The battle of “Thee” and “The.” Last night the University of Alabama faces off against The Ohio State University in the College Football National Championship. Notice something about the official name for Ohio State University bolded above? It may be written as “The,” but if you are a football fan . . . or if you know an alum, then you know it is pronounced differently. For some reason, there is an extra E at the end of The. Thee Ohio State University is quite proud of “The” and in #PinkGoldfish fashion, they flaunt it.
Who put the Thee in The? How did OSU begin its assault on the most commonly used word in The English language?
According to TheSpun, “The University was renamed in 1878 because the board of trustees thought Ohio Agricultural And Mechanical College didn’t live up to the school’s prestige. The president of the university thought that the new name would further separate the institution from other schools in Ohio.”
It wasn’t until 1986 that the University changed their logo and began emphasizing the THE. OSU did want to be confused with Oklahoma State or Oregon State. It soon became a point of pride.
In 2018, they tried to trademark The and were given the Heisman by the USPTO.
Your call? Touchdown (smart branding) or Personal Foul (vanity gone wrong)?