The American Athletic Conference is no more, after commissioner Tim Pernetti unveiled a slick rebrand for the oft-confused college league.

“A brand is more than a name,” Pernetti said in a statement, announcing that the conference would drop ‘Athletic’ from its moniker to become known simply as the American Conference — or ‘The American’ for short. Unlike the other major conferences, there will also be no acronym, meaning less chance of confusing the former AAC with Power Four conference, the ACC.

The conference is centring its branding around the word ‘American’ as it looks to stand out for the crowd and define a unique identity. Pernetti explained at the conference’s 2025 Kickoff event that ‘over the past year, we stepped back, listened and involved our community’.

“That’s how real, lasting identity is built,” Pernetti explained. “We’re not slick, we’re strong. This brand defines who we are, service and mission, driven institutions of higher learning with highly competitive athletics and deeply committed leaders. Where we had a challenge was that nobody could really define what the brand stood for. Where we landed, we have a great word, so let’s build around that word.

“The American has built a brand that differentiates us in a crowded collegiate landscape by establishing and elevating what makes us distinctive. This modernisation is rooted in who we are and where we’re headed. It prioritises clarity, momentum and the competitive advantage driving every part of our conference forward.”

The commissioner, who was previously athletic director of former member Rutgers and president of the IMG academy, has been working on the rebrand since last year, hiring marketing firm Anachel to conduct a brand evaluation process to elevate its recognition.

“When you say, ‘build your brand’, people are like, ‘What the hell does that mean?” Pernetti continued. “To me, a brand is more than a name. It can’t just be a name. A brand is more than a name: You have to define who you are. You have to define what you stand for, what the tenets are. You establish your values, and then you’ve got to live them every single day.”

This sentiment is underpinned by a new slogan, ‘Built to Rise’, which links to the conference’s commercial unit RISE (standing for Revenue, Innovation, Sports and Entertainment) Ventures. The slogan will be featured across various branding, including a new commercial for the league which will debut soon. The league is looking to be strong and recognisable in its new identity to keep up with the ever-changing landscape of collegiate sports.

“We’re facing an unprecedented and pivotal moment in intercollegiate athletics, but our conference views it as an opportunity to be bold, strategic and aggressive in terms of shaping our own future as a league,” East Caroline chancellor Philip Rogers concurred. “Part of doing that is being able to communicate that vision, mission and set of core values in a way that resonates with the public and really depicts what we’ve been doing for many years now.”

The most instantly recognisable way to communicate that vision will be the conference’s new mascot, the first for any major conference. ‘Soar the Eagle’ is an anthropomorphised bald eagle adorned in red and blue football or basketball gear, depending on the sport being attended. Merchandise and social media accounts will be focused around the new mascot with a physical costumed mascot soon to follow.

“It’s another extension of our brand as something that will have broader appeal to a broader audience,” Pernetti said of the decision to do something different. “Is it something that’s going to be potentially controversial, because no conferences do this? I actually don’t care. I like the fact that it’s innovative and it lines up directly with our tenet of innovation.”