Team Mascots

In recent weeks, the NCAA limited use of Indian-based mascot names. Of course, this is PC nonsense. A few years ago, Sports Illustrated ran a poll questioning the use of such mascots in sports. While I am a skeptic of polls, the results of this one seem to be very hard to simply construct. By an overwhelming margin, Native Americans were not offended by the use of those names. This is not a new idea, as this has been a debate running for years (it's not often I agree with someone writing for Sports Illustrated).

Of course, this brings up new questions. How long before other groups start doing similar things. Northerners getting offended by Yankees? American and National in team names being offensive to anti-Americans? Animal mascots being hurtful towards members of PETA and animals?

How would you react if I said no time at all.

Already, PETA is going after South Carolina for the name Gamecocks.

So what are we left with? Color names? No, offensive to the color blind. Numbers or letters? Nope, a low or high number might infer elitism. How about eliminating mascots and just going by the names of the individual schools? I suspect it would only be a matter of time before someone could complain about that.

It may be said best in the aforementioned Sports Illustrated article.

"Simply having the “Seminoles” or the “Braves” is just a reflection of the mixed culture that we enjoy in this country. Whether or not a Native American is the owner of the club. I personally am an Irish-Scottish-English-Italian-Black Creek-American," Christian A. Jordan said. "I COULD be offended by the wind blowing with the mix of culture that I have flowing in my blood. But, nothing offends me. Because I choose to not let it."

In other words, get over yourselves PC Police. There are bigger demons out there than language that could potentially be viewed as offensive by a very small bloc of people.

UPDATE 9/12/05 6:15 AM: Today's news by Right Wing News points out an editorial concerning the use of Native American names in sports teams. In particular, some of these mascots are being used by schools in Native American tribes. The author doesn't show much favor to my favorite team with an Indian mascot, the Washington Redskins, but he does point out something that I have noted; very few Native Americans are offended by the use of Native American names and symbols in sports.