U. of North Dakota nickname - Have they announced one yet?

[WavePunter]

Having no nickname is absolutely not a solution for anything or anyone.. If the loss of the fighting Sioux nickname is indeed permanent, then the Sioux-pporters absolutely must accept it, they have no other choice.. Having no nickname doesn't bring back the Sioux nickname and does nothing to maintain anything about the Fighting Sioux "brand".. The choices are move forward into embarrassing obscurity or move forward with a respectable and (hopefully) appropriate brand that somehow exemplifies the pride and character of the former nickname.. I don't see how anything but the latter can even be considered acceptable..

[Big A HG]

Having no nickname is absolutely not a solution for anything or anyone.. If the loss of the fighting Sioux nickname is indeed permanent, then the Sioux-pporters absolutely must accept it, they have no other choice.. Having no nickname doesn't bring back the Sioux nickname and does nothing to maintain anything about the Fighting Sioux "brand".. The choices are move forward into embarrassing obscurity or move forward with a respectable and (hopefully) appropriate brand that somehow exemplifies the pride and character of the former nickname.. I don't see how anything but the latter can even be considered acceptable..

There are a ton of no-nickname supporters that would support a nickname that was halfway decent. I'm one of them. I love my Sioux nickname, but it's gone, and I know that. It's not coming back. I was all-aboard the new nickname idea, and I think the amount of nickname ideas that were submitted proves that a lot of others were as well. Most were excited about the potential. We all knew it would never replace our beloved Sioux nickname, but there was a lot of optimism going in. Then the nicknames started getting pared down, and next thing you know you're left with some of the least inspiring names imaginable.

NoDaks? Redundant.

Sundogs? Really, that's like a double-A baseball nickname from Lord knows where....

North Stars? C'mon, not even the right state.

Fighting Hawks? Not the worst of the list, but how many schools/teams with Native American ties have gone the hawk or predatory bird route? At least it keeps the "Fighting" in tact.

Roughriders? It works on so many levels, but doesn't on too many others. Grand Forks is not a big place, and when you take the nickname of the local High School, it's awkward. Then throw in the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (who use primarily kelly green) and the Saskatchewan RoughRiders (who also primarily use kelly green) and it no longer feels legitimate. Throw in the condom aspect (which doesn't bother me...as referenced by the USC Trojans), and it's just too awkward in the end.

I'm ready for a new name, as are most, but when these are our options, I'd rather have nothing at all.

[WavePunter]

I'm with you.. Nodaks is awful, as is north starts - both are redundant and lack imagination.. fighting hawks is ridiculously generic and the whole "fighting" is terrible for any mascot that isn't referring to a collective group of people.. RoughRiders is ok and could have some great imagery, but it still has it's issues.. SunDogs is a neat nickname with lots of imagery available, but may not be the best nickname available, but what is? Perhaps if ND had used a certain type of imagery before, it would be simpler (i.e. A spear like Florida State, new nickname "spears", etc.), although the primary imagery was of a native American's face, so that gets tough.. I'm not sure what the best option would be, but some of these are pretty bad

[SCL]

The three finalists should've been Flame/Flames or Rough Riders. No nickname is beyond pathetic and screams scorned lover and I'm not sure Sun Dog would be well understood/represented. Just pick a name and move on.

[BBTV]

I think for a college that (I'm assuming) doesn't depend on mascot-related merchandise sales, going without a nickname is a perfectly acceptable short-term solution. Let a name evolve organically, like how it was done back in the day. The students, alumni, and fans would probably embrace it more if it was something that wasn't just told to them.

That being said, I'm not sure how the organic evolution of a nickname would happen in 2015 - you'd have writers trying to force their ideas in to stories in hopes that it catches on so they can "take credit" for whatever it becomes.

[Big A HG]

I think for a college that (I'm assuming) doesn't depend on mascot-related merchandise sales, going without a nickname is a perfectly acceptable short-term solution. Let a name evolve organically, like how it was done back in the day. The students, alumni, and fans would probably embrace it more if it was something that wasn't just told to them.

That being said, I'm not sure how the organic evolution of a nickname would happen in 2015 - you'd have writers trying to force their ideas in to stories in hopes that it catches on so they can "take credit" for whatever it becomes.

This sounds good on paper, but without a nickname, everyone is just going to keep calling them the Sioux...including me. The problem is, no one wants to accept any of the five remaining nickname options, which is part of what makes the whole process for people like me so painful. And with the merchandise sales, you're right, the University will not depend on mascot-related merchandise once the new nickname is implemented. Even right now the non-nickname stuff hasn't been a hot seller. However, anything with the name or logo pertaining to Sioux, you can rake the buyer over the coals, because Sioux stuff sold, sells, and will sell a lot of merchandise.

This entire thing would have been settled years ago if not for the SBoHE in North Dakota. Their negotiation skills with the NCAA were pitiful...unless, of course, they were trying to get the nickname removed. Every other school who still has a tribal nickname negotiated a deal with the NCAA where they only needed one tribe's approval. North Dakota had to get two [both]. One voted and overwhelmingly approved, the other never voted because the tribal leaders wouldn't let their people vote (of course knowing the tribe would also approve the name). It's all so mind-blowingly stupid and frustrating. North Dakota didn't have some stupid mascot running around as a caricature of Sioux. They didn't have an awful, cartoony logo that wrongly misrepresents the Sioux people. Both tribes flags hang in the hockey arena. There's a beautiful statue of Sitting Bull boldly welcoming all who visit. The players did everything to uphold the pride and loyalty to the name during competition. Those who didn't were highly frowned upon. To me it's absurd to think that because I'm not blood-born Sioux, that I can't relate to what their history means. I proudly want to be a Sioux...it means something. I don't want to call myself a Sioux because of negative things....no one does. We were proud, and we let people know it, and we fight for it because it has substance. Some idiots sitting in an office in Indianapolis will never understand that.

[IceCap]

Let's keep the topic focused on the process of choosing a new nickname. Whatever you may think of the Fighting Sioux name? It's not coming back.

[chriscj83]

I still think Roughriders is going to be the best option, if they're looking for something to represent the state. Sorry, Red River High School; maybe they can be proud they helped the University out and gave them their nickname in a time of need. They can rename their high school mascot the Good Samaritans. Boom- problem solved.

To my surprise, Sundogs is growing on me. I don't think they'll use it, but it could be very good. Fighting Hawks sounds clumsy to me, and I'm surprised it's lasted this long- same with North Stars; as mentioned above, we're not the North Star state.

What I am getting frustrated with is hearing that students won't want to come to UND anymore because they no longer have the old nickname, or will end up having a nickname that some Facebook jabronis don't like. Pardon my French, but that's hogwash. Balderdash, even. Students are going to go to the University of North Dakota because it has world-class facilities for education and athletics. I know I shouldn't put much stock in FB comments, but there are so many, and so many opinion articles from local news being posted that it's hard to avoid.

It's way past the time to move on; I used to be annoyed that they had to change the name/logo, but now I'm excited for something new. I'm very ready for them to get a new nickname and logo so this ridiculous situation is behind us, and also so I can update my signature.

I still think they should have went with Zombies. Chanting "BRAAAAAIIIINNNNSS" would be awesome at a live event.

[OnWis97]

It is definitely a hard thing to pick a "forever" college nickname. And for that reason, I am glad this is taking a while.

Overall, I don't like these very much but here I go, in order:

1. Roughriders: I admit that it's growing on me. I think I am reminded of the CFL team and that threw me, but it's really not a commonly-used name in the States. At this point, I really hope they go with it. I don't know anything about the high school referenced in the post above, but would they really have to change their name? Just let 'em both have the same name.

That's it. I really don't like the rest. North Dakota Nodaks is too redundant-sounding. Same with North Stars, not to mention that a bordering state is called "The North Star State". Sun Dogs really, really, really sounds like a Class A baseball team.

Regarding Fighting Hawks, I'd be OK if they tried to work "Hawks" in somehow, but "Fighting Hawks" just seems awkward. I suppose, gun to my head, I'd put Fighting Hawks number two but I'd rather go with "Green Hawks." OK, Red Hawks and Golden Eagles are more realistic, but we have "Golden Gophers". A lot of schools just put a main color in front of an animal.

I predict they go with: No Nickname. Otherwise, Roughriders.

[hettinger_rl]

They probably won't go with Rough Riders. A Grand Forks high school uses that.

[WavePunter]

The high school used it long before this process started, and the nickname still made it to the final 5.. Who cares if a high school uses it? The task at hand is to create their own identity - whatever it may be, not to avoid all other existing identities.. Miss State and Georgia don't have any issues, and they're in the same conference (not to mention the 3 tigers' teams in the same conference).. It's just about creating your own brand, which is still very possible even with another institution using the same nickname

[Viper]

I think for a college that (I'm assuming) doesn't depend on mascot-related merchandise sales, going without a nickname is a perfectly acceptable short-term solution. Let a name evolve organically, like how it was done back in the day. The students, alumni, and fans would probably embrace it more if it was something that wasn't just told to them.

That being said, I'm not sure how the organic evolution of a nickname would happen in 2015 - you'd have writers trying to force their ideas in to stories in hopes that it catches on so they can "take credit" for whatever it becomes.

This sounds good on paper, but without a nickname, everyone is just going to keep calling them the Sioux...including me. The problem is, no one wants to accept any of the five remaining nickname options, which is part of what makes the whole process for people like me so painful. And with the merchandise sales, you're right, the University will not depend on mascot-related merchandise once the new nickname is implemented. Even right now the non-nickname stuff hasn't been a hot seller. However, anything with the name or logo pertaining to Sioux, you can rake the buyer over the coals, because Sioux stuff sold, sells, and will sell a lot of merchandise.

That's likely precisely why the no-nickname option is so popular - so that fans, who aren't bound by NCAA strictures on nicknames, can keep using the Fighting Sioux name even without official recognition from the university. The fact that UND has reconsidered it tells me they [a] are utterly clueless to this possibility, are aware of it but don't care, or [c] are intentionally using it as a nods-and-winks method of keeping the Fighting Sioux nickname alive, albeit unofficially, among the fan base. After all, if fans still use the Fighting Sioux nickname among themselves even though UND and the NCAA have officially disavowed it, who are the Sioux going to, well, sue?

It'll also be interesting to see how aggressively UND goes after people selling knockoff Fighting Sioux merchandise going forward, or if they even bother going after them at all, especially if UND athletics choose to remain officially nameless. If they don't bother cracking down on such knockoffs, that tells me the nameless option is a deliberate attempt at a fig leaf to keep the old nickname going.

[BBTV]

Do they keep the trademark to old Sioux logos, or is it like the Washington deal where they lost those rights? I know it's a totally different situation but I'm not sure if the Sioux name / likeness was now considered "owned" by... well, the Sioux.

[cubsfan2015]

Do they keep the trademark to old Sioux logos, or is it like the Washington deal where they lost those rights? I know it's a totally different situation but I'm not sure if the Sioux name / likeness was now considered "owned" by... well, the Sioux.

I think so. But it's what Ice_Cap said,it's never coming back.

NEVER. EVER. FOR THE WHOLE ENTIRE TIME LEFT OF MANKIND.

[AnPheitseog]

I honestly like the idea of schools not having nicknames.

[dolphingator1]

I support the no-nickname option.

It is the best way to call attention to the ridiculousness of the whole pc situation.

It also allows the people of North Dakota to unofficially use the nickname they choose, which is their right.

[BBTV]

Do they keep the trademark to old Sioux logos, or is it like the Washington deal where they lost those rights? I know it's a totally different situation but I'm not sure if the Sioux name / likeness was now considered "owned" by... well, the Sioux.

I think so. But it's what Ice_Cap said,it's never coming back.

NEVER. EVER. FOR THE WHOLE ENTIRE TIME LEFT OF MANKIND.

My post was in response to the question of the being able to go after counterfeiters of the old Sioux gear. I couldn't care less about their nickname.

[Gothamite]

I support the no-nickname option.

It is the best way to call attention to the ridiculousness of the whole pc situation.

Not PC. IP.

If it was PC they would be prohibited from using the name under any circumstances. Instead, they just need to license it from the owners. Nobody's fault that they couldn't secure that license.

[Big A HG]

UND DOES retain the rights to the name/logo. There will actually be limited merchandise that can and will be sold from time to time in the future which allows them to retain those rights.

[razorback447]

Looks like they are announcing the new nickname at 10am local time today. They've been having a vote for the last 5 days between Fighting Hawks and Roughriders.

@gfherald: BREAKING: UND to announce new nickname at 10 a.m. TODAY https://t.co/RSWtkRR5vz@myUND https://t.co/AXSrHskf29