May 06, 2005

Wade Dumbfounded

Dwayne Wade, possibly the greatest player in Marquette basketball history, wasn't too sure about dumping the Golden Eagles for the Gold:

ESPN: Your alma mater, Marquette, changed their nickname to the Gold. . . . What do you think of that?

Wade: To the what?

ESPN: To the Gold. The Marquette Gold. That's what they're going with now.

Wade: Awh . . . I got to call. I got to call in on that one.

ESPN: We are breaking some news.

Wade: I heard they were trying to change it back to Warriors.

ESPN: No, I guess they are going with Gold. I'm surprised they didn't call you to check to see if it was OK with you.

Wade: The Gold?

ESPN: Yeah.

Wade: No, I got to make a phone call to Marquette after we get off this . . . (laughter). . . . I don't know about that one.

ESPN: So that might change . . .

Wade: Marquette Gold. The Gold!

ESPN: All right, Dwyane . . . So far so good. I know your word carries a lot of weight at Marquette as well as Miami. Congratulations, enjoy the rest of the playoffs.

Wade: Thank you, I will. The Gold?

Wade, the ex-Golden Eagle, can call MU all he wants. In the words of wimpy MU Board of Trustees chairman John Bergstrom, "We're done." Now begins the process of focus groups and other marketing clap trap to force the new nickname down students' and alumni's throats. Or as MU president Father Robert Wild put it, "This is not an optional program. This is going to be a brand that we're going to build."

"It's Gold. Period."