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Long Beach State Starts Visually Rebranding Without '49ers' LINK (Gazette) LINK (Press-Telegram) --- Now I've only been officially enrolled with the school for over a month now, but in that short time of going to the city, going to campus, dealing with the school, dealing with students, going to the bookstore, seeing their marketing and merchandise and all that, this was clearly the right way to go. The two paragraphs I underlined really express that, and are totally right. That is definitely the vibe I got independently, and the vibe I got from the students. You're going to Long Beach, you root for The Beach, the chant is "Go Beach". And the fractured brand was extremely evident when I walked into the bookstore. Shirts read Cal State Long Beach, CSULB, Long Beach, LBSU, Beach, The Beach, 49ers, Forty-Niners, Dirtbags. I had no idea where to go haha. I've always thought the "49ers" brand was weak anyway. Yeah, the university was founded in 1949, but the connection to actual 49ers and the gold rush never really fit for Long Beach. It never worked for me. Now while I wish there was an actual mascot, I've always liked "The Beach" and the basketball team has used it for a while. It fits. The campus is a block off of Pacific Coast Highway and less than a mile from the actual beach. I do wish that the baseball team was wrangled in to fit in with the rest of the school, because now it really sticks out. But it is the most high profile program on the campus and the Dirtbags name has its own history and backstory. It'll stay. --- TL;DR - Good move. I like that the school is unifying the brand, and I really think this brand fits the university. Good move, Long Beach State. Go Beach.