On Saturday, the University of North Dakota unveiled its new Fighting Hawks mascot. Yay!
The new mascot made its first public appearance on the back of a side-by-side ATV driven by Erik Martinson, Assistant Athletics Director for Operations.
My first impression, not bad. The new mascot actually exceeded my expectations. Many of you hate it. Before you dismiss the new mascot. Ponder this. You might not be the intended audience. For the most part, team mascots are for the children.
Last night, I posted this on my Facebook page. New mascot, go.
Good Morning UND fans, have you seen the new Hawks mascot?
The nameless mascot was a big hit with the kids. pic.twitter.com/yfjvsV6AuQ
— Eric J. Burton (@goon48) September 23, 2018
Many UND fans hate the Fighting Hawks nickname and logo. Now the mascot is in the crosshairs. Upon posting a picture of the new mascot, I received some interesting responses. So did Brad Schlossman. Check out the tweets he received.
It's here. pic.twitter.com/snzMg1Imxh
— Brad Elliott Schlossman (@SchlossmanGF) September 22, 2018
Make no mistake about it, the Fighting Sioux logo is magnificent. I have many pieces of clothing in my closet with the Fighting Sioux logo on it. The creator of the now-retired Fighting Sioux logo, Ben Brien is an awesome artist. The Fighting Sioux logo will always part of UND’s history. If you check out his Facebook page you will see some of his new work.
Like it or not, UND is going to market the new nickname. The University desperately needs to sell sports apparel. Selling more jerseys and t-shirts with the Fighting Hawks logo affects the university’s bottom line. During the calendar year of 2018-19, the Hawks logo and mascot will be center stage. Whether it makes an appearance at the Ralph or not is another thing. Stay tuned.
Imagine if the top drawing team on campus fully embraced the Fighting Hawks logo, apparel would fly off the shelf. Just something to think about.
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