The Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) unveiled a new logo, name and brand on Oct. 20 as part of a pair of announcements in Toronto and Montreal.
The new name for the organization is U Sports, and the official launch will take place on Feb. 1.
“I logged into Twitter and saw that the CIS had a big announcement and I freaked out thinking it might be something to do with scholarships or eligibility, so I tuned into the live feed,” Ravens women’s basketball forward Heather Lindsay said in an email. “It was a bit anticlimactic compared to what I thought was coming, but it was shocking all the same.”
The modern governing body formerly known as CIS has been in place since 1961, while its history dates back to 1906. It was originally known as the Canadian Interuniversity Athletic Union, and changed to become the CIS in 2001, according to the CIS website. The most recent logo was created in 2010, before the latest rebrand to U Sports this year.
“This is an important step towards a total transformation of our organization which started almost a year ago,” U Sports CEO Graham Brown said in a press release. “Although the mission and the passion remain the same, the new brand will shine the spotlight on our dedicated student-athletes at our 56 universities across the country.”
“Today’s announcement also aims to create a massive change in the way university sports are consumed in a fast-changing digital era,” he said.
Ravens women’s hockey captain Tawnya Guindon said she believes the rebrand is not a good idea.
“CIS is such a big brand and women’s hockey is starting to get really big . . . [and] people don’t like change,” she said. “[It is] like a rink, for example. You change the name and people still call it by the old one.”
Ravens men’s soccer goalkeeper David Monk said the change took him by surprise.
Monk added he believes the CIS was a name that meant something to those involved.
“I don’t feel that U Sports has the same [power] that CIS had. CIS, you kind of wear that with pride and it’s a badge,” he said. “CIS is more powerful than U Sports for me.”
Despite the name being changed, most of the information and statistics pertaining to U Sports remain accessible on the CIS website.
The U Sports rebranding announcement came at a time where sports such as football, hockey, and soccer were in the midst of their season. Lindsay said this could lead to confusion.
“I think maybe the timing could have been a bit better, launching it before the seasons have started instead of mid-season for some teams,” she said.
Guindon said she believes the name wasn’t the issue for U Sports, and that they should be promoting themselves to younger athletes.
“You talk to young girls and their dream is to go play [women’s hockey] in the [United States], they don’t even necessarily know about CIS,” she said. “I think maybe [U Sports] should spend a lot more time showing Canadian girls about [Canadian university sports].”
Both Lindsay and Monk said they feel that people will get used to the change eventually
“It is different and could bring a new look to Canadian sports,” Lindsay said. “Any sort of change fills people with doubt, but I’m sure once people get used to it, they won’t think twice or even remember the CIS in a few years.”
“It’s going to take some time, definitely . . . who knows, in a couple of years it might actually live up to the same standards that CIS did, in my opinion anyway,” Monk said. “But it’s definitely going to take some time to get used to it.”
