February, 2008:

• U. of Texas-San Antonio Unveils New Athletics Logos (NCAA)
  February 29, 2008
  The University of Texas at San Antonio Athletics Department will unveil its new logos and word marks during Homecoming activities on Saturday. UTSA will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in a Southland Conference men’s basketball clash at 7 p.m. (televised locally on Time Warner Cable channel 50) at the Convocation Center, topping a full slate of Homecoming Day festivities. Lone Star Special Tees of San Antonio and Follett Corporation, the vendor that operates UTSA bookstores, developed T-shirts, sweatshirts, pennants, banners and other merchandise featuring the new logos and word marks. Much of the merchandise will be on sale March 1 in the Convocation Center and the 1604 Campus bookstore and also beginning as early as Saturday at select San Antonio area locations of Academy, Lids, Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s, Dillard’s, News & Gifts and Champs/Foot Locker locations at Rivercenter, North Star and South Park malls. The Homecoming unveiling culminates a year-long process to update the Roadrunners logos and create athletics word marks. The Athletic Department contracted Rickabaugh Graphics from Gahanna, Ohio, to design the new marks. Rickabaugh is one of the nation’s top studios for athletics, corporate and other graphic design work.
   
• Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "Remember the ABA"
  February 29, 2008
  When you go see "Semi-Pro" this weekend, watch as the closing credits scroll by and you'll see someone making his Hollywood debut: "ABA Research Consultant: Arthur Hundhausen." That simple credit line is the culmination of a lifelong obsession for Hundhausen, a 38-year-old Denver attorney who became an ABA fanatic while growing up in the 1970s and is now probably the world's foremost ABA authority. He owns over 1000 ABA game programs, all of the media guides, and loads of photos, jerseys, and other ephemera. He's cobbled much of this material into his excellent Remember the ABA site, easily the web's definitive resource for all things ABA-related. Hundhausen talks about the ABA the way other fans talk about their favorite teams. "The ABA had the best talent and the best players," he says. "I'd ask my dad why they didn't play NBA teams, and he'd say, 'Well, they don't have to.' They did play some exhibition games against the NBA, though, and they kicked their butts all over the court. The final year's record was something like 31-17, in the ABA's favor."
   
• Major League Soccer Awards Franchise to Philadelphia for 2010 (Major League Soccer)
  February 28, 2008
  Major League Soccer today awarded its 16th team to Philadelphia, igniting a celebration among thousands of passionate soccer fans all across the Delaware Valley and beyond. MLS Commissioner Don Garber made the much-anticipated announcement in Chester, where the team will play in a new, 20,000-seat stadium beginning in 2010. “We are thrilled to welcome Philadelphia to Major League Soccer,” said Commissioner Garber. “The addition of Philadelphia brings one of the most passionate sports markets in the country into the League and provides a natural rivalry with several of our clubs in this region of the country. “This was a long process to finalize an expansion team for Philadelphia, and it was the vision of the ownership group and government officials in Pennsylvania that made this new team a reality,” Garber added. “We look forward to seeing passionate soccer fans providing an electric atmosphere at the new stadium in Chester.”
   
• New York Mets Unveil Citi Field Logo (Major League Baseball/National League)
  February 25, 2008
  Gathered around an artist's rendering of the new Citi Field on Monday morning, a group of Mets -- some of them laughing, all of them grinning -- saw their future. Hard for them not to be excited after the Mets packaged years of planning, hope and expectation into one bright little logo. The team on Monday unveiled its logo for the new Citi Field, set to open in 2009. Combining the colors of Citi -- a global financial services company that is the stadium's namesake sponsor -- with those of the Mets, the new logo is the most tangible bit of marketing for the stadium to date. "It's a beautiful logo," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "It's a great marriage with Citi Bank and the New York Mets. It's a great day, and I can't wait to see it all over Shea Stadium. It's going to be fun."
   
• South Dakota State U. Unveils New Athletic Logos (NCAA)
  February 24, 2008
  The new Jackrabbit mascot design for South Dakota State University shows the results of a long and purposeful process that promises a prosperous future for the institution’s symbol. “The 18-month process soliciting designs and gathering opinions from focus groups throughout the state gave us a mascot we feel confident will help people feel ‘it’s a great day to be a Jackrabbit,’” said Students’ Association President Alex Brown, a member of the mascot committee. The new mascot design, created by Spearfish natives Craig and Cory Whitlock of Mongoose Graphics in Denver, depicts a jackrabbit with sleek lines and an intense look. The brothers’ design was chosen from 250 national and international submissions for a “Design the Jackrabbit” contest.
   
• Toledo Walleye Unveils Nickname, Logo (ECHL (hockey))
  February 20, 2008
  As it turned out, the Toledo Mud Hens reeled in a team name for the city's professional hockey franchise a long time ago. But they're still fishing for something to call the arena football team. Walleye, a moniker the Mud Hens first sought through the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in May of 2005, will be announced as the mascot for pro hockey in Toledo at an 11 a.m. news conference today. The other name the Hens pursued trademark rights for - Woodpeckers - will not be attached to the city's future arena football franchise, officials said. Joe Napoli, general manager of the Hens and Toledo Arena Sports Inc., a not-for-profit organization created by the Hens to own Toledo's hockey and arena football organizations, said public outcry over the possibly negative connotations of "Woodpeckers" was too strong to ignore. In November, The Blade first reported that the Mud Hens sought rights for "Walleye" for hockey and "Woodpeckers" for arena football, but also pursued "Peckers" and "Peckerheads." Area residents flooded The Blade and Hens' offices with calls, letters, and e-mails in response to those initial reports, and Lucas County Commissioner Ben Konop initiated his own Internet campaign to solicit public suggestions for both franchises.
   
• Great Falls Unveils New Nickname - Voyagers (Pioneer League (baseball))
  February 20, 2008
  What began as a discussion among Great Falls Baseball Club board members a few years ago has now become a reality. The minor league baseball team which, in the past, has been called the Great Falls Giants, the Great Falls Dodgers, and most recently the Great Falls White Sox, will now be known as the Great Falls Voyagers. The principal reason for adopting the new name is to better reflect the team's association with and commitment to the Great Falls community. An exhaustive study of possible names was undertaken by a special committee. After considering numerous possibilities, Voyagers was chosen because of its connection to Legion Park. In 1950, Nick Mariana, the general manager of the Great Falls Baseball team, filmed two rotating, silvery objects above the ball park. The Mariana film is one of the strongest cases supporting the existence of UFO's. Though still a proud affiliate of the 2005 World Series Champion Chicago White Sox, the Voyagers will now sport their own original identity aimed at capturing the fun of Minor League baseball while celebrating this unique piece of Electric City history.
   
• Fairbanks Grizzlies Unveil Logo (Intense Football League)
  February 17, 2008
  With practice just around the corner, the Fairbanks Grizzlies now know what pigskin they’ll be tossing around. The Grizzlies unveiled their new footballs Friday in a press conference at American Tire and Auto. The newest Intense Football League team showed off both their new game balls — which sport the logo of the Grizzlies, the IFL and American Tire and Auto, and a special football designed for autograph seeking fans, which has the Grizzlies logo and plenty of white space. American Tire and Auto was one of the first sponsors to sign on with the Grizzlies. “We just wanted to be on board in this inaugural season,” said American Tire and Auto store marketing director Janene McMahan.
   
• The Windsor Star - "Arena Memories: Toronto Sheds Shamrock" (National Hockey League)
  February 15, 2008
  There have been many spectacular beginnings held at Windsor Arena over the rink's lengthy history. But the night of Feb. 15, 1927 was all about the end of an era. Toronto's National Hockey League history was not one much to talk about during the infancy of the league. True, there were Stanley Cup wins by the Arenas (1917-18) and the St. Patricks (1921-22), but considering the club was also briefly called the Tecumsehs, Toronto actually had more nicknames than titles to its credit. That was all about to change as the St. Patricks traveled to Windsor for a game with the Detroit Cougars. An expansion franchise, the Cougars - who would eventually become the Red Wings - were without a rink in Detroit during their inaugural NHL campaign and played all of their 1926-27 home dates at Windsor Arena.
   
• Uni Watch by Paul Lukas - "Helmet of the Future?"
  February 14, 2008
  The NFL season is over, but Uni Watch is already thinking ahead to next season, because there may be a major new development on the helmet scene. According to the cover story in a recent issue of Machine Design magazine, the upstart Protective Sports Equipment company -- the same firm that brought us the ProCap anti-concussion accessory, which was worn by Steve Wallace and Mark Kelso back in the 1990s -- is working with the league to develop a new helmet concept, called the Gladiator. The Gladiator supposedly provides superior protection (for details, check out the article's full text here and here), although Uni Watch suspects most pro gridders would rather get a concussion than wear something so nerdy-looking. But whether the newfangled lid catches on or not, it probably won't be the last word in the design of the football helmet, which has gone through more evolutionary stages than any other sports accessory. In fact, Uni Watch has been rummaging through some archival clips that make it clear just how circuitous the helmet's history has been, full of false starts, unlikely detours, and counterintuitive tangents.
   
• Staten Island Yankees Unveil New Secondary Logos (New York-Pennsylvania League (baseball))
  February 10, 2008
  The Staten Island Yankees are proud to announce a brand-new look for the 2008 season. This will be the first major change the team has undergone since their second season when they went from wearing New York Yankees uniforms to the ones they wore through last year. “The purpose of the new logo is to give a fresh look to the Staten Island Yankees for our 10th season on Staten Island ” says Joe Ricciutti, President. “We are honored to be part of this community. As a lifelong Staten Islander, I am particularly proud that each logo, whether it’s on our letterhead or on our uniform, demonstrates that the Staten Island Yankees are indeed Staten Island ’s team.” Staten Island Yankees Executive Vice President, General Manager Jane Rogers believes “The new logos and uniforms represent a great mix of community pride and Yankees heritage. I especially like the patch that will adorn the sleeve of every player on all of our uniforms.” The patch Rogers is referring to has the giant letters “S.I.N.Y.” along with five stars, representing each of the city’s five boroughs. The center star is gold and that star represents Staten Island .
   
• Chicago Fire Launches 10-Year Anniversary Celebration (Major League Soccer)
  February 7, 2008
  Chicago Fire Soccer announced today the launch of the team's 10-Year Anniversary campaign, which will be sponsored by Magnum Insurance. Throughout their ten seasons, the Chicago Fire has proven to be a force in Major League Soccer. The Fire has always given fans something to cheer about, winning five domestic titles; four Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cups and an MLS Cup Championship. To kick off the campaign, the Fire today unveiled a "10-Year Anniversary Celebration" commemorative logo, featuring the colors of both the Chicago Fire and the Municipal Flag of Chicago.
  
   
• NBC Unveils Super Bowl XLIII Logo (National Football League)
  February 4, 2008
  NBC in a prime-time promotional announcement tonight (Feb. 4) will unveil the NFL’s Super Bowl XLIII logo, the earliest a network has ever began promoting its Super Bowl coverage. Next season’s Super Bowl telecast will air on NBC on Feb. 1, 2009, from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The Super Bowl promotional spot by NBC is, according to Dick Ebersol, chairman, NBC Universal Sports and Olympics, “an indication of how excited we are to broadcast the Super Bowl.” Ebersol added, “The Super Bowl is a holiday celebration like no other and we can’t wait to come to Tampa Bay to show the celebration to the rest of the world.”