What's In A Name

The American Athletic Conference commissioner Mike Arespo is making the media circuit rounds trying to spread the word on the new American Athletic Conference.  He comes with a brand new logo that screams patriotism and is only missing the American Eagle.  But one thing that he doesn’t bring is a  catchy name.  The American Athletic Conference doesn’t roll off the tongue like the Big East did nor can you use the acronym AAC because the Appalachian  Athletic Conference already uses that.   They had to know that this would cause some confusion and yet they still went ahead with it.

They first tried out using Americon which sounds horrible and like some futuristic evil corporation.  Might as well get American Eagle to sponsor the name.  They are now pushing to use the American Conference for their name but there is already a Great American Conference.  They were pushing for something that didn’t seem regional like the Big East, but to come floundering out of the gates with a name that is so similar to others that it pigeon holes the vernacular makes the whole thing feel like a rush job.  They could’ve done better.

They will eventually adhere to the rest of the country calling it the ACC.  They need be out in front of this one and purchase the name from the Appalachian Athletic Conference now.  They are flush with cash from the exodus of all the schools and a new television deal and the schools under the now ACC aren’t going bankrupt you.  Its better than fighting a lengthy court fight down the road over this.

Time will tell where this new conference will end up but for now it is a jumbled mess.  The new season is five months away and they need to get everything figured out before then.  Be it American Conference, Americon, or ACC (which is the preferred way to go), it will ultimately be up to the competition of the league that will make or break this tentative alliance of schools.  But for now we will all have to suffer with the bumps and bruises of started a new league on the run in this new day and age of big money and big conferences.