Bill Bradley, SacStateSports.com ---- The problem is UND’s entry to the Big Sky hasn’t gone as planned – at all. From its botched entry in the league to its continued controversy over the Fighting Sioux nickname, UND has transitioned into the Big Sky like a child going kicking and screaming.I posted his on Sioux Sports. I love the Fighting Sioux nickname, and there is no way that the school will ever be able to replace the Fighting Sioux nickname with anything that I consider to be acceptable, but I don't see any way UND can keep the name "unless" the Spirit Lake Tribe wins it's law suit against the NCAA. I also would love nothing more than to see the NCAA lose their law suit, I think they deserved to have that happen to them because I think they are a bunch of hypocrites. I am not holding my breath but I hope the Tribe wins. That being said I think it's time to move on before we end up on the outside looking in. Do we really want to call the Big Sky's bluff?
Which is why the Big Sky Conference needs to say, “No thanks. We made a mistake. Thanks for playing. Go find another conference.” The premier league in the Football Championship Subdivision and a competitive mid-major group in basketball doesn’t need the long road trips and headaches UND will bring.North Dakota was supposed to join with South Dakota as a package deal. It was all set to make the Big Sky a 14-team league, Big Sky Commissioner Doug Fullerton said this fall. However, at the last minute South Dakota got a better offer from a more geographic-friendly league, the Missouri Valley Conference.
That made sense, but the Big Sky, which also wanted UND because of its reputation as a research institute, didn’t withdraw the invite to the Fighting Sioux, which were making the transition from Division II to Division I FCS. The UND regents accepted, making UND the only member of the Big Sky in the Central time zone.
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Opinion: Big Sky Should Admit North Dakota Mistake, Let Fighting Sioux Go
Image via WikipediaIf you haven't seen this, it's worth a read.