Wednesday, October 07, 2009

Bleeding Tricolour: By any name, one tough team

It is still 10 days away, but The Score's promo for the Oct. 17 University Rush game between 5-0 Queen's and (cough) 4-1 Western is posted. It looks pretty sharp.



You would have to be really obsessive to notice it, but the Western players say, "We are the Western Mustangs." The Big Yellow Guys, QB Dan Brannagan, linebacker T.J. Leeper, slotback Devan Sheahan and linebacker Chris Smith, say, "We are Queen's University."

It's pretty well-played, using the full name of the school. It neatly sidesteps last fall's Golden Gaels/Gaels mini-furore. Queen's is also big on playing up the school name in its marketing and maybe it helps point out about how The Game is part of something larger at Queen's than just the team.

It is kind of funny how that issue has gone away this season. It's like everyone just learned to get along with it. The P.A. announcer at Richardson Stadium has been using "Golden Gaels," and so have a lot of Kingston media. It's like it's a coolness test; if outlets in other markets who are not bound by OUA policy use "Queen's Gaels," it's like it reveals how little care and regard some have for Canadian Interuniversity Sport. Either way, the focus is on the field.

2 comments:

Superfun Happy Slide said...

I thought the Queens' kids used the full name of the school because "Gaels" sounds very much like the word, gays, when said in a quick little 30 or 40 second spot. Not that there's anything wrong with that. However, when the saying is, "We are the Gaels (Gays)," (snickering) it would be a little too easy to miss-hear the last word. Even better, if you use the full nickname, Golden Gaels, it's even more hilarious. "They are the Golden Gays (Gaels)". (More snickering) Again, not that there is anything wrong with that. (followed by falling-down roaring laughter)

sager said...

"I have many Gaels friends!"
"My father's a Gael!"

That humour kills in London. Kingston, not so much.