Ohio State is Literally Attempting to Trademark the Word 'The'

The Ohio State Buckeyes are one of the most iconic sports brands across the country, with even casual fans recognizing the famous Scarlet and Gray and the lovable Brutus Buckeye. Yes, the school and its athletic teams are recognizable and popular, but does it really think it has enough power to accomplish trademarking the word "the"?

We'll find out, because THE Ohio State University has filed a trademark application in hopes of securing the word "the" as part of future merchandise sales.

This sounds absurd. Students and alumni are known to refer to the school as "the Ohio State University" as a point of pride, but that doesn't give the school the power to trademark the word. It's an outrageous attempt at trademarking one of the most basic, common words in the history of human communication.

Ohio State football is around the corner, and the team is looking to recover from the loss of Heisman Trophy finalist Dwayne Haskins to the NFL Draft. The program brought in Georgia transfer Justin Fields at the quarterback position, and the Buckeyes are looking to maintain a level of success in this post-Urban Meyer era.

Or rather, THE post-Urban Meyer era.

On its face, this trademark attempt might seem outrageous. But it's all about tradition in Columbus, and that very special three-letter word is right up there with the Script Ohio and the Best Damn Band in the Land in the pages of OSU lore.