In Depth Look: The NEC Rebrand Press Release
The NEC has become, well, the NEC, dropping the Northeast Conference name entirely. We’ve talked a little about how this is probably not a hint at expansion- if that happens, it’s probably not related to the name change. Still, the press release had some interesting nuggets to it that we’ll dive into. A rebrand- even one that more or less just simplifies what we already called the conference- does always indicate a changing direction for a company or conference, or at any rate clarifies an existing direction. Take World Wrestling Entertainment switching over to WWE- it was a deliberate move to drop wrestling from its name. You can take a lot of the same lessons here.
“That same drive has inspired the league to streamline its identity to reflect its geographic footprint and its vision for the future.”
This is probably the most important part of the press release. The NEC dropped Northeast to reflect who it is now and who it might be in the future. I don’t think this means imminent expansion, but I do think it points towards a willingness to consider areas outside of the New York City base of the conference- more on that later.
Having spoken to stakeholders, the idea is that with Chicago and Erie in the conference, “Northeast” is no longer appropriate. Cue, of course, plenty of people in Erie asking if they are now Midwestern- I’m not sure they’d necessarily agree! But if you’re located in New England or the NYC metro, you probably have a very different idea of the word “Northeast” than you do out here in the western reaches of the football conference.
I don’t think we can ignore the “vision for the future” part of the statement. Yet again, I want to specify that I don’t think this is a warning of imminent expansion. I can’t actually shoot down any possibility of it- I don’t think I’ve gotten a firm “no” from anyone who might have knowledge of the situation- but I have heard that it isn’t particularly promising from outside sources.
Another thing to consider is that conference realignment decisions are kept very close to the vest, so in any case it would seem unlikely that most of the hard-working folks at the NEC and interested parties outside of it would even be aware of ongoing discussions. So I’m not promising anything, just passing on the things I do know.
“NEC Front Row will showcase the new branding through a dynamic graphics package that introduces modern, eye-catching visuals.”
I just want to make note of this because it was brought up during a conference meeting and subsequently stated in a release from the conference that new software for NEC Front Row was approved. I wouldn’t expect Front Row to be sunset anytime soon, so exclusive media deals with ESPN or other companies certainly doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
“From its beginnings in 1981, the NEC has been anchored in the New York City metro area. Over time, the league has expanded to major urban centers such as Chicago, Boston, Hartford/New Haven, Syracuse and Erie.”
Just like some out there don’t seem to think Erie is in the Northeast, I myself thought New Haven was in the NYC metro area to begin with. So, clearly, we have a lot to learn out here in Pennsylvania and the league might have something to learn out on the East Coast.
But it is another reason to talk about a rebrand. While the vast, vast majority of those urban centers are definitively in the Northeast, it’s worth wondering if Syracuse and Erie are, well, so clearly Northeastern that they demand categorization as such. (Let’s also add Pittsburgh for football.) If you consider the Northeast as effectively the East Coast in New England and New York City, well, it might be time for a bit of a rebrand. And yes- while we’ve talked a ton about geographic differences in perception, even I am well aware that New York City is not in New England.
“Northeast Conference Refreshes Its Brand & Reintroduces Itself Simply As...’NEC’”
I’d like to close here with what I think is the most important outcome of all of this. The NEC didn’t do something drastic like destroy the rich history of a conference like the WAC in order to become something generic like the United Athletic Conference. The NEC has its own identity, and a refresh is not the same as destroying the past. It doesn’t make the FDU upset over Purdue seem like something from another league. This was an NEC team, and it still is.
And maybe best of all, I no longer have to put out editions of the magazine with “Northeastern” in the title to make sure fans who get the conference name wrong are able to find it. That’s worth celebrating.
