Fighting Sioux Name Is Back – The Debate Continues

Controversy around the University of North Dakota’s nickname, the Fighting Sioux, continues – but the name is back!

I first wrote about this in April of 2010 in “Fighting Sioux – The Fight Isn’t Over“. At that time the University had been forced by the courts to retire the nickname. The NCAA considers the nickname “hostile and offensive”. UND fans and alumni believes it evokes pride and tradition.

This is a battle that’s been going on since 2005. Recently the University has been replacing the Indian profile logo with interlocked letters N and D. Which is essentially a ripoff of the University of Notre Dame’s logo. Ironically Notre Dame’s nickname is “the fighting Irish”. Apparently the NCAA doesn’t find the fighting Irish, “hostile and offensive” leading one to believe the NCAA cares more for Indians over the Irish.

At the end of the day, much of the controversy boils down to money. The Fighting Sioux logo is a source of pride but also a big time source of revenue for the University of North Dakota.

Two reasons I identified back in April 2010 still hold true:

• 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

I suspect UND officials have bigger issues to deal with. It’s time to let this one go permanently.