In less than a month, Cal will finally return to the field. The season will begin with women’s soccer on Aug. 23 and continue with men’s soccer, volleyball, field hockey and cross-country until the main event: football against Northwestern on Aug. 31.
But it will be more than just the scheduled annual return to collegiate athletics for Cal. In addition to new faces, there will be new uniforms, a new logo, and — in some cases — even a new color (gray).
Last April, Cal Athletics unveiled a new “brand” for Cal’s athletic teams. I put the word “brand” in quotations because I am still uncomfortable with the idea of amateur collegiate athletic teams trying to sell themselves, which is what a “brand” does by definition.
Cal’s look should be about identity, not brand. And our identity is derived from history and tradition, not modern designs spat out by a department at Nike. I mean, for a school that hasn’t been to a Rose Bowl or won a basketball title since 1959 (coincidentally, the last year before the ASUC gave up control of Cal Athletics), all we have is our history and tradition to be proud of. There is little recent success for Cal supporters to cherish.
Before I go off on my rant, let me say that the new design doesn’t look bad. Sure, I think the new logo looks like the most generic blue and gold bear that Nike could have possibly made — not to mention the thing looks like it’s comically sneezing, not growling. But some people love it. And even I have to admit the uniforms themselves are a huge improvement.
But history and tradition were thrown out in favor of modern gimmicks. There’s no need for a new logo when the walking bear looks beautiful and dignified already and has been in use since 1896. Same goes for the block C, which is so iconic for the university that it is placed permanently in the hills. Too bad that iconic C is getting taken off the baseball caps.
And this isn’t the first time it’s happened. A few years ago the football team debuted white helmets under some flimsy pretext that no one remembers for a reason that no one could care any less about. And let’s all try to forget some of the hideous uniform combinations that have made their way onto the field over the years (please let gold-on-gold die a quick death).
Cal should stop trying to be Oregon and instead stick to something classic that works.
But this is all just my opinion. Lots of people love the redesign. And lots more people wouldn’t care if Cal Athletics changed our colors to red and white, so long as the teams start winning again.
The problem is that Cal Athletics is playing a dangerous game. Collegiate athletics exist because of alumni support. And without a record of success from the top programs to draw them back, the reason our alumni support Cal is due to a love for the university and a connection to their time as students. When Cal Athletics continually tinkers with the school’s identity (which is really what they are messing with when they talk about “brand”), it makes that connection weaker.
And when you are counting on alumni to fill ESP seats to fund 2011’s $321 million stadium renovation, you want to make them happy. Alumni are not going to buy those expensive seats to see our team go 3-9, so at least appeal to their sense of nostalgia. But Cal Athletics isn’t doing that.
Cal Athletics has built a house of cards. They’re simultaneously trying to build a global “brand” while relying on an alumni base that couldn’t care less about Cal’s national appeal to fund their ideas. It’s a dangerous combination — so don’t be surprised if the cards come crashing down.
Contact Riley McAtee at [email protected]
Correction(s):
A previous version of this article stated that the “C” logo on band uniforms is being changed, in fact it is remaining the same.