A Brief (Tongue in Cheek) Introduction

[squirrel]

Ugh. The only people that like that creepy thing are the kids.

Also we’re still the Braves. We 100% botched the mascot thing. We didn’t have to change our name but we had to drop the Native American mascot. For some reason administration thought we needed a mascot right just now for some reason but considering the long history of the “Braves” everyone still associates it with that (or just the team absent a mascot which is what I grew up with).

Should have:
1) Reinstated the old mascot (which would never happen in this climate)
2) Stick with no mascot and “Braves”
3) Completely re brand and change its almost 100 year old nickname to match the new mascot.

Still… at least they nodded to the gargoyles on Bradley Hall. What does a lighthouse have to do with Valpo? (I went there a year and can confirm there is no lighthouse and you have to take a bus to get to the nearest body of water). Set up to be the dumbest thing since the dancing Tree of Stanford.

Don't forget the Bobcat that we had as a mascot for awhile before the Gargoyle. I must be one of the few people that don't actually mind the Gargoyle. There is a cool story behind it with Dave Snell and some of the architecture on campus, and like you said, kids like it. BU needs as many young people as they can get to replace all the Florida retirees.

Kaboom! is well-loved, and I say that as someone that was 100% opposed to the gargoyle concept.

It's one of the very few things Bradley has ever actually gotten right this side of 1960.

And Bradley has not used any Native imagery since at least 1993. In spite of this, because there was no separation or positive association in another way, on at least two separate occasions, Bradley was cited by the NCAA for fostering what was labeled once as a "hostile and abusive" association with the name. So an unrelated mascot had to be used to disassociate the word "Brave" from interpretations that could lead someone to make the connection to Native American culture.

[UICSAlum]

Illinois Chicago. Its takes a special kind of gumption to name your team after the worst disaster to strike a city in its history. I mean, that’s like saying being the San Francisco Earthquakes, or New York Knicks. At least the team has support. Mainly from Aldermen who are under federal indictment, but who is counting? At this point, they are as bad as the Cubs, but at least they don’t have the unrealistic love for Shawon Dunston. Seriously though, Flames? Almost as bad as having a Crusader as your mascot…

2. The "Clout" - an obvious nod to Chicago's legendary style of politics, but who in their right mind could think that naming a team after a system of political corruption is/was a good idea? IIRC, this name was proposed by the Chancellor.....as a joke. The students thought it was funny enough, however, that it got enough petition signatures to get on the ballot. Had it won, the mascot would likely have been a Ward Comitteeman. Go Grfters!!

What a missed opportunity

Humorous, yes, but a joke that would have gotten old quickly.

In fact, the whole renaming thing became such a farce, someone (not me!) wrote a mock letter to the editor of the school newspaper taking the position that since the school was renaming the sports teams, a renaming the school might also be in order.

The author recommended a name honouring Daley the First (Richard J), the late mayor, and the man who pulled the strings in Springfield to get the campus built.

It decried the hopelessly boring, utterly pedestrian change from "University of Illinois at Chicago Circle" (UICC) to "University of Illinois at Chicago" (UIC) that was rumoured pending merger with the U of I Medical Center.

The letter instead proposed the name "Daley's University of Illinois" (DUI), a name it "guaranteed" would be a "smash hit".

[BuBrave2006]

Bradley doesn't need an actual mascot. They can just focus on "Bradley Braves" branding. Though the name "Kaboom" has a pretty cool story, paying homage to the long-time radio guy.

Unless you are Northern Iowa, who tries to act like their Play-by-Play guy (who started a decade after Dave Snell) is the only one that says "Kaboom."

[BUFanatic]

Squirrel, you’re right about Kaboom being well loved, just not by me haha. It does seem to have gone over well, kudos to the BU marketing people for pushing it in a positive way. I’m also one that is okay with Native American imagery so long as it is done more along the lines of Chief Illini (yes he did a better job than Chief Osceola at FSU). That’s neither here nor there though, unless something stupidly drastic happens that’s never coming back.

I would say BU has not used any imagery since maybe 2008 though. I wasn’t aware of this but I was recently going through some historical Braves Club pins and I think the most recent “Chiefs Club” pin I found was from 2006 (I may be wrong though that was a while ago). They did drop the “Chief” head logo for the block BU but even that was used into the early 2000s.

Sounds like it’s good we at least didn’t have to go through what UIC did lol

Also, Dave Snell owns “Kaboom”. Period.

[BCPanther]

Squirrel, you’re right about Kaboom being well loved, just not by me haha. It does seem to have gone over well, kudos to the BU marketing people for pushing it in a positive way. I’m also one that is okay with Native American imagery so long as it is done more along the lines of Chief Illini (yes he did a better job than Chief Osceola at FSU). That’s neither here nor there though, unless something stupidly drastic happens that’s never coming back.

I would say BU has not used any imagery since maybe 2008 though. I wasn’t aware of this but I was recently going through some historical Braves Club pins and I think the most recent “Chiefs Club” pin I found was from 2006 (I may be wrong though that was a while ago). They did drop the “Chief” head logo for the block BU but even that was used into the early 2000s.

Sounds like it’s good we at least didn’t have to go through what UIC did lol

Also, Dave Snell owns “Kaboom”. Period.

He absolutely does. RIma didn't start using it until about a decade ago and it was a total accident.

'Kwadzo (ka-joe) for three. Got it! Kwadzo with the Kaboom'

People liked it and he stuck with it and added Ka-Bullseye.

[Birdfan2018]

Dear Racer faithful,



As we bask in another NCAA tournament bid, we do some bidding of our own; to the Old OVC. We had some great times. Wish you nothing but the best, which for those that are left is probably a 15 seed. Just kidding. Kinda.



For my fellow Racers, I wanted to take a moment to introduce youl to our new conference foes, so that as we embrace in the camaraderie born of spirited competition, we can better understand these new schools. So, In the spirit of sportsmanship and to further understanding among fans of the MVC, both old and new, I have decided to make a quick primer to introduce our new conference brethren.





Evansville. Great fans, a nice arena. It’s been our home for many wins. That shouldn’t change. UT Martin, with a casino. And nice fans. And a nice arena. But everything else, Skyhawks.



Indiana State. Based in Terre Haute, which is French for “Larry Bird went here”. Not really relevant since then. But there is a Federal Prison nearby which is something for the Illinois schools to be jealous of. Especially since so many Illinois politicians end up residing there. These guys will be Morehead State.



Illinois State. Or was it Bradley. Team in red, located in Illinois. No real difference. How can a program have an inferiority complex to another historically mediocre team? Talk to either one and find out! Don’t mention the other or they will call the manager. Seriously, what is the difference between these two? Has anyone ever seen these two teams in the same place at the same time? One of these teams will be Austin Peay. The other one will be Eastern Illinois. It really doesn’t matter which.



Missouri State. One of the few D1 programs in Missouri, yet still somehow irrelevant. Their fans love to scream “Not a state”. This isn’t personal. Instead this is their way of studying for their senior level geography classes, where the final is quite literally a list of stuff that they have to determine if it is or isn’t a state. Spoiler- Not many pass that test. Did you know they used to be Southwest Missouri State? Too many of their valedictorians couldn’t spell “Southwest” so they dropped it. These guys are just SEMO with a worse location.



Southern Illinois. They used to have good basketball and a mediocre school. Now they have both- mediocre school and mediocre basketball. Their fans are rabid. Literally. The dog isn’t the only thing that needs shots. I would rather watch the Cobden Appleknockers play. In fact, so would most of their fans. These guys are gonna be SIUE. Actually, once all the money changes hands, they probably already are…



Drake. Nobody knows where the hell this school is. Google was stumped. All I got was some random Seinfeld quotes, a rapper from Canada, and pictures of ducks. There is a very real school of thought that Drake is merely a rumor. #DrakeDoesntExist if they did, they would probably be Samford.


Northern Iowa. A directional school with delusions of grandeur. There are questions about whether there should be another school in Iowa whose sole focus is the cultivation of corn, but alas, there is UNI. Not to be confused with NIU. Their fans truly believe their own hype. Congrats, you’re our new western. I’m sorry. No, I’m not. Hilltoppers suck.


Valparaiso. Based in a magical place called Chicagoland, if you squint one eye, and use the loosest definition of Chicagoland. Let’s be clear, they are in Indiana, which is best known for Dan Quayle and… uh… you know what, I’ll fill that in before I send this out. No, I won’t forget. These… ORVILLE REDENBACHER. Yeah the popcorn guy from the ‘80s who later came back as the weird dancing guy for Six Flags. That guy is from Valparaiso. These guys are Eastern Kentucky.


The fellow newcomers-


Illinois Chicago. Its takes a special kind of gumption to name your team after the worst disaster to strike a city in its history. I mean, that’s like saying being the San Francisco Earthquakes, or New York Knicks. At least the team has support. Mainly from Aldermen who are under federal indictment, but who is counting? At this point, they are as bad as the Cubs, but at least they don’t have the unrealistic love for Shawon Dunston. Seriously though, Flames? Almost as bad as having a Crusader as your mascot…



Belmont. These guys you know. They are a meat-and-three where all three sides are kale. Their fans are the kind of hipsters that argue which album Bon Iver sold out on while eating vegan unicorn deconstructed guacamole and charging everything to their parents’ credit cards while dreaming of producing some future Darius Rucker album. He will always be Hootie to me, toolbags.



Seriously though, as a Racer I am so excited about joining the Valley. All in good fun.

Good stuff RacerJoeD! Welcome to the Valley!!

[smidge34]

That was funny as hell! Glad the majority have been 21 about it lol. One reminder, Murray is a state UNIVERSITY, just as its name implies. .

[Loyola_Fan]

Humorous, yes, but a joke that would have gotten old quickly.

In fact, the whole renaming thing became such a farce, someone (not me!) wrote a mock letter to the editor of the school newspaper taking the position that since the school was renaming the sports teams, a renaming the school might also be in order.

The author recommended a name honouring Daley the First (Richard J), the late mayor, and the man who pulled the strings in Springfield to get the campus built.

It decried the hopelessly boring, utterly pedestrian change from "University of Illinois at Chicago Circle" (UICC) to "University of Illinois at Chicago" (UIC) that was rumoured pending merger with the U of I Medical Center.

The letter instead proposed the name "Daley's University of Illinois" (DUI), a name it "guaranteed" would be a "smash hit".

Campuses used to be a much funnier place.

[BTbird]

Love it! Welcome to the Valley!

Dear Racer faithful,



As we bask in another NCAA tournament bid, we do some bidding of our own; to the Old OVC. We had some great times. Wish you nothing but the best, which for those that are left is probably a 15 seed. Just kidding. Kinda.



For my fellow Racers, I wanted to take a moment to introduce youl to our new conference foes, so that as we embrace in the camaraderie born of spirited competition, we can better understand these new schools. So, In the spirit of sportsmanship and to further understanding among fans of the MVC, both old and new, I have decided to make a quick primer to introduce our new conference brethren.





Evansville. Great fans, a nice arena. It’s been our home for many wins. That shouldn’t change. UT Martin, with a casino. And nice fans. And a nice arena. But everything else, Skyhawks.



Indiana State. Based in Terre Haute, which is French for “Larry Bird went here”. Not really relevant since then. But there is a Federal Prison nearby which is something for the Illinois schools to be jealous of. Especially since so many Illinois politicians end up residing there. These guys will be Morehead State.



Illinois State. Or was it Bradley. Team in red, located in Illinois. No real difference. How can a program have an inferiority complex to another historically mediocre team? Talk to either one and find out! Don’t mention the other or they will call the manager. Seriously, what is the difference between these two? Has anyone ever seen these two teams in the same place at the same time? One of these teams will be Austin Peay. The other one will be Eastern Illinois. It really doesn’t matter which.



Missouri State. One of the few D1 programs in Missouri, yet still somehow irrelevant. Their fans love to scream “Not a state”. This isn’t personal. Instead this is their way of studying for their senior level geography classes, where the final is quite literally a list of stuff that they have to determine if it is or isn’t a state. Spoiler- Not many pass that test. Did you know they used to be Southwest Missouri State? Too many of their valedictorians couldn’t spell “Southwest” so they dropped it. These guys are just SEMO with a worse location.



Southern Illinois. They used to have good basketball and a mediocre school. Now they have both- mediocre school and mediocre basketball. Their fans are rabid. Literally. The dog isn’t the only thing that needs shots. I would rather watch the Cobden Appleknockers play. In fact, so would most of their fans. These guys are gonna be SIUE. Actually, once all the money changes hands, they probably already are…



Drake. Nobody knows where the hell this school is. Google was stumped. All I got was some random Seinfeld quotes, a rapper from Canada, and pictures of ducks. There is a very real school of thought that Drake is merely a rumor. #DrakeDoesntExist if they did, they would probably be Samford.


Northern Iowa. A directional school with delusions of grandeur. There are questions about whether there should be another school in Iowa whose sole focus is the cultivation of corn, but alas, there is UNI. Not to be confused with NIU. Their fans truly believe their own hype. Congrats, you’re our new western. I’m sorry. No, I’m not. Hilltoppers suck.


Valparaiso. Based in a magical place called Chicagoland, if you squint one eye, and use the loosest definition of Chicagoland. Let’s be clear, they are in Indiana, which is best known for Dan Quayle and… uh… you know what, I’ll fill that in before I send this out. No, I won’t forget. These… ORVILLE REDENBACHER. Yeah the popcorn guy from the ‘80s who later came back as the weird dancing guy for Six Flags. That guy is from Valparaiso. These guys are Eastern Kentucky.


The fellow newcomers-


Illinois Chicago. Its takes a special kind of gumption to name your team after the worst disaster to strike a city in its history. I mean, that’s like saying being the San Francisco Earthquakes, or New York Knicks. At least the team has support. Mainly from Aldermen who are under federal indictment, but who is counting? At this point, they are as bad as the Cubs, but at least they don’t have the unrealistic love for Shawon Dunston. Seriously though, Flames? Almost as bad as having a Crusader as your mascot…



Belmont. These guys you know. They are a meat-and-three where all three sides are kale. Their fans are the kind of hipsters that argue which album Bon Iver sold out on while eating vegan unicorn deconstructed guacamole and charging everything to their parents’ credit cards while dreaming of producing some future Darius Rucker album. He will always be Hootie to me, toolbags.



Seriously though, as a Racer I am so excited about joining the Valley. All in good fun.