The Union R-XI School District is bidding adieu to “the U.”
The district is phasing out its current U-shaped primary logo after being notified in fall 2021 that the University of Miami is enforcing its trademark. The letter came from the university’s representative, sports giant Fanatics.
The iconic logo has appeared on everything from the district’s flag to the 50-yard-line at Stierberger Stadium, as well as on the Wildcats’ football helmets. Union has typically used a black and red version of “the U” in a shape similar to Miami’s orange and green logo.
The school has to make a decision on a primary logo within two months because it is ordering a new artificial turf football field, where the logo will be prominently displayed for 10 years, district Deputy Superintendent Dr. Mike Mabe said at the Wednesday, Jan. 18, board meeting.
Mabe said he and Dr. Justin Tarte, the district’s executive director of human resources, talked a few times to Fanatics. “We had discussions to see if there is an opportunity to get (‘the U’) registered or pay a licensing fee or something like that,” he said. “We have not been able to be successful in those areas.”
Along with sports apparel, Fanatics is involved with everything from trading cards to sports gambling.
After being rebuffed by Fanatics, a focus group made up of middle school, high school and central office administrators, as well as club sponsors, athletic coaches, booster club officials and board of education members started discussing the logos recently.
“We started a process last week about looking at Union and the different logos, anywhere from ‘the U,’ the mascot, to paw prints to letterheads to digital media — anything you could imagine,” Mabe said.
The discussions have included whether the district should try to stick as close to the current “U” as possible or try something “totally new, totally different,” said Mabe, who was wearing a pin with a block-shaped U with a paw print on it.
The focus group wanted to keep the logo as similar to the current one as possible, board member Matt Borgmann said. “Just adapt it so it is no longer in infringement with Miami,” he said.
Board President Dr. Virgil Weideman asked if that is possible.
“It’s definitely possible,” Borgmann said. “All Miami said is we can’t have those opposite ‘J’s’ and split colors. You can still split a color, it just can’t represent their logo. It’s just finding something that fits and looks good that everybody can live with.”
Mabe said the district will work to stay close to what it has but also make sure it is not infringing on Miami’s logo.
HTK Architects, of Overland Park, Kansas, which Union R-XI is working with on architectural plans, is also assisting on the new logo design and looking up copyright information, Mabe said.
A final decision on the new logo will come back to the board.
The process is new to Mabe, he said. “It’s kind of an exciting thing, but also, it’s going to be a change as well, so there will be emotion attached to it,” he said.
The larger discussion after the initial logo is determined will include alternate logos, Mabe said after the meeting. But he stressed the Wildcats nickname will remain.
“There’s a front-facing wildcat, there’s a side-facing wildcat, there’s different versions of a front-facing wildcat,” he said. “What the discussion is we need to just streamline it.”
The district also wants to be consistent across its websites and social media pages, Mabe said.
“What our goal is, is we want to create a suite of images,” he said. “Whatever the district decides can go in that suite, than any district representative that’s making or creating something can go to that suite and use it.”
While other high schools use college logos, some universities are easier to work with.
“You can go to Kansas State’s website and it has their suite of images,” Mabe said, noting that Union is not considering using the Kansas State Wildcats logo. “But it also has information for how you can use it. I know the University of Missouri has something similar, because there’s a lot of school districts that use that tiger.”
But the University of Miami does not provide a similar service.
“We’ve tried,” Mabe said. “Many universities allow it. And so there’s a process that you go through. It’s just the University of Miami doesn’t have a process for us to do it.”
The University of Miami and Fanatics could not be reached for comment.
