Why would a school have a logo featuring the one thing they have in common with almost every other school in the country: the word "University?" Why should Miami be THE University, free of qualifier? As obnoxious as THE Ohio State University sounds at least it's true. Not the case with Miami.
But I suspect that this nickname caught on because Miami was the only school audacious enough to put it right there on their helmets. While almost every 1-A school calls themselves a "university"--thanks for dissenting Boston College--only Miami was dumb enough to put it on their helmets so, despite the fact that they're not even the only University of Miami in the country, the Canes get the gig. (I would argue that Miami would be better known as "The (FL)" but I'll save it for another day).
Why is any of this important? Because it came up in a Nebraska football discussion a friend and I were having last week. I failed to save the actual emails so I will dramatically recreate them below:
ME
What's the story with Will Compton? Is he coming or not?
YUN BALL COACH
Press conference later today but rumors are he'll be wearing to The N.
ME
The N?
YUN BALL COACH
I get tired of typing Nebraska.
And with that conversation, a new era in Nebraska football dawned. Why should Miami and Ohio State have all the definite article induced fun? It was so simple but something I'd never even considered which is a bit shocking when I started to think about it.
Thanks to this blog, I tend to type the words Nebraska and Cornhuskers a couple of hundred times a year and, because of that, I'm constantly looking for alternatives. Luckily, Nebraska has a pretty rich nickname history--Bugeaters, Rattlesnake Boys, Old Gold Knights, Mankilling Mastodons--I use all of them interchangeably but as wonderful as those options are they don't exactly roll off the tongue(or the fingers). THE N, however, is strong, easy to say and can be typed more quickly than a capital 'q'. No problems so far but is it appropriate?
It is. There's only one other school in the NCAA Crappy Way of Deciding a National Champion that Isn't Technically Recognized by the NCAA Subdivision to carry the 14th letter of the alphabet into battle upon their heads and that school is Northwestern. I trust that, in this football context, you will have no problem disregarding them. The rest of the country doesn't.
That leaves Nebraska. The N. The football team that made the letter famous. So simple and unadorned but intrinsically ours. I urge you to use it and espouse its validity. I urge you to buy a t-shirt right here on this very website and proudly wear this dramatic new identity on your chest*. Don't be the only person at the Spring Game (Eine Kleine Nachtmusik?) without it.
* All proceeds from these sales will go directly to the Yun' Ball Coach**
** Lacking the means of production for these shirts, "all proceeds" shall be a portion of the proceeds determined solely by HiPlainsDrifter.com
What's the story with Will Compton? Is he coming or not?
YUN BALL COACH
Press conference later today but rumors are he'll be wearing to The N.
ME
The N?
YUN BALL COACH
I get tired of typing Nebraska.
And with that conversation, a new era in Nebraska football dawned. Why should Miami and Ohio State have all the definite article induced fun? It was so simple but something I'd never even considered which is a bit shocking when I started to think about it.Thanks to this blog, I tend to type the words Nebraska and Cornhuskers a couple of hundred times a year and, because of that, I'm constantly looking for alternatives. Luckily, Nebraska has a pretty rich nickname history--Bugeaters, Rattlesnake Boys, Old Gold Knights, Mankilling Mastodons--I use all of them interchangeably but as wonderful as those options are they don't exactly roll off the tongue(or the fingers). THE N, however, is strong, easy to say and can be typed more quickly than a capital 'q'. No problems so far but is it appropriate?
It is. There's only one other school in the NCAA Crappy Way of Deciding a National Champion that Isn't Technically Recognized by the NCAA Subdivision to carry the 14th letter of the alphabet into battle upon their heads and that school is Northwestern. I trust that, in this football context, you will have no problem disregarding them. The rest of the country doesn't.
That leaves Nebraska. The N. The football team that made the letter famous. So simple and unadorned but intrinsically ours. I urge you to use it and espouse its validity. I urge you to buy a t-shirt right here on this very website and proudly wear this dramatic new identity on your chest*. Don't be the only person at the Spring Game (Eine Kleine Nachtmusik?) without it.
* All proceeds from these sales will go directly to the Yun' Ball Coach**
** Lacking the means of production for these shirts, "all proceeds" shall be a portion of the proceeds determined solely by HiPlainsDrifter.com
