a-zip

You bring up a valid point Balsy. OHIO STATES BRAND AND LOGO ARE RECOGNIZABLE AROUND THE WORLD AND ASSOCIATED TO MULTIPLE CHAMPIONSHIPS IN ALL MAJOR COLLEGE SPORTS……I agree, it would be stupid for them to change.

Again, you guys are missing the point. I could sit here and have a picture posting battle with you or point out players that died, used heroin, flunked out, quit, and lost TONS of games while wearing the donkey logo….but I won't THE POINT IS THAT THE DONKEY IS NOT A WELL KNOWN LOGO THAT IS ASSOCIATED TO MULTIPLE CHAMPIONSHIPS!!! If you want to say our soccer team from 5 years ago made it a household logo….you all are the clueless ones. Damn people, we are not getting rid of our mascot Zippy (who is well known). Many schools, even powerhouse schools, change their logos and marketing. Outside of Akron, most people make fun of and don't even know what that Donkey logo is. READ THE ARTICLES I POSTED. Fear the Roo is pretty cool but it was ripped off from Maryland. The Z is unique!! Rebranding 101 https://aytm.com/blog/research-junction/rebranding-essentials-why-rebrand/ http://www.vim-group.com/top-ten-reasons-rebranding/

I am not sure, maybe the donkey was displayed but it was not worn by the team (heck, some columns still use the moving A ;-) I would not say the Donkey A is emblazoned in anyone's mind and when they see it they think "Wow….Champions!!!" If you want to use soccer as an example though, I would point out that since the donkey oval has been included on the team's JERSEY, they have not done a whole lot. I really don't think we would be abandoning much of a championship tradition at all. This is really a moot point. The point I am suggesting is that our football team is the one that has predominantly worn the Donkey A and they have been embarrassing. A survey WAS done and apparently people wanted to move away from the donkey (unless you subscribe to the conspiracy that TW and Scarborough are trying to destroy and blew the survey off). We have so many stupid logos, a consolidation needs to be done!! BTW - talk about lazy………how bout the fact that we ripped off The University of Maryland's Fear the Turtle We don't have a championship identity, its time to start one with the

So maybe…..just maybe….it has more to do with this than TW and his family liking it.

You people are f(&*ing unbelievable. You are so bent on trying to find an Akron soccer player with the donkey that you miss the point….The FACT is no success tied to the donkey - our National Championship soccer team did not wear it on their jerseys when they won the national championship…... our basketball team does not wear it. The only team that wore it prominently was our football team (who has sucked for a long time). I think it is smart to try and get away from that association. The losing is old and so is the donkey. You can post all the pictures you want of the donkey on a t-shirt, practice warm up, bag…it is not associated to winning.

You are talking about a poster that was created for an event. The team did not wear the donkey when they won the national championship. I think you are seriously overreacting to a change in logo and branding. Who said they Donkey A was being eliminated….I don't see that anywhere? Why is it "lazy" to change to a Z (that looks the same regardless of what side of the basketball court you are on….kinda cool I think). Why does a change have to be an elaborate change? The name ZIPS is one of the most unique in all of sports…..I think it is a great idea to use the Z……who else could use it?

Nope. Don't see the Donkey on the national championship team. Still don't see it

Funny, I have NEVER seen the Donkey-ARoo on any of UA's soccer jerseys, warm ups or Cub Cadet field. Not sure I have seen it on any of our basketball jerseys either (our most successful teams)…..I do believe our basketball team has worn the Z for a while as they win 20+ games per season, MAC Championships - pretty good accomplishments. ​What has the football team accomplished in the first year wearing the Z….well, we won more games last year than the previous 4 combined with the donkey logo. Also, when we almost beat Michigan with the white Z, people commented to me that our uniforms and the Z looked really cool. The looked pretty good beating Pitt too. http://www.lostlettermen.com/slideshow/cfb-top-10-ugliest-helmets/ http://uniformcritics.com/football/college/akron-zips/ Quote - “That weird animal in Akron’s primary logo within the capitalized A is actually a kangaroo. It first appeared on the Zips’ gold helmets in 2002 along with an updated custom font.” Quote - "Alas, it just doesn’t look like she belongs on a football helmet. It’s also hard to tell that she’s a kangaroo. A quick glance and you’d think she’d be anything from a deer to a donkey. And the back of the ‘roo crossing the “A” is just ill-conceived. Perhaps an Akron creative arts major can create a demon kangaroo for the school’s teams."

Great post and pic - perfect!! Maybe that is where the A-Roo and the University of Akron name belong….in a broken down, dilapidated, run down, outdated Rubber Bowl. Time to move onward and upward.

When the brand and team suck and associated with losing isn't that when you usually make a change in your brand/logo? Zip_ME87, what good do you associate with the A-Roo? Hell, even Gerry Faust got that when he came in with the moving A (he/they wanted to change things) I've got to start adding these up….maybe make a new thread; 1- Scarborough took the UA presidency to destroy The University of Akron 2- TW is changing the logo because he and his relatives like it 3- Lebron is a traitor for going to Miami and winning championships

Shocking…..nobody likes it. I like the Z

In the words of Chris Carter C'MON MAAAAN!! No Balsy, I would not chose a school simply because it had polytechnic in the name and I wouldn't exclude a school for having that as part of their name….I am not a moron. In fact, the name change is not really a big deal to me at all. If I were to give an opinion around the name I would say I like it because if we become known as Ohio Tech….to me that has the appearance of being a larger statewide school vs a community college to a city. The issue to me is around survival, fiscal responsibility and viability in the future. It is about differentiating ourselves just like Apple did…They realized they could not be IBM so the specialized and created their own ecosystem. http://marketrealist.com/2014/01/apple/ http://www.entrepreneurial-insights.com/stand-crowd-examples-differentiation/ UA and other schools like us will not be able to operate status quo any longer or they will not survive. If you are going to stick your head in the sand and ignore all the reports and warnings around the financial woes institutions are facing, there is no need for me to continue this with you. There are plenty of reports out there, many links have been provided in this thread. Guys like Mark Cuban and Bill Gates get it (they are pretty smart). IT IS VERY REAL just like the real estate crash.

So why is it a bluff? What do you think it is he wants? Do you not think he wants what is best for the U of A? I don't understand…Hell, you might as well just say he is an insane dumb ass along with everyone else on the board. BTW - I think you are correct…no major state universities have gone "belly up" YET ….but they will….I promise you that!!

So what is your point Lzip? You are saying we are stupid for trying to change and adapt? Are you saying the educational system is fine the way it is and if schools continue to operate stats quo - they will be fine and prosper? You don't think schools will start to go belly up? Have you read any reports? What can you offer to show that being the University of Akron in Akron Ohio and being another school in Ohio is going to help us survive and prosper in the future. Let me ask a question - if you were from Ohio or from outside the state, why would you choose UA over Toledo, Can't State, Bowling Green, Ohio U?

Thanks Dave. I just read the same broken record on here….people can't seem to look towards the future and positive things. I don't want to hear bitching about the past and iCoach, TW, the JAR, Lebron is a traitor. I want to see us move forward!! We have really good, smart people making some great decisions, we have unbelievable coaches….embrace it people!! I am not from Ohio but and a proud student/athlete of UA….damn, things are pretty good. Hell, Lebron may bring Cleveland its first championship in forever!!! I have not heard anybody praising him…..I sure heard a lot of bitching when he left…. In my opinion, THE University of Akron - Ohio's Polytechnic University, is making some smart moves.

Thanks Dave. Nobody commented on my post (which is fine and why I don't bother posting on here anymore). BUT what Dr. Scarborough said is exactly what I and Mark Cuban said. YOU NEED TO SPECIALIZE, CHANGE, THINK DIFFERENTLY or you face not existing. If you are especially GREAT at something……FLAUNT IT!! If you are just going to chug along as the University of BLAH BLAH BLAH……good luck with that. If we become Ohio Tech vs. U of Akron, it has the perception of being a BIGGER school and a school that is GREAT at something vs a commuter college to a city. Seriously, what is the University of Akron's identity outside of the city of Akron? As someone who grew up in the mid-atlantic and went to UoA, I can tell you most people ask me……why did you go to school in Akron, Ohio? I know many people from Ga Tech, Va Tech that have nursing degrees, business degrees, etc……they are incredibly successful people and proud of their alma mater…..nobody really asks "why did you go there?" Things are changing,….. Dr. S is doing the right thing!!! You folks need to get with the times, educate yourself on the landscape before you start posting your emotional "I don't like this" "this is stupid" "its embarrassing" Go to this website and check out the Highest Net Cost……you will see several of Ohio's universities listed on there. Do you all really think people are not going to figure this out some day????? http://collegecost.ed.gov/catc/Default.aspx# When people figure out the net cost of an education at Can't State, Ohio U, Cincy is among the highest in the country….don't you think at some point people are going to say "what am I getting for this?" Miami O at least has some prestige to it but not that much.

Interesting conversation and debate. I know many people don't like Mark Cuban (personally I think he is a genius) but he has had some interesting warnings on where colleges are heading. I will include a few links below….. He talks about parents and students being more informed about selecting a school vs arbitrarily choosing the "most popular" school. As many have posted on here, most of us did not know what we wanted to do when we were coming out of high school. He talks about the schools themselves needing to cut costs and investing in more specialized programs. He talks about how the money should be invested back in academics vs new weight rooms and arenas. Things are changing folks. More universities will shut down. New thinking has to happen. I view this rebranding as a step towards becoming more specialized - some programs may get cut and quite frankly maybe they need to in order to survive. Very few schools will be able to provide everything to everyone. Personally, if you get a nursing degree from a "Georgia Tech or Virginia Tech" I don't think your degree is diminished at all. I think too many people put too much in to the name on the piece of paper (diploma)…..it is what you do after you graduate that is important. Regarding the investment in athletics, I think it was a good idea for UA to try step up to the national stage but the reality is nobody is supporting the teams. The fact is if you are running a business and a department does not generate $$$, it has got to go and dropping 40-60 million chunks into it when there is no demand is not going to fix the problem. This is why I have been so upset by the lack of attendance and support for our teams. If it does not make a profit, break even or increase awareness of the school - cut it lose. That IS already happening at many schools……...I learned these things in UA business school, it's called ECONOMICS ;-) Last thought - if we did not take the Ohio Tech name, one of the other schools in Ohio would have. I also think if we ultimately become Ohio Tech, it has more of a national appeal to it which I believe is a good idea. http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/paying-for-college/articles/2012/05/16/mark-cuban-college-is-a-business-decision http://www.dcclothesline.com/2014/12/28/billionaire-mark-cuban-warns-massive-crash-will-wipe-americas-colleges-youre-going-see-repeat-saw-housing-market/ http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/03/13/mark-cuban-forgiving-student-loan-debt-would-bail-out-the-universities/ http://blogmaverick.com/2013/01/26/will-your-college-go-out-of-business-before-you-graduate/

This is what cities that care do. Does Joe Akron? http://www.csnwashington.com/ncaa/richmond-strip-clubs-offer-enticements-shaka-smart-stay-vcu

It's time for me to say ba-bye to ZN.o (which I am sure will make many of you happy) I will continue to root and support my alma mater but I cannot engage in this any longer. GO ZIPS!! Good Luck all!!

I did not say there were restraints put on him. I am saying that his (UAs) budget is dwarfed by many big schools.

I would have to think being fiscally responsible would have to be one if the top metrics an AD is judged on. UoA does not have an unlimited budget - in fact it is dwarfed by the budgets of the power conferences. It is dwarfed by Cinci, and many 2nd tier athletic programs. My point is this. It is nice to want EVERYTHING - arenas, stadiums, training facilities, cool uniforms, the best coaches, awesome marketing, websites, entertaining halftimes, etc......in order to justify these EXPENDITURES there needs to be demand/interest. Do we have that? I don't think so. Let's just say the interest was there......the next thing needed is MONEY. Do we have that? Nope, not enough to have all the things ZNo fans want. So what do you do next? You try and get funding through the city, state, corporate sponsorships. It does not appear anyone is interested. So, what do you do next? You make financially responsible decisions. Making those decisions when you have limited resources means you have to make sacrifices. So, I ask - with what TW has to work with....is he doing a good job? My response is that our athletic teams are as strong as they have ever been and I think we have the coaches in place to get to the next level.

I am really bummed about this, I was excited to see Kincaide. My guess is the "style" of QB TB wants did not fit with Chandler. He appeared to be more of a drop back/gunslinger "pro style" quarterback. It appears the direction TB is headed is for more of a mobile/scrambling style quarterback.

Wow, I see your point. FIRE HIM!! DON'T RENEW HIS CONTRACT!! The masses that wanted to see the Riverhounds exhibition must be furious…I don't blame them. My bad.