Stanford University is currently making the transition from the Pac-12 to the ACC and the first look at Maples Pavilion with its new logo is a rather jarring image. It is going to take some getting used to!
The Cardinal started the process of switching out its floor shortly after the school’s final home game.
Sanders arrived on April 15 to remove the Pac-12 logo. It was previously located just outside of the paint.
Not anymore!
Not only is the old conference logo gone, the ACC logo has been painted on the floor. It sits just inside the paint like the other 17 teams in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Jeanette Pohlen is a legendary Stanford basketball player currently on staff with her former program. She shared the first look at the new-look Maples Pavilion through an Instagram story on Monday.
To say that it looks weird would be an understatement!
Maples Pavilion, a 7,392-seat venue, opened on Jan. 3, 1969. Stanford was a member of the Pac-8 at the time, which evolved from the Pacific Coast Conference and Athletic Association of Western Universities. The Pac-8 became the Pac-10 in 1978. It became the Pac-12 in 2011.
Now, 55 years after it first came to exist, the floor at Maples Pavilion — which is located in Northern California — features the logo of a conference that is primarily based out of the… Atlantic coast. There is simply no way to make it make sense other than money.
The Cardinal’s switch in conference is rooted in money, as is the case with all of the conference realignment that took place over the last few years. The entire landscape of collegiate athletics has completely changed— for better or for worse is up to you to decide.
Either way, seeing the ACC logo at Stanford is rather unsettling. Start getting comfortable!