Perspective
Friday, March 29, 2013
By Danny Whitford
Publisher & Editor |
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Big East
forgets to ask: What's in a name?
By
Danny Whitford
©2013 Bonesville.net
All Rights Reserved.
News stories emerged Thursday
that the Big East brain trust is considering "America 12" as the conference
name for the collection of football-playing schools that will soon bid
farewell to the Catholic 7 and the Big East moniker. The league's barristers
reportedly registered a number of Internet domain names reflecting the
America 12 concept.
America 12. Try to take in
the aroma. Swish it around your mouth. Mumble it under your breath. Say
it out loud.
Is it pungent? Is it
savory? Is it sour? Is it sweet?
No, it's just plain bland.
Like smelling and munching on cardboard.
What thoughts of
substance, inspiration or institutional loyalty does "America 12"
conjure up relating to a group of college sports teams?
None, as far as I can
discern.
When I do the word
association test and think of America 12, the first thought that pops
into my noggin is "Chicago 7." The second is "Jackson 5."
A legitimate branding
tie-in for "America 12" would be a movie about the Army Rangers or Navy
Seals.
But an association of
collegiate athletic programs assuming that label? I think not. It's an
aimless over-reach for a sweeping legitimacy that lacks a solid
connection to the identities of the schools that make up the conference.
Maybe the Big East think
tank is trying to duplicate on a grander scale the temporary but real
brand value that accrued almost overnight for "Catholic 7."
If that's the motivation,
perhaps the name "Protestant 12" would be better. Or if that offends the
atheists and pagans, we can broach the idea of calling it the "Secular
12."
Each time I try to analyze
the potential worth of America 12 as a brand, I shake my head in
puzzlement that such esteemed people would come up with a name so
detached from the attributes and aspirations of a league that will blaze
its own trail starting July 1.
We may as well call it the
ACME Conference. Wily Coyote and every other cartoon character that
relies on ACME products would be big fans.
Two astute friends pointed
out to me yesterday that America 12 would quickly be referred to by many
in the media as A-12.
Has anyone ever heard of
the A-10?
My friends are dead-on
right in the point they were making. When you're trying to build a
brand, the last thing you want is brand confusion.
"America 12" is
conceptually shallow. It is so generic that it could just as accurately
reflect any assorted collection of a dozen persons or other entities
with roots in America.
If the conference hired an
ad agency or image consulting outfit to come up with the name, the firm
should be fired and a penalty for posing as experts should be assessed
against their final paycheck.
Now, let's move on to a
name that is tangible, one that would make more sense — and more cents.
Mark Blaudschun, a veteran
sportswriter who has covered the Big East's long-running soap opera as
thoroughly as anyone, proposed on his
ajerseyguy.com blog a few days
ago that the football schools adopt the name "Big Metro Athletic
Conference."
"Metro" is the key word,
he suggested. Blaudschun (twitter:
@blauds) explained the plain
logic in the name, pointing out that it accentuates the prevailing big
city nature of the schools' hometowns. That's a selling point that the
Big East and ESPN have used very successfully to attract advertisers and
sponsors for 30 years.
BMAC would be the acronym,
Blaudschun wrote, suggesting that it would be casually called The Big
Mac and would be a magnet for tie-ins, licensed products and sponsors —
his obvious example was McDonald's.
And let us not forget that
"Metro" has inherent brand value in its association in the
not-too-distant past with a respected, basketball-centric conference
comprised of reputable schools now residing in leagues including the
A-10, ACC, Big East, Conference USA and SEC.
Whether it's called Big
Metro, BMAC or Big Mac, Blaudschun's a guy with some marketing savvy.
He's on the right track with the subtleties. He's a guy who
instinctively perceives the fundamental importance of branding.
I was impressed with
Blaudschun's suggestion and took note of the chatter about his ideas on
fan message boards. I discovered that Big Metro or some variation
thereof draws varying degrees of interest and generates buzz in all
regions of the conference.
With that in mind, I took
a proactive measure in the event that the Big East's big thinkers come
to their senses about the unsalted crackers they call "America 12."
I registered the following
22 domain names in order to prevent domain squatters, speculators and
extortion artists from locking up the goodies and holding them for
ransom:
Frankly, when I logged in
to my registrar's search function and discovered that the league's
guardians had not reserved at least some of those names out of an
abundance of what-if thinking, I was startled. Fortunately, those with
ulterior motives didn't get around to snatching up the names either —
perhaps because they assumed the Big East's creative minds had surely
already acted.
Should the conference
decide it would like to adopt any or all of the Big Metro variations
listed above, I will gladly transfer ownership and control of the domain
names upon request at no charge. I have no intention of using any of the
names for personal gain. My only intention in registering them is to
protect the conference in the event it determines a variation of Big
Metro is a desirable name for the league.
If Metro or Big Metro
doesn't grab you, call it Big Momma. Call it All-America Alliance. Call
it All-America Conference. Call it the FedEx League. Call it AAA — the
American Airlines Association. Something with meat on the bones.
Something that ties the schools together. Something that'll put money in
the pocket. A name that is not leg-chained to a specific number of
schools.
But not America 12. Not
even Big America.
If "America 12" strikes
fans in the same way that it struck me — with the dull thud of a
lifeless body — fans should immediately express their opinions and
suggestions to conference and school administrators through e-mail,
phone calls, message boards, social media, letters to the editor and
other public forums.
Otherwise, you can be sure
the stories floated in yesterday's news cycle were a trial balloon to
gauge reaction before pulling the trigger. Unless it feels blowback, the
league will plunge ahead in the infinite wisdom that comes naturally
when one is wearing blinders.
Well, this column is the
incredulous blowback from one tiny, remote outpost of the media.
In the end, if the
conference decides to go with America 12 or some equally abstract,
flavorless name, I'll shake my head and mutter an expletive under my
breath.
I'll still support the
conference and Bonesville will cover it wall-to-wall, but I won't be
excited about the name any time soon.
Based on comments I
received after "America 12" drifted up Thursday like a random balloon
from nowhere, it's no comfort that I suspect I will have company.
Send an e-mail message to Danny Whitford.
PAGE UPDATED
03/29/13 01:57 AM.
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