Dillon Overby
Staff Writer

​The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has an exciting new logo as it makes a push for greater recognition within the state of North Carolina and the nation as a whole. The new logo is fierce, intimidating and a much better overall design than previous logos.

To better understand the new Spartan logo, you need to understand the history of ancient Sparta first. Spartans were some of the most battle-tested warriors in ancient Greek history, and were raised to be warriors from an early stage in life. Spartans were stripped from their families around the age of seven, and forced to endure brutal training that often included harsh beatings and other barbaric punishments. This culminated in elite warriors who struck fear into the hearts of their enemies.

The most well-known example of Spartan mentality was the Battle of Thermopylae. 300 Spartans stood up to 10,000 Persians in an effort to create more time for reinforcement to come. King Leonidas and his fellow Spartans held the small pass until a traitor informed the Persians of another pass. It was then that the Persians surrounded the Spartans. The Spartans fought until their last breath. That fighting spirit still lives on today at UNCG and in its new logo.

​The new logo is sleek, modern and much more appealing than previous iterations. The colors consist of blue, gold, grey and white. Grey is an official color for the Spartans for the first time in school history. It features a Spartan in the center of the logo, and a gold G in the lettering.

​The Spartan itself features interlocking Gs on the helmet, a further symbol of the identity of UNCG. It adds a personalized feature to the helmet, an indication of the unity of the student body. The plume of helmets in ancient times were set in place to provide intimidation, as the plume in the logo does as well. Opponents should fear the plume, fear the G and understand that Spartans are warriors who will never back down from any challenge.

Spartans stand strong together, and need each other to be successful. Today, UNCG’s proud Spartans need to rely on one another in order to secure jobs, make friends, and get through tough school days; it is hard for a Spartan to be alone, so be sure to pick your fellow Spartans up.

​The gold G indicates unity and separation at the same time. It unifies all current students and alumni of UNCG together under just one letter, a reminder of their school. The golden G represents the triumphs of the university and that we all stick together as a single, unified Spartan Family.

Yet the G still stands alone, distinct and shining; UNCG is making a push for more recognition, trying to get away from the stigma that it is North Carolina’s hidden gem. Riding a string of conference championships and big wins over in-state rivals, UNCG is now too popular to be the hidden gem, and the new logo provides that little bit of separation from other schools in the area.

​The new look of the Spartans will be broadcast at upcoming sports events, as we are set to kick off the upcoming soccer season, followed by the start of our exciting basketball season in just a few short months. The logo has already debuted at Greensboro Grasshoppers games for promotional purposes.

The new, standout look should foster increased merchandise sales and may also make UNCG a more appealing destination for recruits. Recruits will get to see the new logo, and understand that we are all part of the team in Little Sparta, right at the center of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Given the successes of the past few years, with this new logo, the upcoming season and the future seem promising for the Spartans.