University of North Texas athletic department officials say they've resolved an issue with ESPN over the network's use of the school's "Mean Green" moniker.
Tuesday night, UNT Athletic Director Wren Baker went to Twitter, after he became aware of an ESPN promo for an upcoming Michigan State-Michigan football game, which referred to the Spartans as "Mean Green."
"But you can't just try to steal #MeanGreen," he wrote. "It's trademarked and has been for a very, very long time."
On the UNT campus, many students are proud of the school's unique nickname.
"North Texas Mean Green. It's kind of our trademark here," said student Erica Willis. "Its powerful."
Baker threatened to send a cease-and-desist letter to ESPN, and it apparently got the message across. By Wednesday morning, UNT issued a statement thanking the network for its quick attention to the matter.
Some students didn't seem to mind.
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"I feel like it's cool that other people are using it," said Charles Wood. "I think it's a bit dramatic to send a cease-and-desist letter. That's just my opinion."
ESPN also issued a statement, calling the use of "Mean Green" in the promo an "innocent oversight" and that the commercial had been fixed.
