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North Texas AD sending cease and desist order over ESPN, Michigan State’s use of ‘Mean Green’
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ESPN’s promotion of Saturday’s Michigan-Michigan State is catching some serious heat from North Texas athletic director Wren Baker.
In a promotional ad for the prime time game that will air on ABC Saturday night, ESPN referred to the Spartans as the “Mean Green,” which is the nickname of North Texas’ sports teams. Wren Baker, the UNT athletic director, saw the advertisement, and fired a shot at both ESPN and Michigan State, claiming he would be sending a Cease and desist order.
Hey @espn, nice phrase for a promo but uh…no pic.twitter.com/UPMPCxLcCG
— George Dunham (@GeorgeDunham) October 4, 2017
Hey @espn & @MSU_Athletics , without a doubt @MeanGreenSports is the hottest athletic dept in the country. BUT you can’t just try to steal #MeanGreen. It’s trademarked and has been for a very, very long time. Cease and desist letter on the way. https://t.co/7g69KeEm0T
— Wren Baker (@wrenbaker) October 4, 2017
Apparently, it wasn’t just a threat. According to Dan Wolken of USA Today, Baker is preparing a cease and desist order for the usage of “Mean Green.”
Baker wasn’t kidding. Reached by USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday night, he confirmed that North Texas’ licensing attorneys would send a cease and desist letter to Michigan State and ESPN on Wednesday morning.
Michigan State-Michigan is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start and will air on ABC. This will be the first night kickoff in the rivalry’s history.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB