ESPN: Legends and Leaders leave the limelight

[BleedGopher]

What was your favorite Legends & Leaders moment?!

Per ESPN:

The league opened itself up to several easy jokes with those names, and it also suffered from unfortunate timing. The two most prominent teams in the Leaders (Ohio State and Penn State) did not show a lot of leadership by getting themselves embroiled in scandal and landing on probation. The two schools most befitting of legendary status in the Legends (Michigan and Nebraska) didn't win a Big Ten title during the three-year span.

The "Building Leaders, Honoring Legends" motto made for a decent slogan, but as I always argued, division names aren't really an ideal marketing opportunity. The league put itself in a bind by not aligning along geographic lines and therefore not creating easy solutions for what to call the divisions.

That all changes in 2014, when the conference will split into simple East and West groupings. There will no longer be confusion as to which teams are on what side. The division names are boring and predictable instead of billboards. Thankfully.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/91443/legends-and-leaders-leave-the-limelight

Go Gophers!!

 

[KoolAid]

"The Big Ten didn't actually have 'Legends' and Leaders' as their division names, did they?"

"No, you're drunk"

 

[MNGoldenGophers1]

Let's just pretend it never happened.

 

[station19]

What was your favorite Legends & Leaders moment?!

Per ESPN:
The "Building Leaders, Honoring Legends" motto made for a decent slogan, but as I always argued, division names aren't really an ideal marketing opportunity. The league put itself in a bind by not aligning along geographic lines and therefore not creating easy solutions for what to call the divisions.

http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/91443/legends-and-leaders-leave-the-limelight

Go Gophers!!

No it didn't

 

[drinks at Northpoint]

The names actually grew on me and I started to like them, however I never learned which one we were in.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

I always called them our division and the other division.

 

[theTurning]

I still like the idea of branding the divisions. My problem with 'Legends and Leaders' (beside the alliteration and overt pretentiousness) is the lack of ownability for either side. Like Northpoint said, I never even knew which one we were in.

Something fans can identify with and also represents either side, like Bunyan and Appleseed, or something like that would be fun and still get the job done.

 

[Gopherguy0723]

I also didn't know which one we were in.

The whole thing smelled of hubris and entitlement.

 

[GophersInIowa]

I still think they should have originally named them the "Where's Wisconsin?" and "What the hell is Wisconsin doing here?" divisions.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

I also didn't know which one we were in.

The whole thing smelled of hubris and entitlement.

I thought those were the division names............

 

[Golden Elephant]

I still think they should have originally named them the "Where's Wisconsin?" and "What the hell is Wisconsin doing here?" divisions.

+1 Very nice.

 

[SelectionSunday]

The "Legends/Leaders era" (just 3 lonely years) willl be remembered as the Michigan State/Wisconsin era. Let's hope the "East/West era" continues to prove that the Big Ten is much more than just Ohio State/Michigan, except this time it becomes the "Gophers (West) and anyone except OSU/Michigan (East) era".

 

[station19]

The "Legends/Leaders era" (just 3 lonely years) willl be remembered as the Michigan State/Wisconsin era. Let's hope the "East/West era" continues to prove that the Big Ten is much more than just Ohio State/Michigan, except this time it becomes the "Gophers (West) and anyone except OSU/Michigan (East) era".