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chapter 11 · Junior Joined: 26 Apr 2003 Posts: 304 Location: NYC

And there are worse things for a prospective recruit who may be watching the game to hear about a school other than its a fun place. We could use any edge we can during the transition. And let's be honest most of us non division one athletes had a great time in Amherst for four (or for the Bluto's many more) years. I'd bet that a football player may be in a position to have at least as much of a similar experience, within the rules of course.

Rory · Junior Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 542 Location: Boston, MA

Here is the video of Inhedigbo repping "Zoomass" last night on Sunday Night Football...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEPeoAO1fZY
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jjmc85 · Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:12 pm Post subject:

I personally wish he didn't do it. I agree with those who say it takes away from the academics of the institution and focuses on some of the more negative aspects. To me, the term brings back memories of idiots rioting in Southwest over baseball games. I'd take UMass-Amherst a thousand times before "ZooMass."
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Emilimo701 · Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 10:44 pm Post subject:

People who are actually upset about the "zoomass" might need to reevaluate their perspective on life. Lighten up, folks.

On a similar topic, does it irk anyone else when Ohio State guys say "THE Ohio State"? comes across as a little pompous.

Kosty · Posted: Mon Nov 14, 2011 10:59 pm Post subject:

DrG · Hall of Fame Joined: 02 Apr 2003 Posts: 2171 Location: MA

We're moving up to FBS and we're all talking about establishing a UMass brand. I admit I am an old fart and maybe it's a generational thing, but I've been fighting for over 30 years to eradicate this "ZooMass" image. Wisconsin is even a bigger party school than us, but they are also regarded as a Public Ivy. That's where I'd like to be someday. Sorry, I didn't think James helped us.

harbo · Senior Joined: 02 Apr 2003 Posts: 1460

I was going to comment on THE Ohio State as well as Miami's "The U". Time for the rolling eyes every time I hear it.

I'm in the "it doesn't bother me" column with the ZooMass introduction. It's a bad connotation within the Commonwealth, but outside of Massachusetts, not hardly. I think James was just having some fun and if nothing else, was probably the only one that caught anyone's attention. Surely there were some high school players watching and, at a time when we need some recruiting attention outside of New England, just maybe it caught someone's attention. Sure that's a major stretch, but if UMass was portrayed as a fun experience, it couldn't hurt. Info on the less important stuff like academics Wink

are available if they want to explore further.

Rory · Junior Joined: 27 Mar 2005 Posts: 542 Location: Boston, MA

InnervisionsUMASS · Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:01 pm Post subject:

You know how you know that someone went to BC? They mention that they went to BC in the first 3 seconds of your conversation with them.

Using the fact that BC people call us "The Zoo" on message boards as a reason for it being bad is a very poor excuse. I know you people could come up with better.
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Sam Minuteman · Senior Joined: 09 Apr 2003 Posts: 1164 Location: Tampa, FL

OrchardHill75 · Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 7:14 pm Post subject:

For whatever it's worth, add me to the 'I thought it was classless' camp. I honestly don't see any good reason why anyone would think that's funny or innocuous on national TV. 'ZooMass' isn't a shorthand nickname for the school (like the Cross or Quinsig or The Heights); it implies something less than a quality education. Just my opinion...
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ShadesOf96and98 · Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 10:57 pm Post subject:

The fact that words like "classless" are being thrown around to describe this situation is a joke. The fact that we have people in here discussing whether the academic integrity of our university was upheld in a Sunday Night Football intro is a fucking embarrassment.

It doesn't have anything to do with our branding, it doesn't uphold or let down our image, and for the love of God...we ARE ZooMass, it's our identity whether you like it or not, and whether you want to believe it or not, there are probably more students on campus who enroll at our great school because they want to go to ZooMass then because they want to major in engineering. Beyond that, its the ZooMassers who have been or will be our football fans, not the portion of this most recent generation who might agree with you folks that Diggs let us down by saying that.

Seriously, he wasn't being introduced for the state of the union address, he was introducing himself for a football game in a format that 80 percent of players use as a gag. Like Crooks, i got messages from all over the place talking about how great it was. Maybe next time he should just say "Amherst-Pelham Regional High School" so none of you guys get upset about it.

And 87, not to call you out...but it's tough to watch you post about how James should be projecting a better image for us when you're projecting his name spelled incorrectly. Ihedigbo

UMass87 · Hall of Fame Joined: 02 Apr 2003 Posts: 7334

Pretty weak shades.