OT: Union name change

[UAlbany09]

So Union College has dropped the Dutchmen name and rebranded to the Garnet Chargers. Very odd name in my opinion. 

https://dailygazette.com/2023/08/03/union-college-drops-dutchmen-rebrands-as-garnet-chargers/

[UAalum72]

Will they still play RPI for the Dutchmen’s Shoes?

[cwdickens]

A former Union athlete shared his thoughts concerning the name change (from The Times-Union)

UNION COLLEGE

 

RB no fan of nickname

Arcidiacono says moniker for teams ‘makes me sick’

 

By Mark Singelais

Cindy Schultz/Times Union archive

Union’s Tom Arcidiacono, the school’s all-time leading rusher, said he won’t buy any school merchandise with the new logo.

Former Union running back Tom Arcidiacono, who is from East Greenbush, is the program’s career rushing leader and a member of the college’s Athletics Hall of Fame.

He attends two or three Union football games each fall. Arcidiacono said he always buys Union gear to support the school when he comes back to campus.

 

Never again, according to Arcidiacono, after Union announced Thursday it is changing its nickname and logo. The college dropped Dutchmen and Dutchwomen, its nicknames since the first half of the 20th century, in favor of Garnet Chargers.

“I will not buy a single thing associated with that logo,” Arcidiacono said Friday. “I’ll wear all my old stuff.”

Arcidiacono, who graduated in 2007, blasted the college’s decision with the same force he ran through tacklers to gain 4,919 rushing yards from 2003 to 2006.

“I literally have nothing positive to say about it,” he said. “Honestly, it makes me sick, and that’s been the general consensus from any other athlete or friends of mine I’ve spoke to from Union.”

Arcidiacono was particularly critical of the altered logo, which now has an electrical charge splitting the traditional Union “U.” Arcidiacono compared it to a popular sports drink’s logo.

“The logo is horrendous,” Arcidiacono said. “We’ve always been known as ‘The U’ and had a nice block U, and now you’ve got this Gatorade bottle logo with a hollowed out electric bolt in the middle of our U, which changes not only our mascot, but now we’ve changed our primary logo, which I thought was really recognizable and awesome and now we’ve got an imitation bootleg Gatorade sports label as a logo.”

Union explained in a Thursday news release that many students, alumni and employees who preferred Garnet Chargers over other finalists said it reflected Schenectady’s legacy as a leader in electrical technologies.

General Electric was formed in Schenectady through a merger in 1892 and Schenectady became known as the “Electric City.”

“I’m not sure why the focus of our school name is based on an industry that’s basically left Schenectady behind,” Arcidiacono said. “GE has very few employees or presence in Schenectady any more. Not to mention, why would that be where we’re rooting a nickname, based on a corporate company that put a business in Schenectady? The whole thing is just odd. Now our name is a generic name based off 100 other probably athletic programs and pro teams in sports have the name Chargers. And they tried to throw Garnet in front of it, which makes it sound even more corny.”

Garnet has been Union’s official color for more than 150 years.

Union began exploring a nickname change 10 month ago as part of a broader branding update. Union said the new nickname, and mascot to be unveiled this fall, “would better exemplify Union’s rich history and resonate with current and future students more effectively than the current moniker.”

But Arcidiacono said he remains unclear on Union’s motivation for the change. He wondered if it was because “Dutchmen” wasn’t considered inclusive enough.

Many of the comments on Union’s social media accounts were negative.

“Sad day to be an alum,” former Union linebacker Kevin Flike of Stillwater, a teammate of Arcidiacono, said on Facebook. “I wonder how much money has been spent on this ridiculous re-branding.”

Former Union hockey player Daniel Carr, a member of the 2014 national championship team, declined comment. A message left with second-year Union men’s hockey coach Josh Hauge resulted in an email response from a Union athletics spokesperson, directing a reporter to a prepared statement from Hauge.

“As a hockey team, we were looking for a name that matches the energy and passion we are striving to achieve on the ice every day,” Hauge said in the Union email. “The Garnet Chargers name connects us to the city of Schenectady as well as embodies many of the core values of our program. While change may not always be easy, we are excited for the future of both our program and the College as we move forward as Garnet Chargers.”

[jimbo]

I’m really not buying the college’s reasoning. Why take a long standing and widely recognized team name and cast it aside? Who does rebranding at the D3 level? My guess is that a few activists decided that Dutchmen was exclusionary or represented the patriarchy or echoed colonial powers and raised a stink internally. The school caved. I suppose there’s a good marketing opportunity for cell phone chargers in a garnet color with the new Gatorade Union charger logo on the side. 

[Eli]

9 hours ago, jimbo said:

I’m really not buying the college’s reasoning. Why take a long standing and widely recognized team name and cast it aside? Who does rebranding at the D3 level? My guess is that a few activists decided that Dutchmen was exclusionary or represented the patriarchy or echoed colonial powers and raised a stink internally. The school caved. I suppose there’s a good marketing opportunity for cell phone chargers in a garnet color with the new Gatorade Union charger logo on the side. 

Liberals. They ruin everything. AMIRITE? 😂

[cwdickens]

On 8/5/2023 at 5:37 PM, UAalum72 said:

Will they still play RPI for the Dutchmen’s Shoes?

As we now know, yes.  

Edited August 23, 2023 by cwdickens
grammar

[UAalum72]

On 8/5/2023 at 5:37 PM, UAalum72 said:

Will they still play RPI for the Dutchmen’s Shoes?

 

30 minutes ago, cwdickens said:

As we now now, yes.  

Dutchman Shoes Trophy to keep name - TU

[Michigan_Dane]

On 8/6/2023 at 8:20 AM, Eli said:

Liberals. They ruin everything. AMIRITE? 😂

On a related note, liberals will discard Yale University’s namesake Elihu Yale due to his slavery past.  Yale is a college with strong community ties so that community focus will inform the new college name.

So Yale’s new name will be “New Haven Community College”.  

[Michigan_Dane]

Just now, Michigan_Dane said:

On a related note, liberals will discard Yale University’s namesake Elihu Yale due to his slavery past.  Yale is a college with strong community ties so that community focus will inform the new college name.

So Yale’s new name will be “New Haven Community College”.  

“Progress” courtesy of our liberal overlords

[UAalum72]

41 minutes ago, Michigan_Dane said:

“Progress” courtesy of our liberal overlords

Sucked in by your own right-wing trolls, were you? Relax and have yourself a Bud Light.

[Michigan_Dane]

Give another $5 million to the big guy and fund your endless European war.  Yeah, that’s “progress”.

 

I have small kids so unfortunately I can’t be cavalier about this insanity because I actually have to care about the future instead of indulging in hedonism.  Impulse control people!!

[Michigan_Dane]

When Bud Lite was rightfully criticized, progressives ran in to drink what is arguably terrible beer.

 

When MS13 was criticized, progressives ran in to defend arguably one of the most violent gangs on the planet.

 

Well I will now criticize lead based paint and asbestos.  Feel free to rush out to purchase those products to stuff your house will asbestos and lead based paint!

 

Team politics is stupid.

[bob87]

3 hours ago, Michigan_Dane said:

When Bud Lite was rightfully criticized, progressives ran in to drink what is arguably terrible beer.

 

When MS13 was criticized, progressives ran in to defend arguably one of the most violent gangs on the planet.

 

Well I will now criticize lead based paint and asbestos.  Feel free to rush out to purchase those products to stuff your house will asbestos and lead based paint!

 

Team politics is stupid.

Do we really need fake bull$iena on this board 🤔 

[UAlbany09]

Looks like Siena is also making some changes, this time by designing a new logo. It’s also pretty terrible. 
 

https://www.wamc.org/news/2023-08-21/siena-colleges-updated-logo-gets-mixed-reaction-from-saints-faithful

[B9j2j6s]

Man college AD and AP have got to stop changing the logos.  I agree with the Siena fans, keep the S it is clean and recognizable.   As for us I still don't like the new dane logo.