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The Mascot Question - Hank 91 - 08-31-2014

I'm curious about how people here feel about our team's nickname. One of my best friends -- also an alum and brobdingnagian fan -- is dead set against "Cardinal." His argument is that it's poor branding. Because it's just a color, there is no bulldog or eagle or tiger or something like that associated with the university, and worse than that, people still -- STILL -- want to add an s. He's adamant that something should be done -- anything. Stanford Cardinals, Stanford Trees, something that isn't a color.

So what say you? In addition to your vote above, I'd be interested in your rationale. Oh, and if you feel like submitting a suggested nickname, that would be cool, too. Thanks in advance.

Re: The Mascot Question - CowboyIndian - 08-31-2014

I don't like "Cardinal" much but since I am sure there are a lot worse names out there (Pussycats, Golden Retrievers), I don't like the other option, either.

I say we go back to "Indians" ....or maybe "Miwoks" or some other band...after receiving the blessing of that tribe.

Re: The Mascot Question - martyup - 08-31-2014

I'm not in favor of changing our mascot, but if you want branding I say we embrace our intellectual prowess.  We are the NERDS!  8)

Re: The Mascot Question - Rally - 08-31-2014

NERDS is not good.  Neither is Cardinals.  Stanford and the Stanford of the East are both colors, as are the two dominant football teams (us and Alabama.). Whats wrong with that?  We don't need a horse, cow, eagle, tiger, bulldog, banana slug, buckeye, bear, duck, beaver, or goose.  Indian tribes are OUT since we gave up the fight for the only one that made sense years ago.  Change is often good but not always.  Besides, we have so many opportunities to correct people when they add an S it always leads to a conversation.  For better or worse we ARE Cardinal.

Re: The Mascot Question - Farm93 - 08-31-2014

(08-31-2014, 07:08 PM)CowboyIndian link Wrote:I don't like "Cardinal" much but since I am sure there are a lot worse names out there (Pussycats, Golden Retrievers), I don't like the other option, either.

I say we go back to "Indians" ....or maybe "Miwoks" or some other band...after receiving the blessing of that tribe.
NCAA would almost certainly prohibit an institution that selects any tribe name from hosting NCAA post-season events.  The others created grandfather type deals, but newbies would never get that benefit.  As Stanford sports thrive on hosting NCAA post-season events that would be a problem.  Lots of other problems that would come from that approach too obviously.

Best to let the NFL team in DC be the home of protests and boycotts and the like.  Even if Stanford was stubborn, they would have moved with the NCAA directive.

I watched the FSU vs OSU game on replay and that chop chant is beyond insensitive especially for a game played against a team from Oklahoma.  That history was probably not a worry to your average chanting chopper though.

Oddly a mad man shooting guns all over the place is probably not the best choice for a mascot here in gun and murder happy USA, so all in all it was a wonderful showcase of all the ways mascot choices can be problematic.

Re: The Mascot Question - SUBuddha - 08-31-2014

(08-31-2014, 07:37 PM)Publius link Wrote:I've been thinking we should call ourselves the Alicorns, which is an winged unicorn or a pegasus with a horn.  To honor the combination of two awesome things: intellectual and athletic prowess.

I got the idea from watching My Little Pony with Publiette.  Actually enjoying the show and can see why it has developed a following among adult men (Bronies).  They even have a convention, BronyCon.

BTW I'm kidding.  About the mascot.  Not about watching Friendship is Magic.  If any of you have young daughters, I do recommend the show.  I'm not there on watching it by myself or going to BronyCon.  But if you've got to watch a show with a pre-schooler this and Busytown Mysteries are pretty good.

Publius, our daughters must be about the same age. I am sooooo burned out on the "Friendship is magic", but even worse is the Equestria series on netflix.

Re: The Mascot Question - SUBuddha - 08-31-2014

As to the thread topic, I had, as did every car in my house, a Stanford Indian license plate frame on my truck in HS. I am actually good with the color, hate it when people call us the trees, to me it demeans the school and the irreverence that is the band.

Re: The Mascot Question - Bruce Wang - 08-31-2014

(08-31-2014, 08:47 PM)SUBuddha link Wrote:Publius, our daughters must be about the same age. I am sooooo burned out on the "Friendship is magic", but even worse is the Equestria series on netflix.

Real Bronies don't watch Equestria.

Re: The Mascot Question - BigEasyCard - 08-31-2014

I'm fine with Cardinal and we are certainly in good company with the Harvard Crimson.  Plus we have the Tree (who I'm told is actually the LSJUMB mascot) and our recent branding of the Nerds.  That's sufficient differentiation for me.

Found this list of team names: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_college_sports_team_nicknames

The list of colleges and universities with a one word color as a name is relatively short and includes Blue, Blues, Maroons, Orange, and Violets.

Also found some fierce vegetables: the Artichokes and Fighting Okra.

In addition to our nearby Banana Slugs there are such fearsome predators as Lemmings, Llama, Otters, Platypi, Squirrels, and Wombats.

Some exercises in creative naming of teams have also produced the Eutectics (https://www.stlcop.edu/athletics/mascot.html ) and the Gorloks (http://www.websterathletics.com/sports/2008/1/8/GORLOKHISTORY.aspx ).

Call me old fashioned, but I love that our home jerseys and white helmets with the block S provide instant recognition of Stanford football whether the clip is from yesterday or years ago, like the one of Casey Moore from Big Game 1999 posted earlier tonight.

Geaux Cardinal!

Re: The Mascot Question - Leftcoast - 08-31-2014

Stanford's mascot wars that began in the 70s and were fought with great emotion into the 80s just keep coming back.  Older alumni still get emotional over the deposed Indian, younger alumni find the older caricatures insensitive and inappropriate.  Toes are unintentionally stepped upon, feelings needlessly hurt and so on and on.

Please, no need to pick that scab just now.

We're the Cardinal - Embrace it.

Re: The Mascot Question - Canalejas - 08-31-2014

I thought Robber Barons was a funny choice.  I also would have been fine with Redwoods or Black Squirrels. 

If we had become the Redwoods we would never need to answer why we have a Tree mascot when we are the Cardinal(s.)

Re: The Mascot Question - CornFed - 08-31-2014

I think we should be the Robber Barons.  That mascot name won fair and square and the result was imperiously thrown out.  We should cut a deal with Parker Bros. and make the Monopoly Man our sideline mascot.  We need to revolt against the stifling powers of the Establishment and rise to our full potential of insouciance!

Re: The Mascot Question - terry - 08-31-2014

Stanford was the Indians for a little less than 42 years (1930-72). Stanford dropped Indians more than 42 years ago. So it's been longer since we dropped Indians than our entire period as the Indians. It's time to let it go.

Robber Barons was never going to happen, and still isn't going to happen.

In hindsight, maybe we should have adopted Sequoias or Redwoods 40 years ago. But we didn't.

I don't see anything wrong with the Cardinal, and I don't see any particularly good reason to change it. The idea that we would have better "branding" if we named ourselves after an animal or some such thing doesn't seem like a good reason to change the name. I don't think selling a few more stuffed animals or tee shirts is a compelling reason to change. Cardinal has a lot of history to it. You can find many references to Stanford as the Cardinal going back a hundred years or more. It's unique. It seems as good as any other suggestion I've seen, and far better than most.

Re: The Mascot Question - Rally - 08-31-2014

(08-31-2014, 10:11 PM)terry link Wrote:Stanford was the Indians for a little less than 42 years (1930-72). Stanford dropped Indians more than 42 years ago. So it's been longer since we dropped Indians than our entire period as the Indians. It's time to let it go.

Robber Barons was never going to happen, and still isn't going to happen.

In hindsight, maybe we should have adopted Sequoias or Redwoods 40 years ago. But we didn't.

I don't see anything wrong with the Cardinal, and I don't see any particularly good reason to change it. The idea that we would have better "branding" if we named ourselves after an animal or some such thing doesn't seem like a good reason to change the name. I don't think selling a few more stuffed animals or tee shirts is a compelling reason to change. Cardinal has a lot of history to it. You can find many references to Stanford as the Cardinal going back a hundred years or more. It's unique. It seems as good as any other suggestion I've seen, and far better than most.

Ultimately, We Are Stanford.  All the rest is fluff.

Re: The Mascot Question - Stymie - 09-01-2014

I agree with Enzo.  No nickname is better than "Cardinal."  Let a thousand flowers bloom and call them whatever you like on the day, be it Trees or Nerds or Robber Barons or even Cardinal or Indians.

BTW--re the comment above about FSU and their "chop cheer," do we still do the "Give them the axe, the axe, the axe" cheer when we play the 59ers?  As a matter of fact, do we still call it "The Big Game?"

Re: The Mascot Question - OutsiderFan - 09-01-2014

Tulane is the Green Wave and uses the wave in its logo.  Stanford Cardinal Wave?  Sort of like Crimson Tide.  Alabama has shown you don't need to use the "tide" in the logo in any literal way.  You can just use an elephant, laundry detergent, and toilet paper to develop the brand.

Re: The Mascot Question - BigEasyCard - 09-01-2014

(08-31-2014, 10:00 PM)Robber Baron 83 link Wrote:I thought Robber Barons was a funny choice.  I also would have been fine with Redwoods or Black Squirrels. 

Looks like someone else actually liked Black Squirrels enough to adopt it (them?) as their mascot: http://www.haverfordathletics.com/information/sports_info/logo_history

Geaux Cardinal!

Re: The Mascot Question - 81alum - 09-01-2014

(08-31-2014, 10:11 PM)terry link Wrote:Stanford was the Indians for a little less than 42 years (1930-72). Stanford dropped Indians more than 42 years ago. So it's been longer since we dropped Indians than our entire period as the Indians. It's time to let it go.

Robber Barons was never going to happen, and still isn't going to happen.

In hindsight, maybe we should have adopted Sequoias or Redwoods 40 years ago. But we didn't.

I don't see anything wrong with the Cardinal, and I don't see any particularly good reason to change it. The idea that we would have better "branding" if we named ourselves after an animal or some such thing doesn't seem like a good reason to change the name. I don't think selling a few more stuffed animals or tee shirts is a compelling reason to change. Cardinal has a lot of history to it. You can find many references to Stanford as the Cardinal going back a hundred years or more. It's unique. It seems as good as any other suggestion I've seen, and far better than most.
Good post, Terry.  To add to it, we adopted the color cardinal in 1892, meaning that for the 38 years from 1892-1930 we were identified by the color and had no mascot--the same situation as for the 42 years from 1972-present.  What we are doing right now has more tradition behind it than any other alternative.  And I agree it puts us in good company with Harvard and Alabama (and add the University of Chicago.) 

Re: The Mascot Question - stupac2 - 09-01-2014

(09-01-2014, 02:17 AM)Stymie link Wrote:BTW--re the comment above about FSU and their "chop cheer," do we still do the "Give them the axe, the axe, the axe" cheer when we play the 59ers?  As a matter of fact, do we still call it "The Big Game?"

I believe the students still do, and it's definitely still Big Game (I see it without the article more than with, but I think that's mostly personal taste).

Re: The Mascot Question - CowboyIndian - 09-01-2014

I have let "Indians" go....but somebody brought up the subject and I responded with my opinion. I'd appreciate it if the person who gave me a down arrow would PM me...or meet me at the bike rack after school.