FanShot

Big Ten to Reconsider Division Names?

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I stand and applaud every single fan of the Big Ten who spoke loudly and clearly about how ridiculous and embarrassing the names "Leaders and Legends" are for the new division names. And I stand and applaud Big Ten commish Jim Delany for having the stones to listen. From the Rittenberg blog post, quoting an interview Delany did yesterday with WGN Radio in Chicago: "We've had enough experience with names and expansion and development of divisions that we know that you rarely get a 90 percent approval rating," Delany told WGN AM-720. "But to get a 90 percent non-approval rating was really surprising. It showed that we didn’t connect with our fans in a way that we wanted to. It’s humbling, to say the least, because we’re trying to build fan bases, not push them away. "I've been around this business a long time, and I would say it’s one of the more surprising things. There’s a sensibility there that we did not connect with, did not read well." Seriously, I can't thank Delany enough for at least listening. It's amazing how many people in postitions of power in sports and other businesses (Do you hear me Gary Bettman?!?!?) won't even admit a mistake was made, let alone do something to fix it. Lebron James and "The Decision" for instance. Delany has taken some big risks as Commissioner, and most have paid off. A lot of people thought the idea of the Big Ten Network would be a failure, but that network is now the envy of every conference in the country. He also spearheaded expansion, and while Notre Dame would have been the "Five run homer" addition, I think Nebraska was a grand slam. The Big Ten is undoubtedly a better conference with Nebraska than without. He took another risk with the division names, and as he stated, it's been almost universally rejected. No one is going to get 100% of their decisions right, and what makes a great man and good commissioner is how you respond to mistakes. While there's no guarantee the division names will change, at least he's considering it: "We want it to breathe a little bit," Delany said. "I don’t think you make a judgment in 48 hours or 72 hours. Eventually, we’re going to have to address the issue of whether or not it’s sustainable, but I don’t think that’s a decision for today. We have to listen and we have to be humble about the reactions we’ve gotten. "We’re still listening and trying to figure things out," Delany said. "We'll probably make an assessment about whether or not it’s sustainable. We’ll try to do a little education, let it breathe a bit and then probably revisit it after the first of the year." Admitting he may have been wrong on this and at least considering a change doesn't make him a bad commissioner- just the opposite, it makes him a good one.