Opinion

Column: Holding on to 'Fighting Sioux' will hurt North Dakota





"Debate about UND’s use of the Fighting Sioux nickname and logo has been going on for many years and not many minds have changed.

It’s time to reframe the argument.

Whatever your position on the issue, it must now be clear that continuing to use it is a threat to UND, Grand Forks and, indeed, the state.

This is easy enough to see in the short term. The sanctions that the NCAA has promised will cost UND events that draw people, and their money, to Grand Forks.

What do you suppose the impact is, in dollars, of a Minnesota hockey series here? And not just for the arena and the hockey program, but for hotels, bars and restaurants, gas stations and retail shops.

Yes, the Minnesota series helps make Grand Forks a destination city."

Get the Story:
Mike Jacobs: Let’s reframe the debate about UND’s nickname (The Grand Forks Herald 6/19)

Other Opinions:
John Johnson, Warren, Minn., column: Legislature’s arrogance threatens UND athletics (The Grand Forks Herald 6/19)
Paul Cline, Thatcher, Ariz., letter: Lawmakers’ willful blindness hurts UND (The Grand Forks Herald 6/17)

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