Unable to take back their new logo (because the probably paid a lot for it), the newly divided Big Ten college athletic conference is making a move to rid itself of the “Legends” and “Leaders” divisions.
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delaney spoke to ESPN radio in Chicago this morning, addressing the criticism the conference has received in giving their divisions such stupid names. Delaney said in the interview, “A 90 percent non-approval rating was, you know, really surprising.”
Of course, when you split the divisions into groups of six based on parity over geography, being responsible for finding names to brand the divisions must be a special kind of hell. Among the first ideas mentions were calling the division “Great Lakes” and “Plains,” which makes more sense than anything else, including the idea that keeps coming up the divisions after legendary coaches Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler.
To Delaney’s credit, it takes a lot of guts to admit to the college sports public that you were wrong. “It’s humbling, to say the least, because we’re trying to build fan bases, not push them away,” Delany said to ESPN radio. Here’s hoping the Big Ten figures out better division names before it becomes a talking point during every game this bowl season.