Amateur Football Team (Texas A&M) Suing Disabled Bills Fan

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12th manTexas A&M trademarked the phrase “12th Man” in reference to the fans who root for their football team (which is made up of student-athletes who are supposedly happy to forego payment and play as amateurs). And they’re very protective of the trademark of their amateur football team, to the point where they sued the Seattle Seahawks – a major league professional team – and won $100,000 and a $5k annual payment.

The Buffalo Bills also use the phrase, but A&M made a similar deal with them.

So when Charles Sonntag started 12thManThunder.com as a fan site to draw support for keeping the Bills in Buffalo, A&M came down quick and hard. Sonntag agreed to give up the name, but A&M wants action NOW: change the Facebook page, remove every single poster in town and give them directly to A&M, and change the website design immediately and give the web domain to them as well. Which is not easy: Sonntag is a cancer survivor who suffers from Albright’s disease and has had one arm and one leg amputated. He only makes $800 a month from disability, and is trying to accomplish these changes over the phone because he couldn’t afford internet access last month.

And A&M’s response? “The domain name still needs to be transferred from their ownership. It is still redirecting to their website. Their use of social media is still in question.”

So there you go. Just because you’re a disabled fan just trying to draw support for your team doesn’t mean you get to bully some amateur football team by using their name. An amateur football team that got almost $21M from the SEC. And is currently renovating its football field to the tune of $450M.

And whose coach arrives at recruit’s high school games in a helicopter (nicknamed “The Swagcopter”, which is probably trademarked as well).

Read more at atlredline.com

 

Ernie Tripper

Ernie Tripper