Allen
09-04-2008, 06:15 PM
Golden State Warriors Examiner
As OKC Thunder is introduced, Warriors mascot is getting no love from
NBA or team
POSTED September 3, 8:47 PM
Matt Steinmetz - Golden State Warriors Examiner
Looks like Thunder -- the Warriors’ mascot, that is -- is on his own.
If he's as smart as he is strong, he's thinking head-hunter right now.
He doesn’t seem to be getting any love these days from the NBA … or
his hometown team, the Warriors.
On Wednesday, the NBA officially named its Oklahoma City team Thunder.
“Thunder” also happens to be the name of the Warriors’ mascot, first
introduced by the team in 1997. That would seem to be a conflict. Not
a big one, mind you, but one in need of addressing.
Commissioner David Stern can make a mascot go away just like that,
after all. Right?
Problem is, Thunder is different; he’s not your run-of-the-mill
mascot.
In fact, he’s quite unique.
Thunder is actually part of the Warriors’ primary logo -- central to
it, in fact -- and he happens to be the only mascot in the entire
league with such a distinction. So, he’s NBA-approved and all that
stuff.
Right now, there is a team in the Northwest Division named the
Oklahoma City Thunder and another team in the Pacific division with a
mascot named Thunder, who just happens to be the only mascot in the
league featured on his team’s logo.
A spokesman for the league said the NBA didn’t view it as an “identity
conflict.”
Tell that to Thunder. He knows his identity. He’s the one who scares
the kids, dances at inappropriate times and puts the lampshade on his
bolt-head during crunch-time.
Anyway, you might think the Warriors would be a little wound up over
all this. Not necessarily. They don’t seem to be too crazy about
Thunder, themselves.
It turns out that for the past few years the Warriors have been trying
to make their secondary logo -- the “Flying W” -- their primary logo.
But the NBA has demanded upwards of $500,000 for the switcheroo.
Instead, the Warriors use their secondary logo -- the one without
Thunder -- all the time. And when we say all the time, we mean all the
time. There is not one image of the Warriors’ primary logo in their
2007-08 media guide.
In other words, not only doesn’t the NBA care about Thunder, but the
Warriors may be pushing him out the door, too.
As OKC Thunder is introduced, Warriors mascot is getting no love from
NBA or team
POSTED September 3, 8:47 PM
Matt Steinmetz - Golden State Warriors Examiner
Looks like Thunder -- the Warriors’ mascot, that is -- is on his own.
If he's as smart as he is strong, he's thinking head-hunter right now.
He doesn’t seem to be getting any love these days from the NBA … or
his hometown team, the Warriors.
On Wednesday, the NBA officially named its Oklahoma City team Thunder.
“Thunder” also happens to be the name of the Warriors’ mascot, first
introduced by the team in 1997. That would seem to be a conflict. Not
a big one, mind you, but one in need of addressing.
Commissioner David Stern can make a mascot go away just like that,
after all. Right?
Problem is, Thunder is different; he’s not your run-of-the-mill
mascot.
In fact, he’s quite unique.
Thunder is actually part of the Warriors’ primary logo -- central to
it, in fact -- and he happens to be the only mascot in the entire
league with such a distinction. So, he’s NBA-approved and all that
stuff.
Right now, there is a team in the Northwest Division named the
Oklahoma City Thunder and another team in the Pacific division with a
mascot named Thunder, who just happens to be the only mascot in the
league featured on his team’s logo.
A spokesman for the league said the NBA didn’t view it as an “identity
conflict.”
Tell that to Thunder. He knows his identity. He’s the one who scares
the kids, dances at inappropriate times and puts the lampshade on his
bolt-head during crunch-time.
Anyway, you might think the Warriors would be a little wound up over
all this. Not necessarily. They don’t seem to be too crazy about
Thunder, themselves.
It turns out that for the past few years the Warriors have been trying
to make their secondary logo -- the “Flying W” -- their primary logo.
But the NBA has demanded upwards of $500,000 for the switcheroo.
Instead, the Warriors use their secondary logo -- the one without
Thunder -- all the time. And when we say all the time, we mean all the
time. There is not one image of the Warriors’ primary logo in their
2007-08 media guide.
In other words, not only doesn’t the NBA care about Thunder, but the
Warriors may be pushing him out the door, too.