This could be the last season rugby fans get to cheers the Canterbury Crusaders, following a joint announcement from the club and New Zealand Rugby admitting the franchise’s current name and imagery combination are “no longer tenable”.
The news follows last month’s terrorist attack in Christchurch which left 50 people dead.
The aftermath of the attack saw a number of people put pressure on the side to change their name, and it now appears that will lead to a change of some sort, with the franchise saying the “status quo” combination of name and branding is “no longer tenable”.
“In the wake of the Christchurch attacks, it is apparent that the symbolism the club has used, combined with the ‘Crusaders’ name, is offensive to some in the community due to its association with the religious Crusades between Christians and Muslims,” NZ Rugby CEO Steve Tew said.
“One thing that has become very clear in the last two weeks is that there are divided opinions on the best way forward for the brand. We understand and appreciate the passionate feedback that we are receiving on both sides of the conversation, and at this stage we are committed to keeping an open mind until the independent research has been done.
“Maintaining the status quo in terms of the Crusaders name along with the current imagery of knights on horseback is, in our view, no longer tenable because of the association with the religious Crusades that has now been drawn. That is therefore not one of the options that we will be considering.”
Independent research company Research First had been engaged to provide recommendations on the name and branding of the club moving forward.
No timeframe has been placed on the completion of the research at this time, although it’s understood data will be collected during the remainder of the 2019 season.
Crusaders CEO Colin Mansbridge said the organisation was committed to supporting the community.
“This is an event that rocked our community and brought some important issues to the fore,” Mansbridge said.
“Because of our desire to be the best we can be and to support our community, we are treating the question around the appropriateness of our brand extremely seriously.
“We are committed to undertaking a thorough process, taking into account all relevant opinions and, most importantly, we are committed to doing the right thing.”
Purdo
Roar Rookie
I laughed out loud at this!
ScottD
Roar Guru
Really? Suggesting that previous respondents may have been referring to the recent historical links between Canterbury and the Christian Crusades is ethno centric? Agreeing with you is ethno centric? I suggest you read what I wrote and what came before.
ScottD
Roar Guru
No but if I was smarter it could have been????
Ruckin Oaf
Guest
Christ - a revered figure in all Abrahamic religions Church - a place of worship. OK we've had a look, now what ?
lassitude
Guest
The Canterbury Chanticleers it is. Presumably nicknamed The Cocks.
richard
Guest
"...just the name of a football team and clearly has no association with the “crusades” " That's a wee bit disingenuous of you isn't it? I mean there is the marketing of the team. Maybe also the logo... oh yeah and those dudes dressed as knights riding around on horses swinging their swords? Yeah no association to those "crusaders", nope none at all.
Debco
Guest
I guess we should also look at CHRIST CHURCH.
lassitude
Guest
Really? That's a pretty facile interpretation isn't it ? This is the man who issued "woes" to scribes and Pharisees. Sending up the ruling Sadducees and deliberately violating sabbatical laws and then rubbing it in the faces of the law makers. Compared some to a white-washed tomb (a vile insult) and took a whip to the traders in the temple area that was Annas and sons' personal scam. If he was such a "nice" person why were so many pleased about his death ? Right since the rise of Islam the church Hierachs have considered it's message to be a form of Gnosticism - incorporating Gnostic writings to vilify both Orthodox Jews and Christians. If you've ever talked to a religiously semi-knowledgeable Mohammedan (and there aren't as many as you'd expect - perhaps that's a good thing ?) they get right in your face (even when the subject wasn't previously brought up) wrt (amongst other things) the validity of their critical texts vs the older Christian and Jewish ones that they claim are polluted (and logic and the Dead Sea scrolls and critical analysis cuts no mustard). I somehow doubt that Jesus of Nazareth or any Christian Bishop from the apostles and the patristics would ever have rolled over to make a Muhammadan feel happier in that circumstance. BTW the last time this happened to me was when I was last in Istanbul. A bloke heard my accent and thought I was Australian (I corrected him very quickly). He was Australian born Turk. There was no "how's your father" no ascertaining whether I was religious or not - just straight into polemic on the truth of Islam and the corruption of Christian belief, texts, sites and countries (so called).
Akari
Roar Rookie
Indeed and what the sponsors say maybe more important than what the community thinks at the end of the day.
Nick
Roar Guru
your other views are...ethno-centric. Hence the point of this.
piru
Roar Rookie
Pope Brad the grumpy?
piru
Roar Rookie
Or is that a bridge to far? Is that a Rakaia joke?
ScottD
Roar Guru
or mayber name them after the earthquakes Perhaps The Shakers? Or is that a bridge to far?
ScottD
Roar Guru
Ah yes grasshopper, the immortal Bruce. Let us not forget that great man.
ScottD
Roar Guru
Yeah, I wasn’t really after a debate. Just pointing out that there were other views.
Paul D
Roar Rookie
If you're getting upset about a Rugby team contemplating changing its name, perhaps you're the one who needs to harden up?
Actual Historian
Guest
Attempting to establish a Christian theocracy in the Middle East is a noble reason? Isn't that literally what ISIS is trying to do? Not to mention secondary reasons which mainly focused on economic troubles in Europe compared to the economically and culturally superior Seljuk empire in the east and the fact that lesser nobles (4th and 5th sons that didn't inherit land typically assigned to 1st borns) kept fighting each other resulting in almost perpetual civil war throughout European states. I don't know what issues you think the Crusades will have solved that would last to the present day. If you're referring to the instability of the Middle East in current times you probably want to look at the actions of Western powers following the break up of the Ottoman Empire. Maybe look more at what Churchill did at the Cairo conference in 1943. Or the impact of Cold War era geopolitical maneuvering between Russia and the US. Maybe you should direct your weird angst towards the fact that the US is selling guns to Al Qaeda in Yemen right now, or that the CIA is giving support to the YPG in Syria, who are fighting homeland security backed forces, who are fighting Russian backed forces, who are fighting M15 backed forces, who are fighting DoD backed forces. Instead of getting all hot and sweaty about a grieving community trying to think of ways they can help mend some of the heartbreak in the aftermath of a devastating tragedy.
Train Without A Station
Roar Guru
So it's celebrating the mass murder of a lot of other people too...? Ok...
Unanimous
Guest
So including the ones to the south of France, Latvia, Estonia, etc. which had nothing to do with Muslims - mostly against the "wrong" type of Christians.
Unanimous
Guest
Not venting. I've got no problem with a name change if it's done for sensible marketing reasons - e.g. if it genuinely hurts the people involved, or even if it just isn't working so well anymore. I do have a problem with a bunch of people who aren't impacted and don't know much making incorrect statements on behalf of others. Islamic people can best say if Islamic people are offended by something, and how much and why. Crusaders supporters can say what the name means to them.