USMCA: Hey, that’s my acronym you’re using!
It was, as one man put it, “definitely the last thing we anticipated having to deal with.”
Organizations that share an acronym with the new United StatesMexico-Canada Agreement were blindsided earlier this week when the news broke that the North American Free Trade Agreement was dead — and long live the USMCA — provided that all three countries ratify the new deal in their legislatures.
Many observers were preoccupied by how USMCA should be pronounced when said aloud — “you-smacka,” for example, or the less-punchy “us-muhkuh,” or simply spelled out “U-S-M-CA" — but for a few other organizations news of the trade deal’s rebranding was more existential.
The heads of the United States Math Competitions Association and the United States Minority Contractors Association told the Post they’ve had an interesting few days.
The United States Motorcycle Coaching Association, however, declined an interview request, with their representative saying in a text message: “if regarding the renaming of NAFTA to USMCA, we don’t have any comments.”
Alexander Katz, who founded the math competitions association just over a year ago, said a friend messaged him a good eight hours after the news had broken to let him know that the first page of Google search results for “USMCA” had taken a dramatic shift.
“My first thought was just kind of in disbelief. I was like, ‘Well, what are the odds of this?’” said Katz, who spoke to the Post by phone from Boston. “When you’re starting these kinds of organizations, and they’re young, and you think about all the roadblocks you might face trying to get the word out, and get partnering with all these people, this was not something that ever entered our roadmap. Definitely the last thing we anticipated having to deal with.”
Still, there are no plans to rebrand. “This trade deal kind of co-opting our name is a little unfortunate,” he said, but, “honestly it is kind of funny.”
THE MATH COMPETITION SCENE IS NO STRANGER TO NAME CONFLICTS.
“The math competition scene is no stranger to name conflicts,” Katz added. “There’s a similar competition called the AMC, which is constantly confused with the theatre chain. So it’s not too bad. I think we’ll be fine as the news cycle starts blowing over a little bit.”
Pastor Larry Bullock, a former member of the Illinois House of Representatives, is the president and CEO of the minority contractors association. He said his members “chuckled about it” with him as calls poured in this week. “We got a lot of calls bombarding us,” he said of his day on Monday. “Because we have created a brand over 27 years.”
One reporter asked Bullock if he would consider changing the name and his answer was “absolutely, positively not,” he said. “Obviously we were caught flat-footed, but as I told him, not to get into politics, but anytime our association or our name is announced from the Oval Office of the White House, it’s a good thing. It gives us publicity, you know?”
Bullock said he hopes the trade agreement turns out well. “I like Justin Trudeau. I love Canadians. You can quote me on that, on the record,” he added.
The Post requested an interview with a representative of the National Aerobics & Fitness Trainers Association but the organization had not responded by publication time.