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Post by Pantherholic on May 20, 2013 12:00:03 GMT -6
If we're using local animals just for the sake of being local then why not the Robin? It is our State Bird. I'd sign off on Robins only to see PantherLou's face upon the announcement (he hates robins). I do like something German-themed given that I'm half German and having someone dressed in lederhosen as our mascot ala Notre Dame's leprechaun could be funny (and WAY better than Pounce/Victor E Panther). Old German Beer Hall could become the official pregame spot too  . I have a feeling minority groups would complain but its not like we're changing it to Redskins so they don't really have a leg to stand on. If we work with local German heritage groups in the area and they sign off on it, complaints will be more PR stunts than legit concerns. |
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Post by DunneDeal on May 20, 2013 12:48:27 GMT -6
Changing the nickname to represent the German past of Milwaukee, could be cool, done right. Which I think we all agree on this, that the University would find a way to mess it up.
But also it would be a cool throwback seeing as ALOT of places in Milwaukee were all but stripped of the their Germanic roots during the wars. When everyone was Americanizing to avoid the hate people had for Germans.
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Post by illwauk on May 20, 2013 14:15:43 GMT -6
Jackrabbits and rabbits are like Gulls and any other bird mascot. Birds...cats...dogs...just don't excite me. But your post got me thinking....... ...........what about the Bavarians? Already spoken for: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milwaukee_Bavarians |
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Post by PantherU on May 20, 2013 14:22:33 GMT -6
I'm well aware of Bavarians FC. I don't think it's going to matter if a fourth-tier soccer team shares our mascot. It's not like Greendale HS is a problem as the Panthers.
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Lutzow10
Freshman
MILWAUKEE PROUD - PANTHER STRONG
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Post by Lutzow10 on May 20, 2013 14:28:43 GMT -6
The Milwaukee Socialists. Its historical. Lol.
"During the first half of the 20th century, Milwaukee was the hub of the socialist movement in the United States. Milwaukeeans elected three Socialist mayors during this time: Emil Seidel (1910–1912), Daniel Hoan (1916–1940), and Frank Zeidler (1948–1960), and remains the only major city in the country to have done so.
Often referred to as "Sewer Socialists," these Milwaukee Socialists were characterized by their practical approach to government and labor. These practices emphasized cleaning up neighborhoods and factories with new sanitation systems, city owned water and power systems, and improved education systems. Their influence began to dwindle in the late 1950s amidst the "red scare"."
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Lutzow10
Freshman
MILWAUKEE PROUD - PANTHER STRONG
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Post by Lutzow10 on May 20, 2013 14:31:36 GMT -6
The one thing thats posted that I am all for is the soccer uniform concept that Illwauk proposed. Those are some of the coolest looking soccer unis i think I have ever seen.
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Post by illwauk on May 20, 2013 14:43:08 GMT -6
I really don't care for Gulls, I think it's fine as a throwback gimmick every once and awhile. It is nice to have something like that to draw upon time and again, it gives the perception that our relatively young University has a deeper past than it actually does. Holic mentioned the adverse effects of having a second blue/gold clad team in town, well what about a second bird team? I don't see MU's nickname as relevant to this discussion because of how rarely they play it up and how most of their hardcore fans will insist their "true" nickname is Warriors. They can get away with it because they're the only sports entity in the city known as Marquette. If we're going to call ourselves Milwaukee, we'd better have something that connects with the community better than Panthers. If we're using local animals just for the sake of being local then why not the Robin? It is our State Bird. If it must be a predator, then why not coyotes or fox? There's plenty of them in the county also. And there's the ever elusive Milwaukee dumpster raccoon. I'd be more open to Robins if Gulls weren't so much more pervasive on the east side. A better animal alternative might be looking in our prehistoric past. The State fossil is the Claymene celebra trilobite. Mammoths/Mastodons have been found all over the state, the one in the museum was dug up in Kenosha. Think of the "Ice Age" type marketing! What a great way to get more kids and families to games and wear university apparel. I mean we have the Wisconsinan Glaciation Period named after our State, something a little more substantial to tap into than merely animal "X" lives in our immediate area. Side note: I know IPFW uses the Mastodon nickname but we can do a better job marketing than them right? Nationlly/Regionally our University has had more exposure than IPFW and likely always will. If they'd dug it up in MKE, and not a remote suburb 40 miles away, I'd be more into it. But as it is, that's something Parkside should look into, if anything. Ultimately, I think if we must change our nickname, BP might be on a better course by using a more human caricature that defines the region. Bavarians, Mariners, Industrialists could all be viable personifications. I would love to be the Milwaukee Bavarians if it weren't already used by one of the greatest semi-pro soccer clubs in America. Mariners would be an upgrade from Panthers, but it still has the problem of being used by a much more visible pro franchise. Industrialists, while unique, is just as "meh" as Panthers. |
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Post by illwauk on May 20, 2013 15:24:07 GMT -6
I'm well aware of Bavarians FC. I don't think it's going to matter if a fourth-tier soccer team shares our mascot. Bavarians isn't just a typical fourth-tier club though... they're a four-time US Open Cup champion and one of the top amateur clubs in America. They've also had the name for eight-plus decades. Maybe if we sought permission from them and they wanted to revert to Bayern Milwaukee or something, but I think it'd be awfully sh*tty of us to just yank their identity from them, as cool as that name would be for our teams. Although I don't think there would be any problem with us incorporating the flag pattern into our uniforms... all of our uniforms... for that matter. It's not like Greendale HS is a problem as the Panthers. Maybe not Greendale, specifically, but the fact that so many local high schools have essentially the same identity as us really is part of the reason why this is a topic worth discussing. |
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mwu
Sophomore
I am U-Dub U-M
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Post by mwu on May 20, 2013 16:01:02 GMT -6
Holic mentioned the adverse effects of having a second blue/gold clad team in town, well what about a second bird team? I don't see MU's nickname as relevant to this discussion because of how rarely they play it up and how most of their hardcore fans will insist their "true" nickname is Warriors. They can get away with it because they're the only sports entity in the city known as Marquette. If we're going to call ourselves Milwaukee, we'd better have something that connects with the community better than Panthers. MU doesn't "play up" Golden Eagles? www.gomarquette.com/  Not to mention that every sportcaster in town when referring to a nickname uses Golden Eagles. (But that could also be due to MU having a competent PR staff/solid media guidelines, unlike ourselves.) Because a fringe group can't/won't give up Willie Wampum doesn't mean that to everyone else (especially those outside of SE Wisconsin/Chicagoland) they aren't Golden Eagles. If they'd dug it up in MKE, and not a remote suburb 40 miles away, I'd be more into it. But as it is, that's something Parkside should look into, if anything. Nonetheless, Kenosha still is a suburb of the Milwaukee-Chicago Megalopolis, in our Region of SE Wisconsin, and the fossil remains are in the MPM. We always tout that our University educates the most Wisconsin Residents, this is would be a nod to that. I would love to be the Milwaukee Bavarians if it weren't already used by one of the greatest semi-pro soccer clubs in America. Mariners would be an upgrade from Panthers, but it still has the problem of being used by a much more visible pro franchise. Industrialists, while unique, is just as "meh" as Panthers. It's because of Bavarians FC that it would be a good idea for the University. What youth soccer organization has fed the success of Panther Soccer more than Bavarians? If you're worried that we'd be in the shadow of the Seattle Mariners were we to adopt that moniker, would we be in any more of a shadow of a semi-pro/youth soccer organization? |
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mwu
Sophomore
I am U-Dub U-M
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Post by mwu on May 20, 2013 16:10:25 GMT -6
It's not like Greendale HS is a problem as the Panthers. Maybe not Greendale, specifically, but the fact that so many local high schools have essentially the same identity as us really is part of the reason why this is a topic worth discussing. Does UW-Madison need to change their nickname since so many Wisconsin High Schools use the Badger as a Mascot or borrow "On Wisconsin" as a fight song? By that logic we wouldn't be able to change our name to anything else seeing as with as many schools as there are in the country, I'm sure every possible mascot is "spoken" for. Universities and High Schools are an apples to oranges comparison. |
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Post by illwauk on May 20, 2013 17:07:25 GMT -6
I don't see MU's nickname as relevant to this discussion because of how rarely they play it up and how most of their hardcore fans will insist their "true" nickname is Warriors. They can get away with it because they're the only sports entity in the city known as Marquette. If we're going to call ourselves Milwaukee, we'd better have something that connects with the community better than Panthers. MU doesn't "play up" Golden Eagles? <MU Eagle Logo> Not to mention that every sportcaster in town when referring to a nickname uses Golden Eagles. (But that could also be due to MU having a competent PR staff/solid media guidelines, unlike ourselves.) Marquette has been de-emphasizing the Golden Eagles part of their name ever since the whole Gold fiasco. What you just posted is a secondary logo... their primary logo is the MU monogram, which is why that's what you see representing the school/team in all major media (ESPN, CBS Spots, etc) and even the Bradley Center box office. Even when you google "Marquette logo," you'll find way more hits for the older version of the Golden Eagle than the one you just posted. Because a fringe group can't/won't give up Willie Wampum doesn't mean that to everyone else (especially those outside of SE Wisconsin/Chicagoland) they aren't Golden Eagles. Honestly, I see more t-shirts around town with this on it than I see the logo you posted.  Had they reverted to Hilltoppers or (better yet) Golden Avalanche, it'd have nipped any "But... it's tradition" type arguments in the bud. Instead, rejecting Golden Eagles in favor of Warriors is now as big a tradition for MU students than Golden Eagles ever was in the first place. I would love to be the Milwaukee Bavarians if it weren't already used by one of the greatest semi-pro soccer clubs in America. Mariners would be an upgrade from Panthers, but it still has the problem of being used by a much more visible pro franchise. Industrialists, while unique, is just as "meh" as Panthers. It's because of Bavarians FC that it would be a good idea for the University. What youth soccer organization has fed the success of Panther Soccer more than Bavarians? If you're worried that we'd be in the shadow of the Seattle Mariners were we to adopt that moniker, would we be in any more of a shadow of a semi-pro/youth soccer organization? I'm not saying I'm not open to Bavarians as our nickname... I actually like it. I'm just saying I don't think it'd be right for us to just encroach on a brand they've owned for 80+ years. Perhaps it's possible for the university to approach them diplomatically and work something out; but why go through the trouble when we have a perfectly unique nickname that's actually organic to the institution we represent just sitting in the dustbin of our history? |
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Post by illwauk on May 20, 2013 17:14:03 GMT -6
Maybe not Greendale, specifically, but the fact that so many local high schools have essentially the same identity as us really is part of the reason why this is a topic worth discussing. that logic we wouldn't be able to change our name to anything else seeing as with as many schools as there are in the country, I'm sure every possible mascot is "spoken" for. Universities and High Schools are an apples to oranges comparison. The difference is, those high schools call themselves the Badgers and play On Wisconsin because Madison does it. I still can't find a single Wisconsin high school or D1 college known as the Panthers that wasn't already using it by the time we adopted it in 1965. It should've never even made it on the ballot for UWM for those reasons alone. |
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Post by Pantherholic on May 20, 2013 18:01:16 GMT -6
Honestly, I see more t-shirts around town with this on it than I see the logo you posted. You see these for two reasons: 1) Stubborn douchebags who can't let go of the past 2) Retro is a very fashionable trend. That's why teens & college students are wearing neon clothing, wayfarer sunglasses and/or snapback caps with old sports logos/designs. |
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Lutzow10
Freshman
MILWAUKEE PROUD - PANTHER STRONG
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Post by Lutzow10 on May 20, 2013 18:16:21 GMT -6
Do we have any say in the jerseys that Adidas designs? Because it would be really cool if we had throwback gulls jerseys for a game during the season. Like nice ones. And they could auction them off at the end of the night. I mean odds are we aren't going to change fro the panthers. But if we did it for promo games for our different sports that would be something unique to draw fans.
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Post by Pantherholic on May 20, 2013 18:45:56 GMT -6
If you're worried that we'd be in the shadow of the Seattle Mariners were we to adopt that moniker, would we be in any more of a shadow of a semi-pro/youth soccer organization? Outside of some soccer circles, we wouldn't be in any shadow of Bavarians FC. |
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. I have a feeling minority groups would complain but its not like we're changing it to Redskins so they don't really have a leg to stand on. If we work with local German heritage groups in the area and they sign off on it, complaints will be more PR stunts than legit concerns.
