The NCAA News - News and Features

The NCAA News -- September 28, 1998

Division I -- What's in a name?

Division I men's and women's soccer championships seek ideal event moniker

BY VANESSA L. ABELL
STAFF WRITER

Imagine capturing a national athletics tradition in a short phrase.

The "Super Bowl" brings forth visions of thousands of crazed football fans crammed into a single stadium for a clash among gridiron giants. The "College World Series" tempts the senses with a symphony of fresh roasted peanuts and mustard-laden hot dogs. The "Final Four" says it all for basketball.

But what is the perfect phrase to capture the essence of a soccer pitch? What prompts images of the black and white blur of a soccer ball careening across yards of turf in the midst of 22 players eagerly seeking those precious opportunities to score? What words can portray thousands of cheering fans from all over the nation witnessing the pinnacle of a season?

In other words, how do you capture a three-day weekend devoted to collegiate men's and women's soccer?

Administrators of the NCAA Division I Men's and Women's Soccer Championships want to know.

Organizers of the events are in search of those few, well-selected words that will capture the excitement and pageantry in a single phrase.

Members of the Division I Men's Soccer Committee have concluded -- considering the increasing popularity, attendance and growth of the soccer championships on a national level -- that it is time for the Division I Men's and Women's Soccer Championships to have their own "names." The Division I Women's Soccer Committee agrees.

The two committees encouraged the NCAA to sponsor a promotional contest for fans to suggest names for the men's and women's soccer championship weekends. The successful phrase should encompass all that makes the championships weekends so special, not only to the student-athletes involved but to fans as well.

So, the NCAA and Nabisco have joined together to create a "Name the Game Contest." The contest, which runs from September 1 through October 16, will culminate with a grand-prize winner receiving a trip for two either to the 1998 men's championship in Richmond, Virginia, December 11 and 13 or the 1998 women's championship December 4 and 6 in Greensboro, North Carolina. The trip includes airfare, hotel accommodations, rental car and game tickets. A second-prize winner will be presented with a $500 shopping spree from Eurosport, and 50 third-place winners will receive a Brine soccer ball, the official ball of the NCAA soccer championships.

'Final Four' already taken

For years, the NCAA national office staff has attempted to educate the public and the media that "Final Four" is a trademarked term for use only in reference to the Division I Men's Basketball Championship. The NCAA trademarked the additional term "Women's Final Four" to prevent confusion between the two basketball championships, but no one seems to know what to call most of the other NCAA championship events.

The Division I Men's and Women's Soccer Committees have heard it all during their events. Newspapers publish stories and television reporters speak about the "Men's Soccer Final Four" or the "Women's Soccer Final Four."

Tom Jacobs, staff liaison to the Division I Men's Soccer Committee, said it is time for a change.

"The problem is that fans and media use 'Final Four,' which is a trademarked item," he said. "With the gain in popularity and attendance at the men's soccer championship, the committee felt that merited creating the event's own niche."

Unique identity

Jonathan B. LeCrone, commissioner of the Midwestern Collegiate Conference and chair of the Division I Men's Soccer Committee, said a unique identity would go a long way in enhancing the student-athlete experience at an already popular event.

"The administrators and coaches have worked on promoting the game and establishing an identity for soccer," LeCrone said. "Our committee has talked on several occasions about what we could do to help promote the sport. We believe this to be a great opportunity to do just that."

Nelson Bobb, director of athletics at the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, and a member the committee, also sees a positive outcome from naming the event.

"It's long overdue that we finally can give an appropriate championship name to soccer," he said. "The fun side will be when we use the name after several years, it'll be a constant. We have discussed it for years. We are pleased to see it finally through to fruition."

How to enter

Entry forms are available through NCAA Online at ncaachampionships.com.

Nabisco, an NCAA corporate partner, also will provide entry forms in Greensboro and Richmond area grocery stores during the contest dates.

Soccer America, a national publication, and Eurosport, a clothing manufacturer, also will promote the contest.

All entries will be collected by the men's and women's soccer committees. The committees will determine the winner, with assistance from representatives of the 1998 host institutions and future host institutions.

If more than one winning entry is received, the committees will select a single finalist from the winners.

The grand-prize winner will be announced at the 1998 Division I Men's and Women's Soccer Championships in Greensboro and Richmond.

Promotional items using the new name will be produced for the 1998 championships to promote the 1999 championships.

Before the semifinals of the Division I Men's and Women's Soccer Championships, the new logos for the 1999 championships will be revealed -- along with the new names -- to members of the media.