Tennessee middle school changes mascot to Musketeers after UC cease-and-desist over Bearcats logo

CINCINNATI — The Tennessee middle school that was issued a cease and desist letter from the University of Cincinnati because of its mascot, the Bearcats, has chosen a new mascot, and it's in response to the support of a university just miles away.

Cheatham Middle School will now be known as the Musketeers. The school announced the mascot change in a tweet on Monday.

"All for one and one for all as Cheatham Middle School becomes the Musketeers! We proudly announced the school’s new mascot today during a new conference and celebration at the school. More to come!" The school wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The Cheatham County School District Athletic Department said they received the letter regarding copyright and licensing infringement by the Cheatham Middle School Bearcats, who were using a C-Paw logo identical to UC's. The district said they submitted a proposal to UC agreeing to remove their C-Paw logo and create a new one, but that proposal was denied and the school was told they "can also no longer use or refer to themselves as the 'Bearcats'" as UC also owns the trademark for the mascot name.

"We have been left with no reasonable choice but to rebrand and choose a new Cheatham Middle Mascot," the district said on their post asking the community to submit ideas for a new mascot.

Photos on the middle school's social media pages show that while the school logo appears to show a different "C," some sports uniforms and merchandise does show the C-Paw logo UC owns. Under UC's trademarks and licensing program, the school "reserves the right to take appropriate action when confronted with unauthorized use of its trademark."

"We appreciate Cheatham Middle School’s interest in using UC’s iconic trademarks, which are recognized both nationally and globally. But CMS never requested permission to do so," UC said in a statement to WCPO.

The statement continued, "Just as many other universities and recognizable brands make significant investment to protect their own marks, we reserve the right for exclusive use of the UC marks. We understand this may cause some inconveniences, but we have a responsibility to preserve and protect the University’s rights to its marks."

Xavier had fun with the copyright fight. Musketeer Gear, an NIL venture led by Xavier alumni, wasselling "Cheatham Musketeers" shirts, stating that all proceeds would go to Cheatham Middle School.

A Cincinnati-based marketing company, Synergistic, has also offered a new design, logo and other marketing support for free if Cheatham chooses to become the Musketeers. The company is owned by Xavier alum Anthony Breen, who said he would look "forward to Cheatham rallying around their new mascot with more energy and excitement than ever before."

The change comes on the week of Xavier and UC's annual rivalry game, the Crosstown Shootout, when each team vies for the yearly bragging rights of the best team in Cincy. For now, the best team in Ashland City, Tennessee is the Muskies.

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