As first reported on Spartan Tailgate, the new logo (right) will replace the current version (left), which has been in place since 1983.
Fan reaction so far has been swift - and mostly negative. An MLive poll was tracking at 84 percent against. Thousands of Spartan fans have flocked to Facebook, where they're organizing protests and campaigns against the change.
Look folks, I'm not going to be able to be impartial on this one. I'll just throw that out right now, so I'll just say what I think.
This new logo sucks. I get that the trend now is making things look mean - from the angry Miami Dolphin to Detroit's Roary the Lion. But why do we have to follow that?
The Spartan head is classic. In a word filled with this and this and this, we've got something that has stood the test of time and still looks cool. If anything, we should put the Spartan head on MORE stuff.
For example, the only logo that can go on specialty license plates is MSU's block S, because that's the one the university controls (the Spartan head is overseen by the athletic department). The S is fine in Michigan, but no one in Maryland will know why you've got a big green S on your plate.
Problem two is the slippery slope argument. Give in to Nike on this one, and something else later, then something else, and where does it end? Oregon football, that's where. Do you want MSU football uniforms to become the joke of the Big Ten? I don't either.
I know this is planned, and I know everything's on track for an April rollout. And if someone from MSU Athletics wants to use this space to state their case, we'll let them.
But as for this reporter, I say throw this one in the dustbin of bad ideas.
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"The S is fine in Michigan, but no one in Maryland will know why you've got a big Green S on your plate".
ReplyDelete1. I know it's Maryland, but give the people here a litte credit...Will all know what the S is for? No, but a lot will.
2. The words, "MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY" appear on the plate.
3. I,(and the alumni who joined me) didn't do this for the people in MD, we did it for ourselves. We did it to show our Spartan Spirit.
I know you live in the area, I commented here before asking if you wanted to join us in the quest to get plates. It's fine if you don't, but was the dig against the idea of plates here necessary?
Thanks.