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The Name Game Pop quiz: What would be more offensive to these visible minorities? For Native Americans, seeing Chief Wahoo, the red-faced logo for the Cleveland Indians - or for an African American, having a team dress-up a guy in blackface, call him a racial slur and then have him dance in front of the fans. I’d say it would be a tie. There are some things that should be seen as being patently offensive – without having to put ourselves into someone else’s moccasins. That said, there are some who are taking this name game a bit far. The NCAA is requiring bowl games to ban the "hostile" or "abusive" use of American Indian nicknames, mascots and logos beginning next year. In August, the NCAA released this list of 18 "offenders": • Alcorn
State University (Braves) What jumps out at me first after scanning that list is this: a few houses of higher American learning ain’t all that imaginative are they! Almost half of ‘em have the same name! How did the NCAA let that happen in the first place? Can you imagine having to call one of those head-to-head match-ups? “The Indians have the ball on the Indians’ twenty. It’s an Indian run up the middle. Fumble! And the Indians have it.” As for the others… well, if they are named after a Native American tribe, and the tribe has no issue with it, then why should the NCAA? Chief Osceola, the Florida Seminole mascot was sent home to the reservation - for about a day. The university appealed, citing its strong, mutually beneficial relationship with the Seminole Tribe, and the powers that be had to cow-tow to that logic. Four of these “offensive” teams play Division I-A football. Three, (Florida, Central Michigan and the University of Utah), have already been granted extensions, dropping the number of schools to 15. The University of North Dakota also has filed an appeal, the NCAA said. Can you see a trend forming here? This list is dropping faster than Custer’s seventh cavalry at Little Big Horn. The NCAA created their own mess with their blanket approach to this sensitive issue. It’s not a one-solution-fits-all-problem. Why should the nickname Brave be considered offensive, when North Carolina’s team is allowed to be called the Gamecocks? Political correctness has jumped into sports with both feet however, so now it’s time to look at kinder gentler alternatives to several of these hostile names. • Instead of the Central Michigan University Chippewas - how about the Central Michigan University Vanilla Puddings. • Nix the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux and replace that with University of North Dakota Liberal Democrats. • Out with the Carthage College Redmen. In with the Carthage College Teddy Kennedys. The team’s sportsbook short-form could be Car (D. Mass) Like the real world, the world of fun and games is not right or wrong or black or white. It’s a mish-mash of conditional considerations and give and take. The NCAA should take away some of these names, but not them all. But
enough about college, let’s talk NFL. What about
Monday night huh? Cheers – Gavin McDougald – AKA Couch Remember to drop us a line at rants@betED.com to voice your opinion on one of McDougald's articles or on anything else you read at betED!
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