Interesting helmet....

[rhineaux]

_
Geaux Ragin Cajuns!!! _

I read both of your posts, and I will agree and disagree.

In one hand, yes it is cool to have someone desire to have your shirt which says Ragin Cajuns on it. It is cool to have someone say "here come the Ragin Cajuns." But on the other hand, there has to be some sort of connection between who the Ragin Cajuns are and the actual university. People know who LSU is, but announcers still talk about the Tigers or the Bayou Bengals.

Secondly, I don't think that CajunNation is saying that we should quit pimping the "Ragin Cajuns" name, but there is a time and a place for it. If the school decided to focus more on the UL name, I don't think it would be a bad thing, and there would still be a lot of Ragin Cajuns gear out there. I think that right now, there has to be more emphasis put on the UL and Louisiana, and a little less on Ragin Cajuns, until we get to a point where that connection is made. I think that it would be better to use UL or Louisiana on our uni's because it wouldn't matter what the announcers would use, our name would be there. And, I think when it comes to them, they'll use the school name and the nickname almost the same amount.

I also agree that there's been too much change in certain areas with respect to our identity, and i too doubt that many other schools have these sorts of problems. But, until we have something that we CAN market, and that WILL sell, not so much to outsiders but to our own, then they will have to keep changing.

And, instead of just complaining about it, I have recently contacted a certain soon-to-be high ranking official at UL, about this issue, as well as others. I made it clear to him how important it is for UL to improve it's perception, and to build it's brand, and to do more things that are marketable and that will help the university progress.

[NOCajun]

I find it funny that everyone here is complaining about the helmet and forgets about the rest of the football uniform that has "LOUISIANA" on the front of the jersey (although I think the lettering could be a bit BIGGER!) and the interlocking "UL" on the pants. Where else could you put RAGIN' CAJUNS except on the helmet??

[cajun4life]

I read both of your posts, and I will agree and disagree.

In one hand, yes it is cool to have someone desire to have your shirt which says Ragin Cajuns on it. It is cool to have someone say "here come the Ragin Cajuns." But on the other hand, there has to be some sort of connection between who the Ragin Cajuns are and the actual university. People know who LSU is, but announcers still talk about the Tigers or the Bayou Bengals.

Secondly, I don't think that CajunNation is saying that we should quit pimping the "Ragin Cajuns" name, but there is a time and a place for it. If the school decided to focus more on the UL name, I don't think it would be a bad thing, and there would still be a lot of Ragin Cajuns gear out there. I think that right now, there has to be more emphasis put on the UL and Louisiana, and a little less on Ragin Cajuns, until we get to a point where that connection is made. I think that it would be better to use UL or Louisiana on our uni's because it wouldn't matter what the announcers would use, our name would be there. And, I think when it comes to them, they'll use the school name and the nickname almost the same amount.

I also agree that there's been too much change in certain areas with respect to our identity, and i too doubt that many other schools have these sorts of problems. But, until we have something that we CAN market, and that WILL sell, not so much to outsiders but to our own, then they will have to keep changing.

And, instead of just complaining about it, I have recently contacted a certain soon-to-be high ranking official at UL, about this issue, as well as others. I made it clear to him how important it is for UL to improve it's perception, and to build it's brand, and to do more things that are marketable and that will help the university progress.

The problem with that approach is that the current administration did not have enough balls to take a firm stance on the name issue. Since 1999 the administration has not truly made a hard line push for the University of Louisiana moniker, and if they did it was not publicly pursued.

[NOCajun]

_ The problem with that approach is that the current administration did not have enough balls to take a firm stance on the name issue. Since 1999 the administration has not truly made a hard line push for the University of Louisiana moniker, and if they did it was not publicly pursued. _

Yeah. That and the fact they didn't want to spend the money to fight it in court because they assumed (maybe correctly) that they had no shot in hell of winning!!

[RCAJUN90]

Yeah. That and the fact they didn't want to spend the money to fight it in court because they assumed (maybe correctly) that they had no shot in hell of winning!!

Who cares what we wear or what they call us? Just win the Belt and get to a bowl game before I die.

[Cajunsmike]

_ Who cares what we wear or what they call us? Just win the Belt and get to a bowl game before I die. _

RCAJUN90, this is one case where I generally agree with you. The most important thing is to be consistently called -WINNER. Do that and it will be easier to achieve the Louisiana name.

[CajunNation]

I find it funny that everyone here is complaining about the helmet and forgets about the rest of the football uniform that has "LOUISIANA" on the front of the jersey (although I think the lettering could be a bit BIGGER!) and the interlocking "UL" on the pants. Where else could you put RAGIN' CAJUNS except on the helmet??

Rhineaux is correct in saying that I am merely promoting the idea that UL or Louisiana should be the focus, and that Ragin Cajuns given secondary status.

In regards to the football uniforms, the Louisiana on the jerseys and the UL on the pants are completely unnoticeable from the stands and TV. Helmet logos are vastly more noticeable. I suggest we simply switch them.

UL on the helmet, Ragin Cajuns on the jersey.

This would obviously require that we forego our mantra of "Ragin Cajuns is the brand" idea. I believe that the time has come to do this.

We will never get the outside media and the rest of the country to refer to us as UL until we decide that it is important enough for us to do so as well.

[Hammer58]

One advantage to "Louisiana" on the jersey versus the helmet is that fans can purchase replicajersies which are worn at games or just as casual wear around town and give good exposure outside of the game environment. And as Petey and Mike stated winning is the improtant thing. Win more and people wanting to get on the bandwagon buy the merchandise which further promotes the name. And of course, more purchases also leads to more revenue which contributes to more success if used wisely.

[RCAJUN90]

One advantage to "Louisiana" on the jersey versus the helmet is that fans can purchase replicajersies which are worn at games or just as casual wear around town and give good exposure outside of the game environment. And as Petey and Mike stated winning is the improtant thing. Win more and people wanting to get on the bandwagon buy the merchandise which further promotes the name. And of course, more purchases also leads to more revenue which contributes to more success if used wisely.

This is one of our biggest problems. We worry how we look instead of our record. McNeese looks like s*it with blue and gold but they beat us. We could change our colors to purple and pink as long as we win people will come. Right now you are supporting more of the same. What is a "replicajersies"? Sign Bustle to another 8 years of misery and we will not have to worry about the helmet because there will be none.

[CajunNation]

One advantage to "Louisiana" on the jersey versus the helmet is that fans can purchase replicajersies which are worn at games or just as casual wear around town and give good exposure outside of the game environment. And as Petey and Mike stated winning is the improtant thing. Win more and people wanting to get on the bandwagon buy the merchandise which further promotes the name. And of course, more purchases also leads to more revenue which contributes to more success if used wisely.

You bring up an interesting topic.

By far, the most prevalent Cajun football jerseys worn by fans at the games are the throwback Delhomme jerseys.

They are freakin' beautiful.



Also, you speak of revenues.

If revenues were really important to UL, we would listen to the fans and junk the garbage we are selling now, go back to our traditional colors and styles, and focus on selling stuff with UL or Louisiana on it.

You see. This is what I'm talking about. It's not about revenues. It's not about our university name.

It's about an administration promoting the ideas of a couple of terribly misguided people.

[Just1More]

_ You don't know how wrong you are.

People do not link Ragin Cajuns with UL or Louisiana. This is especially true on a national scale.

It is a foolish thing to do by marketing a nickname so much more than the actual name of your university.

Show me an athletic schedule put out by any D1 university that lists their opponnents by their nickname. You won't.

People first learn your name, THEN your nickname. That is reality.

The next time you get frustrated because someone on TV or elsewhere in the media does not know what to call us or continually refers to us as Lafayette, LOOK IN THE MIRROR.

Because, we have no one to blame more than ourselves. _

Sitting here in my condo in Destin... Way back when (1984) I marched on the Capitol in BR to enforce the name change. Few are a bigger supporter/advocate for doing what it takes to get UL and Louisiana as the common name for our school. Our school has created the mass confusion in our name... not me... so "they" need to look in the mirror... not me. The helmet issue with Ragin Cajuns is not to take away from my enforcement of UL and Louisiana. It is the means by which I believe we can eventually get those names infused into our identity. With all of the name variations we are not going to somehow come out being known as "Louisiana" or "UL" simply by having it on our sports uniforms. I believe it will be by virtue of the very well known nickname and the connection that everyone will make... eventually.

You say that everyone knows a school's name first... then references their nickname. Unfortunately, we have not been allowed to take the path everyone else has. We have a well known nickname, and a huge debacle in a school name. Our university staff has created this confusion in the merchandizing and licensing path chosen. It is not me and others. I am not creating or continuing confusion with "Ragin Cajuns". I believe we will eventually get UL and Louisiana (not totally, but largely) into the broader minds and mouths by having it on the uniform ALONG with Ragin Cajuns. HOWEVER, I am not hell bent on which goes where on the uniforms. I just do not think Ragin Cajuns on the helment is a bad idea. Once we win a few bowl games, and know that we have more to come because we've built a huge funding engine that will ensure it... then we can switch to UL or Louisiana and finalize our mission.

A lot of people need to get on-board that "winning is a result of a lot of things being done right". (RC90) No one cares about "how we look" more than "winning" just because they discuss it.

[Hammer58]

_ This is one of our biggest problems. We worry how we look instead of our record. McNeese looks like s*it with blue and gold but they beat us. We could change our colors to purple and pink as long as we win people will come. Right now you are supporting more of the same. What is a "replicajersies"? Sign Bustle to another 8 years of misery and we will not have to worry about the helmet because there will be none. _

If you bothered to read past the first sentence you would see that I state that wining is the most important thing. At least I'm supporting UL, Petey. Like most of the others that come on this board and on Scout, I've contributed time and money to try to change things for the better. What have you done besides blow hot air and proclaim repeatedly that you will not support UL until they reach some lofty standard you have set in your mind?