Nickname change no big deal

By:

Posted: 8/31/04

Shortly after the 2004 spring semester came to a close, the Syracuse "Orangemen" and "Orangewomen" became known simply as "The Orange." Furthermore, the university announced a change in the SU logo and slightly altered the school colors, much to the dismay of some.

Almost immediately, backlash from both students and alumni erupted in the form of an Internet petition and general discontent among individuals who refused to let the Orangemen die without a fight. As noble an attempt as this is, changing the Syracuse sports' nickname is simply not something worth getting this upset over.

The Orangemen and women may be important to some, but changing a team's nickname only affects the way it is referred to in conversation, not how the team plays. Just because they are now "The Orange" does not mean that they are somehow less capable of representing Syracuse University. As well, Otto the Orange, arguably the most recognizable aspect of the Syracuse brand, is still just as big a part Syracuse sports.

Whether it was a matter of political correctness, or just for the sake of brevity, the fact of the matter is that whoever wishes to refer to Syracuse's sports teams as the Orangemen and women is welcome to do so. A petition to revert back to the original nomenclature is not necessary, and those efforts should be directed toward more important things.

As far as the logo is concerned, the decision to unite all the sports teams under one logo is far more appealing than the plethora of symbols that used to adorn the uniforms. Even though the new logo is nothing extraordinary, at least it's a step up.

Many have accused the university of giving in to the desires of Nike and allowing itself to be manipulated for the sake of the almighty dollar. Regardless of whether this is true, teaming up with Nike was far from a bad idea. From an economic standpoint, it would stand to reason that Nike has a good handle on what it takes to turn SU sports into its own marketable brand.

Although not everyone may agree with the new name and look, the powers that be have decided that it's here to stay. Thankfully, in a few months people will look back and wonder what all the fuss is about. Because, really, what's in a name?