It’s Still Warriors
Some Warriors supporters my feel disheartened at the Board of Trustees’ flat-out rejection of the name, and there is a danger that the Warriors supporters will be coopted into the booming “anything but Gold” movement.
Opposing “Gold” is splendid, but let’s keep our eyes on the prize: going back to the Warriors nickname.
It’s true that, in the short run, Warriors isn’t on the table. But 11 years ago, when the school went with “Golden Eagles” nobody could have ever predicted that in 2005 Warriors would be under consideration -- even though the “consideration” was a sham.
The simple fact is that the only viable alternative to “Warriors” that might have had any actual loyalty, Golden Eagles, has been renounced and discredited.
The politically correct crowd will of course rally to anything but Warriors, but Warriors is now clearly the most supported nickname possible, the favorite of a huge majority of alumni, and a clear majority of students.
We are talking about a long-term project here. Change won’t come until Fr. Wild leaves Marquette -- although this fiasco may hasten that day. The Trustees were clearly manipulated here, and wouldn’t necessarily be opposed if a different administration was in power.
Remember, for many years Ronald Reagan was ridiculed as an old-fashioned convervative who was “behind the times.” John Paul the Great was likewise denigrated as some ultra-orthodox throwback who shouldn’t be leading the modern Church. But both men prevailed.
For the moment, we have these suggestions:
Opposing “Gold” is splendid, but let’s keep our eyes on the prize: going back to the Warriors nickname.
It’s true that, in the short run, Warriors isn’t on the table. But 11 years ago, when the school went with “Golden Eagles” nobody could have ever predicted that in 2005 Warriors would be under consideration -- even though the “consideration” was a sham.
The simple fact is that the only viable alternative to “Warriors” that might have had any actual loyalty, Golden Eagles, has been renounced and discredited.
The politically correct crowd will of course rally to anything but Warriors, but Warriors is now clearly the most supported nickname possible, the favorite of a huge majority of alumni, and a clear majority of students.
We are talking about a long-term project here. Change won’t come until Fr. Wild leaves Marquette -- although this fiasco may hasten that day. The Trustees were clearly manipulated here, and wouldn’t necessarily be opposed if a different administration was in power.
Remember, for many years Ronald Reagan was ridiculed as an old-fashioned convervative who was “behind the times.” John Paul the Great was likewise denigrated as some ultra-orthodox throwback who shouldn’t be leading the modern Church. But both men prevailed.
For the moment, we have these suggestions:
- “Warrior” should be the rallying cry of the politically-incorrect alternative movement on campus. This blog will continue to be the Marquette Warrior Blog. Hopefully, the Republicans who publish The Warrior will continue to do so.
- People should wear Warrior insignia, and indeed Warrior insignia with (dignified) American Indian imagery. The willingness of Warriors supporters to drop Indian imagery was an attempt to compromise with a politically-correct Administration, but now that the Administration has spat in the face of the compromisers, the deal is off.
- Chants of “Warriors, Warriors” during games would be dandy.
- Alumni who support Warriors should stop contributing. The Administration is betting that they won’t do that. Alumni should be willing to call their bluff. In the long run, a defeat for political correctness will improve Marquette far more than extra bucks.
posted by John McAdams at 1:45 PM
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