North Dakota Will Change Its Nickname

Thankfully, it seems as if the first stage of clearance on this story has passed. After a meeting with the NCAA, North Dakota has decided the only course of action to take at this point is to transition away from the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo.

As I have said on here before, I personally like the nickname and the logo, but think it was time for a change. There was never going to be any peaceful resolution that included keeping the nickname, and it felt like change was inevitable. Further, once it started potentially threatening UND's entrance into the Big Sky, that was the last straw for me. It seems that had a big effect on the decision makers as well.

The governor said after Friday’s meeting that keeping the nickname could cause serious harm to the university and its athletic programs, as the NCAA had said it would encourage other member schools not to schedule competition with UND while UND is in noncompliance. Also, UND’s entry into the Big Sky Conference next year could be in doubt if the nickname stayed and the sanctions were sustained.

“I have come to the conclusion that the consequences of not retiring the Sioux logo are too great,” Dalrymple said.

Finally, after years of debate, it seems there will finally be a resolution.

The next stage is to decide what the nickname should be changed to. One popular opinion (which I also like) is for the new nickname to be... no nickname. Just The University of North Dakota. However, would the NCAA allow that? ND Goon looked at it. While it seems like they need to come up with something for a new nickname, it is arguably open for debate. It is hard to say though that UND would want to get into another debate with the NCAA, but we will see.

Regardless, this was an important step for UND athletics, as their entrance into the Big Sky Conference was something that was vital to the continued success of the athletic department.