Littman: Pitt fans dogged by logo change

When I used to think about panthers, I would think of ferocious beasts with the speed and… When I used to think about panthers, I would think of ferocious beasts with the speed and capability to track down their prey and the sharp teeth to tear that prey to pieces.

Not anymore.

Last week, Pitt unveiled the newer, “updated” version of the Pitt Panther, and in doing so, took away any possibility of intimidating the opposition.

The new version of the Panther is said to be “sleeker.” That’s one word for it, but something along the lines of wimpier seems to be more appropriate.

I always figured the purpose of a logo was to display your team in a strong, daunting way. It was a way to hopefully frighten the opposing team into playing below their top level of play and help steal a victory. It makes up for, say, constant mediocrity at best.

This does nothing of the sort. It turns the Pitt Panther into a Cowardly Lion, except the lion draws a strange resemblance to a dog.

It really doesn’t look like a panther anymore. It’s closer to a dog, a dog that has its mouth wide open anxiously awaiting a delicious milk bone or squeaky toy to come its way.

One sort of plus is the teeth of the new logo. They have grown in length and now appear to be fangs, possibly suggesting some sort of vampire-panther hybrid.

It made me think the Panther might turn into a bat once night falls, but then I remembered a bat can be perceived as scary. And scary is something Pitt was clearly not going for with the new look.

Inside the mouth is a tongue that is now a lighter shade of blue and seemingly a little bit larger. Instead of feasting on those who challenge its greatness, the Panther seems to have stopped for a Ring Pop at some point during the day.

Just look at the older logo. Other than the teeth, everything else about it exudes intimidation. And while the newer teeth can surely dig into its prey, it’s probably very difficult for the Panther to close its mouth fully.

Anyway, the old face of the Panther is more detailed, with many more lines on it. The lines meant a few different things that all made the Panther more fearful.

Maybe the lines are there because the Panther is old and has lived through many years of battling for survival out in the wild. Maybe they’re scars from previous fights that the Panther survived.

The new Panther is smoothed out a bit and has no more rough edges. I take this to mean that the Panther is more aerodynamic. It can tuck its tail between its legs and quickly back down from a challenge while outrunning the likes of Mountaineers or Huskies. The new logo even makes the glorified cheese puff that is Otto the Orange look tough.

The blue on the Panther is also a darker color on the older version, and it’s not so perfectly drawn on its face, like the newer logo. It resembles Braveheart-esque war paint put on by soldiers such as Kellen Winslow Jr. before they commence on the field of battle.

At this point they may as well continue ruining the Panther, and just completely paint it pink. At least then we’d also have a new and improved fight song, along with the possibility of a Peter Sellers look-alike dancing around with the mascot at halftime of basketball games.

Pitt athletics director Jeff Long said the new logo is “one that is easily reproduced and recognized.” Which may or may not be a nicer way of saying it’s a cheaper logo, and easier to put on more products.

If true, it could be seen as a way to hopefully raise merchandise sales. But what about trying the only surefire way to make people buy your clothes – winning?

One already popular shirt around campus reads, “Pitt is it.” Well, the new logo is certainly not. I can think of something else that rhymes with Pitt to describe the new logo.

While trying to constantly update a team logo seems like a good way to sell merchandise, there is no substitute for winning and building a reputation of excellence. Arguably, the most famous sports logo in the world is that of the New York Yankees, and that’s nothing more than two interlocking letters.

So if Pitt wants to continually change logos- be it secondary, primary or whatever- until the point that the school is represented by nothing more than some sort of Thundercat, that’s fine. But I’m sure most Panther fans would prefer to see their teams win sporting nothing more than some simple, script lettering.