Sports logo design dodges controversy

By Alicia Beard
The Metropolitan

Intercollegiate Athletics redesigned the look of Metroâs mascot to have a more aggressive identity without involving itself in the controversy that surrounded the collegeâs nickname during the fall semester.

Members of Metroâs Student Government Assembly were unsuccessful in fighting the collegeâs adoption of the new nickname, The Met, which was printed on T-shirts, bumper stickers, college stationary and other items.

College administrators said the nickname was devised as a way to shake peopleâs association with the name Metro to a ãsecond-rateä institution.
 

The Roadrunner logo, a capital M with a roadrunner head over it, was introduced at a basketball game Jan. 23. The collegeâs full name, is in small print at the bottom of the logo.

Mark Cicero, Metroâs sports information director, said Intercollegiate Athletics decided last July that it wanted to be included in Metroâs collegewide new identity campaign. But Cicero focused on changing the look of Metroâs sports logo without using the collegeâs nickname.

ãWe took the stand,ä Cicero said.

The student government wanted Metro on the new logo, and the college administrators wanted The Met. Cicero decided to go with the collegeâs full name so the issue wouldnât divide people at the college.

Cicero said the logo should encourage involvement not controversy.

ãThe school can rally around the new roadrunner, build a tradition around it,ä he said. ãWe want the whole school to be unified around a common logo.ä

William Helman, Metroâs athletics director, said  Intercollegiate Athletics wanted a logo that would stick. The old logo featured a cartoon Roadrunner, and the new one has a realistic looking roadrunnerâs head.

ãWe felt it would help us put the image of the school out there as something people can identify (us with),ä Helman said.

New uniforms will get the updated Roadrunner logo as uniforms are replaced over the seasons, Helman said. Most Metro teams, except tennis and baseball, finished their seasons when the new logo debuted.

Only the baseball teamâs caps have the new Roadrunner on them for this season.

The Roadrunner has been the schoolâs mascot since 1974 when it replaced Metroâs first mascot, the Mustang. Students acquired the Roadrunners as a nickname to describe how they were often seen dodging traffic to get to and from class.