If I were an alumni of Syracuse, I'd be pissed now

[Brock]

... knowing that the ABA is about to completely bastardize your old nickname..

From the always popular ABALive.com

MOVE OVER MICKEY - HERE COME THE ORANGE MEN!

Indianapolis, IN. The American Basketball Association (ABA) today announced that the league will have an expansion team starting this November in Orlando, Florida - and that it will be named the ORLANDO ORANGE MEN.

According to Joe Newman, ABA CEO, "I can't tell you how pleased we are to be able to have this team in the league. It fits so well into our divisional plans and the owners and operators are very skilled at business, basketball and entertainment - in one of the entertainment capitals of the world. It can't get better than this."

The proud owners of the ORLANDO ORANGE MEN are Orlando-based Jimmy Lyons and Beverly Hills-based A.J. DiScala. Lyons will serve as General Manager of the team. He has a Masters Degree in Sports Management, 7 black belts in martial arts and has won 5 World Martial Arts Championships.

"I know what it is like to bring a winning atmosphere to Orlando. I have worked with the US President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports on educating kids across the country on physical fitness as well as having worked with law enforcement agencies nationwide on self-defense training and 'Say No to Drugs' programs," said Lyons. "We will make a great impact on the youth in our community and bring top quality sports and entertainment here. We are excited - and will be announcing many plans shortly."

A.J. DiScala is CEO and Co-founder of Brax Capital Group, a Beverly Hills, CA-based company with a focus on entertainment and media related growth companies providing strategies, financing and growth opportunities. DiScala has extensive connections with celebrities and industry leaders and will add his extraordinary business acumen to the overall operations of the team.

"This is the first of several ABA teams in which we will become involved - the ABA's niche of top quality sports and entertainment at affordable prices is extraordinary - and we are proud to be a part of it. We look forward to working with Jimmy to make this a truly great organization and one that will make the people of Orlando proud," said DiScala.

Is it me, or is the headline of this article a little TOO appropriate. Mickey Mouse League penning a headline of MOVE OVER MICKEY.

[Dilbert]

Really I think that it will work. Didnt Orange Men in Syracuse mean something different(Native American or something) rather than some guy picking oranges out of an orange grove.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Really I think that it will work. Didnt Orange Men in Syracuse mean something different(Native American or something) rather than some guy picking oranges out of an orange grove.

Right. However, Orange Men, said as two words, sounds terrible. It's clearly a name only associated with Syracuse, much like if a trash ABA team called itself the Sooners, Hoosiers, or Golden Bears.

[swilson160]

The proud owners of the ORLANDO ORANGE MEN are Orlando-based Jimmy Lyons and Beverly Hills-based A.J. DiScala.

A.J. DiScala is CEO and Co-founder of Brax Capital Group, a Beverly Hills, CA-based company with a focus on entertainment and media related growth companies providing strategies, financing and growth opportunities. DiScala has extensive connections with celebrities and industry leaders and will add his extraordinary business acumen to the overall operations of the team.

Well, this isn't the biggest mistake DiScala has made...he was married to Jamie-Lynn Sigler (Meadow Soprano) and managed to mess that up.

By the way, I am embarassed and horrified that I know that.

[Mike Felder]

I don't think "Orangemen" at Syracuse had anything to do with Native Americans or any other ethnic group. I'm pretty sure they were called that because their teams wore orange...much like St. John's with "Redmen."

[Your Name Here]

Actually, you'd be pissed if you were an alumnus. Unless you're a woman, in which case you're an alumna.

[Waffles]

I dunno. I'm a current SU student and I'm having a hard time figuring out how a 5th-rate minor league basketball league team owned by Meadow Soprano's ex using our former team nickname should bother me.

Although I wonder if Syracuse still holds the trademarks to Orangemen (and if it applies to Orange Men).

[EatSleepJeep]

The Syracuse Orangemen has do with being a Protestant, it's their color. Hence the orange panel in the Irish flag.

[Mings]

My guess, an orange, red, and blue basketball as the logo.

No matter what it would still suck.

Anyone have Jamie-Lynn's address?

[Cooleyvol]

I don't think "Orangemen" at Syracuse had anything to do with Native Americans or any other ethnic group. I'm pretty sure they were called that because their teams wore orange...much like St. John's with "Redmen."

That being the case, why would they have changed it? Syracuse OR St John's.

Methinks you're wrong. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure of it.

[SabreGuy]

I don't think "Orangemen" at Syracuse had anything to do with Native Americans or any other ethnic group.  I'm pretty sure they were called that because their teams wore orange...much like St. John's with "Redmen."

That being the case, why would they have changed it? Syracuse OR St John's.

Methinks you're wrong. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure of it.

Yes, that is, in fact, completely bass ackwards.

The orangemen originally referred to in Syracuse's nickname were originally Native Americans, and their old logo (pre-orange ball guy) reflected that...

"Nicknamed Bill Orange, the original mascot, an Indian warrior, of the University got its name from Syracuse being the salt city and because Syracuse is the home of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Still located on the Quad, the statue of the Saltine Warrior, a gift of the class of 1951, was sculpted by Louise Harriet Meyers. The warrior stayed as the mascot until 1978 when American Indian students complained that the mascot was offensive. For a time, a Roman Gladiator served as the mascot and students even proposed the Abominable Orangeman, an orangutan and Egnaro the Troll as new mascots."

And of course before removing the native american references, and then finally changing to "red storm," the St. John's "redmen" also referred to Native Americans...

[walkdesign]

The Syracuse Orangemen has do with being a Protestant, it's their color. Hence the orange panel in the Irish flag.

Why would the Irish have a Orange panel in there flag to symbolize being protestant?

The Irish were pagans until they converted to catholicism, the whole war with Northern Ireland is fueled by them being protestant (as well as english followers) and there is no Orange in the Northen Irish flag.

[SabreGuy]

The Syracuse Orangemen has do with being a Protestant, it's their color.  Hence the orange panel in the Irish flag.

Why would the Irish have a Orange panel in there flag to symbolize being protestant?

The Irish were pagans until they converted to catholicism, the whole war with Northern Ireland is fueled by them being protestant (as well as english followers) and there is no Orange in the Northen Irish flag.

From the Wikipedia article "Flag of Ireland" (the bold emphasis is mine):

The tricolour, with its three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white and orange (occasionally mis-identified as gold), was first flown from the Wolfe Tone Club, on The Mall in Waterford City, on 7 March 1848 by Thomas Francis Meagher. It was first used by Irish nationalists in 1848 during the Young Irelanders' rebellion, though the colours on the original flag were in reverse order to the modern version. Inspired by the French tricolour and the Newfoundland tricolour (Meagher's father was born in Newfoundland) it was designed to represent the Nationalist (mainly Roman Catholic) majority (represented by green) and the Unionist (mainly Protestant) minority (represented by orange due to William of Orange) living together in peace (symbolised by the white band). Contrary to myth, the tricolour was not the actual flag of the Easter Rising, although it had been flown from the GPO; that flag was in fact a green flag with a harp and the words Irish Republic. However the tricolour became the de facto flag of the extra-legal Irish Republic declared in 1919 and was later adopted by the Irish Free State.

[Dilbert]

I don't think "Orangemen" at Syracuse had anything to do with Native Americans or any other ethnic group.  I'm pretty sure they were called that because their teams wore orange...much like St. John's with "Redmen."

That being the case, why would they have changed it? Syracuse OR St John's.

Methinks you're wrong. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure of it.

Yes, that is, in fact, completely bass ackwards.

The orangemen originally referred to in Syracuse's nickname were originally Native Americans, and their old logo (pre-orange ball guy) reflected that...

"Nicknamed Bill Orange, the original mascot, an Indian warrior, of the University got its name from Syracuse being the salt city and because Syracuse is the home of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Still located on the Quad, the statue of the Saltine Warrior, a gift of the class of 1951, was sculpted by Louise Harriet Meyers. The warrior stayed as the mascot until 1978 when American Indian students complained that the mascot was offensive. For a time, a Roman Gladiator served as the mascot and students even proposed the Abominable Orangeman, an orangutan and Egnaro the Troll as new mascots."

And of course before removing the native american references, and then finally changing to "red storm," the St. John's "redmen" also referred to Native Americans...

I knew Syracuse Orangemen had something to do with Native Americans. I Just learned now that the same went to St Johns

[firestorm]

I don't think "Orangemen" at Syracuse had anything to do with Native Americans or any other ethnic group.  I'm pretty sure they were called that because their teams wore orange...much like St. John's with "Redmen."

That being the case, why would they have changed it? Syracuse OR St John's.

Methinks you're wrong. As a matter of fact, I'm pretty sure of it.

Yes, that is, in fact, completely bass ackwards.

The orangemen originally referred to in Syracuse's nickname were originally Native Americans, and their old logo (pre-orange ball guy) reflected that...

"Nicknamed Bill Orange, the original mascot, an Indian warrior, of the University got its name from Syracuse being the salt city and because Syracuse is the home of the Six Nations of the Iroquois Confederacy. Still located on the Quad, the statue of the Saltine Warrior, a gift of the class of 1951, was sculpted by Louise Harriet Meyers. The warrior stayed as the mascot until 1978 when American Indian students complained that the mascot was offensive. For a time, a Roman Gladiator served as the mascot and students even proposed the Abominable Orangeman, an orangutan and Egnaro the Troll as new mascots."

And of course before removing the native american references, and then finally changing to "red storm," the St. John's "redmen" also referred to Native Americans...

I knew Syracuse Orangemen had something to do with Native Americans. I Just learned now that the same went to St Johns

Must correct you on the St. John's references. The team was originally called the "Redmen" because their uniforms were entirely red. It was years later that the Indian chief was adopted as the logo.

The school dropped the chief but kept the Redmen name for a few years, but eventually dismissed the nickname and switched to "Red Storm". This is still a contentious issue with many of the school's alumni, who hate the name change. It hasn't helped that the team endured some horrendous uniform changes after the switch or that the basketball program has been brutal in recent years. The debate still rages on among Redmen diehards.

As an aside, the school is now caught up in another sports marketing gaffe. After years of using the initials SJU on team gear, it is being forced to switch to STJ because another university had trademark rights to the SJU acronym. So if you're wearing any SJU items, get ready to cast them aside for the new STJ treatment.

[hockeyzealot]

As a Syracuse native and the son of a Syracuse alunma I really need to step in with the school's turbulent mascot history:

From Wikipedia (this is the history consistent with the one provided by SUs offical alumni magazine):

Orange is the official school color, adopted as such in 1890. Prior to that time, the school's colors were rose pink and pea green. Orange, blue and white are traditionally used for athletic uniforms.

The athletic nickname derives from the official color. Prior to 2004, the official nicknames of the athletic teams were the Orangemen and Orangewomen. These former nicknames are still affectionately used by some fans. However, beginning with the 2004-2005 school year, the official nickname was changed to the Orange. This revision is gender neutral, concise, and reflects the basis of the nickname as being the school color. Other informal nicknames over the years have included the "Hilltoppers", for the school's location on a hill, and the "Saltine Warriors", for a former mascot.

In 1931, a Native American warrior known as the "Saltine Warrior" became the athletic mascot. The name derived from an article describing an archaelogical dig on campus uncovering the artifacts of a Native American warrior. The warrior was called the "Saltine Warrior" because of the abundant salt deposits in the Syracuse, New York area. The article was later revealed to be a hoax, but the mascot remained until 1978 when banned by the University. The Saltine Warrior briefly morphed into a Roman warrior, but was replaced unofficially in 1980 by a giant cartoon-style Orange. The Orange was finally adopted by the University in 1995 as the University's official mascot, selected over a wolf and a lion also under consideration, and given the name "Otto the Orange".

So there you have it, you could amost make the argument that SU was one of the first schools to abandon a Native American mascot as the result of political pressure. Personally I'm glad the school has switched to being simply called Orange as that has really been the school's defining attribute since the beginning (with the exception of the pink and pea green "bad ol' days" )

[Gamingboy]

I said it once, I'll say it again. The ABA should just fold and get a agreement to put the 4 or 5 teams that actually are competent into the NBDL.

[ROCHitman]

This is dispicable!

And I am an alumnus.

Waffles, you should bring this story to someone at the DO.

I'd love to read what they have to say on the matter.