#1, I didn't realize St. John's still had fans. #2, I didn't realize St John's was still playing organized basketball. So...silver lining there, I guess. That said, these so-called fans should not be allowed anywhere near a voting mechanism of any kind that influences the future of St. John's Athletics. They've officially turned a once-proud program into something out of the UFL.
Think about it. Before St. John's let fans vote on important issues, they were the St. John's Redmen. Sure, it was patently offensive. But it had a certain charm. A historical weight to it. It felt like the kind of name that a school with roots deep in college athletics would have.
After St. John's let fans vote on stuff, they became The Red Storm.
Could have been the Skyscrapers (ala NYC) or the Kings (a play on being in Queens) or some sort of other tribute to being in New York City. Nope, F that. We're a collection of cumulus clouds! Bow down!
Now, after ten years walking the barren, mascot-less wasteland of Queens, the university returned to the "fans" to get help on choosing a mascot. This is what they did:
To be fair, they weren't exactly presented with much to work with...
Twelve days and nearly 11,000 votes later, the Thunderbird beat out the Red Storm Bear, the Storm Hero (a superhero, not a sandwich), the Thunder Horse, the Red Storm Dog, and the Thunderbolt to become the St. John’s mascot.
I like that the Hero had to clarified. I'd like to think most of the people who voted for that one thought it was going to be a giant sandwich with arms.
Alright, St. John's. Good luck with that. And just to clear the air, I gave you some perfectly good suggestions about your mascot once. I still say Bitey The Sewer Rat would have been a perfect fit.
H/T: Mark