Gaining a Reputation

The area in which I live, Logan, Utah, generally makes national news for two things:

• Making the occasional "Best Places to Live" list, and
• Puritanical behavior/attitudes.

I have chronicled several examples of the latter in these pages:

• Utah State banning the "You Suck" chant at basketball games.
• A hockey player cited for lewdness for mooning the crowd.
• Students playing root beer pong.

Today, there's a new example, involving student T-shirts for USU basketball games. This year's shirt was supposed to say "I'm proud of my A" - the 'A' standing for Aggies (ostensibly). Well, this double entendre didn't sit well with USU administrators, who forced a change.

Administrators at the school have asked that the shirts be redesigned to change the sentence, “I’m Proud of My A.” Tiffany Evans, director of USU’s Student Involvement and Leadership Center, explained that the slogan could refer to Aggies, alumni, athletics or the rear end.

“We don’t want anyone to say, ‘Um, I probably can’t wear that or I feel uncomfortable wearing that,’” Evans continued. “We want it to be unifying. We don’t want it to have to cross someone’s mind, ‘Oh, I like the shirt, but no.’”

Now, the shirts will say "I'm proud of the A." This fall, USU fans will be able to wear the shirt and cheer their Aggies without reservation. And I'm happy for them. More, including audio from ABC News, here.