaced. There will be no cooling-off (speculation) period. There is a very large faction of our fan base who this change would scorn. Many are threatening to not renew their tickets, donate to the university, etc. I will not be one of those people if we end up without a nickname, however that base is still extremely important to the university going forward. Ralph Engelstad himself would not have built the best arena in the country in Grand Forks had we changed our nickname. Ultimately we have been without a nickname for three years and everyone fighting on this site for a nickname are still here as fans of the university. You still attend games, you still go to the message boards, I don't doubt for a second that you all truly love UND. We have proven that we will be loyal supporters with no nickname, I don't think any of us should be willing to play chicken with 30-40% of our fan base for such marginal upside. Thanks for the thought out post. Good discussion is rare here. I actually wish there was a legit voting between no nickname and picking any name. Every one is throwing out numbers that have no basis in fact. I get that the no nickname fans are a potentially fickle crowd in that some would stop supporting a whole university over the choosing of a new nickname. How many of them will stay away if und wins a couple national championships? The moratorium on picking a name has really just created a bigger divide among fans than before. Quote
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