But of course they will… So; I want to make sure that I am getting this right, the Fighting Sioux logo is considered to be hostile and abusive by the NCAA, but they are still going to sell jerseys and merchandise with the Fighting Sioux logo anyways. So they are putting dollars signs above principle? I wonder if the NCAA feels dirty for doing this? No I can’t see how anyone would consider that to be hypocritical…
FARGO – Forgive fans of the University of North Dakota if they’re feeling short-changed by the NCAA these days.
With the UND men’s hockey team playing in next week’s Frozen Four, the NCAA’s online store is selling Fighting Sioux apparel. The decision has some wondering how the NCAA can promote selling the apparel yet reached a settlement with the university to retire the logo and nickname.
The NCAA determined the logo and nickname to be offensive to Native Americans.
“According to the NCAA, they feel the Sioux nickname is hostile and abusive,” said 28-year-old Grand Forks resident Jake Bondy, “So why would they sell hostile and abusive gear? It would be like me selling Fords and telling people how bad Chevys are and then I went out and bought a brand new Chevy.”
The NCAA, college athletics’ governing body, and UND have had a long-standing battle over the nickname and logo. The end result was that UND and the NCAA agreed to retire the nickname and logo on Aug. 15.
“The university is authorized as part of the court settlement agreement until the deadline, which includes the use of that logo as part of the championship product,” Christianson wrote.
When asked if the NCAA was hypocritical for selling Fighting Sioux apparel on its Web site, Christianson wrote, “It is not hypocritical – it is part of the settlement.”
A phone call was made to North Dakota’s athletic department seeking comment from athletic director Brian Faison, who was not available.
