By Kiya Ritchie

Since 1969, the Western Big 6 has been the hot spot for all things Quad City sports. Despite being much smaller than the 20 plus team conferences out of Chicago and Springfield, the WB6 has become a statewide powerhouse. The competition is always fierce in conference play, with countless rivalries from sport to sport. The atmosphere of the WB6 is unmatched throughout
Illinois and neighboring states. The rivalries as old as the conference itself- Moline vs. Rocky, Rocky vs. Alleman, and everybody vs. UT- bring in spectators from near and far. However, the traditional Western Big 6 is facing some major changes in the near future. Two newbie schools are joining in on the action, and there is a very mixed reaction to it. Just this year, the decision to bring the Sterling Golden Warriors and the Geneseo Maple Leafs was finalized. They will be official members of the WB6 at the start of the 2019-20 school year. Many are glad to see some new competition in the Big 6, especially with worthy opponents like Sterling and Geneseo, but the debate is not over the makeup of the conference. The question has been raised about the name “Western Big 6” itself. Should the name evolve with the conference, or should the traditional name stand? Does “Western Big 8” have a good enough ring to it? No decision on the name has been finalized just yet, but the debate between tradition and change is stronger now than ever.