Tennessee college changes mascot to Musketeers after UC cease and desist

CINCINNATI — The Tennessee college that received a cease and desist letter from the University of Cincinnati over its mascot, the Bearcats, has chosen a new mascot, and it’s in response to a university’s support located a few kilometers away.

Cheatham Middle School will now be known as the Musketeers. The school announced the mascot change in a tweet Monday.

“All for one and one for all as Cheatham Middle School becomes the Musketeers! We are proud to announce the new school mascot today at a new conference and celebration at the school. Others at come !” The school wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Cheatham County School District athletic department said it received the letter regarding copyright and license violation by the Cheatham Middle School Bearcats, who used a C-Paw logo identical to that of the UC. The district said it submitted a proposal to UC agreeing to remove its C-Paw logo and create a new one, but that proposal was denied and the school was told it “could no longer either use or refer to themselves as “Bearcats”. as UC also owns the trademark for the mascot’s name.

“We were left with no reasonable choice but to change the name and choose a new Cheatham Middle mascot,” the district said in its message asking the community to submit ideas for a new mascot.

Photos on the college’s social media pages show that although the school logo appears to show a different “C,” some athletic uniforms and merchandise feature the C-Paw logo that UC owns. As part of UC’s trademark and licensing program, the school “reserves the right to take appropriate action in the event of unauthorized use of its trademark.”

“We appreciate Cheatham Middle School’s interest in using UC’s iconic marks, which are recognized both nationally and globally. But CMS has never requested permission to do so,” said UC in a statement to WCPO.

The statement continued: “Just as many other universities and recognizable brands invest significantly to protect their own brands, we reserve the right to use UC marks exclusively. We understand that this may cause some inconvenience, but we have a responsibility to preserve and protect the University’s rights to its trademarks.

Xavier had fun with the copyright battle. Musketeer Gear, an NIL company run by Xavier alumni, wassell “Cheatham Musketeers” shirts, stating that all proceeds would be donated to Cheatham Middle School.

A Cincinnati-based marketing company, Synergistic, also offered a new design, logo and other marketing materials free of charge if Cheatham chooses to become the Musketeers. The company is owned by Xavier alumnus Anthony Breen, who said he would “look forward to seeing Cheatham rally behind its new mascot with more energy and enthusiasm than ever before.”

The change comes the week of Xavier and UC’s annual rivalry game, the Crosstown Shootout, when each team fights for bragging rights each year as the best team in Cincy. So far, the best team in Ashland City, Tennessee is the Muskies.

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