May 04, 2005

Marquette Morons

Marquette University changed their athletic nickname. Alumni and traditionalists who despised the ten-year "Golden Eagle" interregnum won't be happy. The Warriors haven't returned. Instead, fans will be rooting for the Marquette Gold. Yes, Gold as in pile of yellow, precious metal. Gold as in bright color. No longer are Marquette athletes a man, woman, or bird. They are merely an element. MU is entering the Big East as just the Gold. AU as in auful.

Bringing back the Warriors nickname would have forced MU to admit it made a mistake. The Warriors nickname was dropped by a university president who thought that sometime in the future Native Americans would complain about the nickname and logo. Let me make it plain: there was no groundswell to change the name. Native Americans were pounding down MU officials' doors to change the name.

Pro-Warrior alumni are ticked. After ten years of fighting they finally got the university trustees to re-examine the decision. What did those wimps do? They refused to give in but tried to placate them by dumping Golden Eagles. They didn't satisfy them. In fact, I'm sure they enraged them. Gold is a nickname sure to draw plenty of derision from rival Wisconsin alumni. And there won't be anything to come back with. MU alumni and fans will only be able to truthfully state that university trustees are weak-kneed weenies.

UPDATE: Here's the Journal Sentinel's story on this sad event.

UPDATE II: GOP3.com:

We at GOP3.com are extremely dissapointed in the board’s choice and can see nothing but clouds in Marquette’s spineless, oversensitive, flip-flopping future.

UPDATE III: Monday, Marquette professor John McAdams documented how San Diego State handled their mascot debate. Marquette's debate has been little like it:

Marquette may have felt that, by going through the motions of reconsidering the “Warriors” issue that alumni and students could be placated. They appear to be preparing to say “we gave this full and honest consideration, and – sorry folks – Warriors failed.”

But nobody is going to be placated, because the issue didn’t get real consideration. Rather, Marquette tried to manipulate the process from the very beginning. The University would have been better off flatly stonewalling the issue rather than engaging in a dishonest charade.

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Sports radio yapper Steve "The Homer" True, MU's basketball's radio voice is trying to find ways of making Gold sound good. He's hyped that soon-to-be conference rival Syracuse are the Orange (formerly Orangemen). Great, twice a year MU will be involved in a Gold-Orange color war. What a clash! How pathetic!