Fighting Sioux – The Fight Isn’t Over
After four years of legal wrangling and a trip to the state’s supreme court, the University of North Dakota has officially retired its Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.
Supporters believe the logo shows pride and tradition.
But the NCAA considers the nickname “hostile and offensive” and said UND cannot host postseason events without approval from the state’s two Sioux tribes. Under the settlement, the board and UND agreed to begin retiring the nickname if they couldn’t obtain permission from the Spirit Lake and Standing Rock Sioux tribes by Nov. 30.
The University of North Dakota must know these things (but I’ll list them for their benefit if their in-boxes are full of emails from angry/disappointed fans:
- The Fighting Sioux logo is one of the most (if not the most) prominent brands in college hockey – is walking away from this brand really the only option?
- The Fighting Sioux fan base is an economic boost to every city UND travels to. They come in force, spend freely and wear a lot of green Sioux gear
- The University’s ruling will be appealed. The governor of North Dakota says he’ll look at Fighting Sioux appeal http://cli.gs/2BjPd
I don’t have any affiliation with UND or the Fighting Sioux. But I live in neighboring Minnesota. I’ve seen the Fighting Sioux throngs. They love their brand. Don’t leave them out in the cold.
ThoughtTech On The Horizon 
If it’s such a strong brand for UND, why do you misattribute it to NDSU twice in a 230-word article? Just wondering.
Good catch, Lani.
I attribute my misidentification of UND to multi-tasking…pure and simple.
I’ve updated my post. Thank you for bringing it to my attention.
ThoughtTech, the first rule of pro merchandise marketing is “make it new.” If you can’t see the current opportunity for a slough of new merchandise sales–a new brand in addition to the old stock–you have no business in business. There has been a lot of money made in the last week on UND merchandise, and there will be after this logo mourning is over. I would say a lot of angry things about the ignorance of this post but you would delete it. Just know where you stand, ThoughtTech.
Jack – Here’s where you and I see it differently. And I know exactly where I stand.
Change is not always good. Traditions make long standing brands. Chevy, McDonald’s, Boston Red Sox come to mind.
I’d say the Fighting Sioux and the University of North Dakota have considerable tradition.
UND’s reason for changing is the root of their problem.