My experience in Houston is people who do NOT follow college sports think my apparel and decals refer to the restaurants or just my heritage. Those folks only know of LSU.
Casual college sports fans know who we are but we get confused with Monroe from time to time.In my opinion this has everything to do with our names and not the conference we are in. Those same folks have no idea if we are in CUSA or Sunbelt.all they know is BIG 12 and SEC.
I'd like to push Ragin' Cajuns. The whole Louisiana thing is trouble most of the time. We always end up being confused with Lafayette University or ULM.
Even more local than that.
My family and I did a little road trip to the north part of Georgia earlier this summer. We stopped in Montgomery, Alabama to eat at an Italian pizza place (Tomatinos - I highly recommend!) Anyway, I ran into two different groups that thought the same thingthat school in Monroe.
I think you are exactly correct. I do not believe going exclusively with "Ragin Cajuns" is a branding push. It is a means to disassociate "Louisiana" long enough to slow play "Louisiana-Lafayette" into use. But.
You can write Ragin Cajuns on everything you want, but you will either be identified with school/location, and it will be a free-for-all with every messed up name we've heard and a few new ones, or you will leave people unaware of who or where we are, clueless to a greater extent than before.
This is a pathetic (and wimpy) path forward. It was either nut up and fight one group for going one direction, or fight another for going the opposite direction. And as usual. our admin chose curtain number 3. to hide behind. Wimpy!
Personally, unless and until we've made our way to something comparable to the AAC or Mountain West, I don't see conference affiliation doing much of anything for us name recognition-wise. I have always liked the idea of the athletic department branding our team as the Louisiana Ragin Cajuns. We are Louisiana Ragin Cajuns. And I sincerely hope we continue with that effort.
But all the arm twisting in the world to call us what we want won't get the brand recognition results of seeing our football squad compete in an Access Bowl, our basketball team make a deep run in the NCAA tournament or our baseball team win the whole enchiladaany of which are attainable.
Another name thread b4 football.season can't get here soon enough.
But I agree with most, this is the wimpy way out for the admin.
( - )
Way too much negativity going on here.
If you don't see the direction we have been headed and are headed with the name, your blind. I just wish they had the respect of admitting it and stop making azzes out of their fans, players and coaches.
There are currently 6 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 6 guests)