Today is a great day; it is the official first day of wrestling season for No. 2. Last season No. 3 took 2nd place at state and No. 2 wrestled for the high school. No. 1 quit several years ago so having No. 2 on the high school team was a monumental step. We have sacrificed weekends and evenings for many years to be where we are right now. All of that combined with my husband coaching and wrestling himself makes for an exhilarating experience.
In reminiscing last year, I remembered a tourney we went to in Fort Collins. High schools place banners of the schools in their leagues in their gymnasiums and it's always interesting to see the team names and colors. At this tourney we saw two team names that left us laughing. One was the 'Lambkins' and the other the 'Impalas'. No. 2 looked at me and said "Uh, both of those are prey. Why would you name your team after prey?" This past summer on our vacation in Texas, we noticed the team name 'Unicorns' in New Braunfels.
The largest issue with the PC team name movement has centered around Native Americans. Many of you know my husband is mostly Apache Indian so his input on anything Native American I greatly appreciate. He, like most people with grey matter, feels that naming a team after something 'Indian' is a great compliment. Why would anyone name their team after something that is non-threatening?
The recent controversy over the Seminoles in Florida with the NCAA is classic PCism run amuck. Even with the permission of the official Seminole tribe in Florida, the NCAA chose to take the cowardly stance.
A few years back in northern Colorado there was a story regarding an intramural basketball team that chose to use the team name of "Fightin' Whities".
Solomon Little Owl, director of Native American Student Services at the University of Northern Colorado, is a member of an intramural basketball team that has adopted the name "The Fighting Whities." Team members say they want to raise awareness of the issue of painful cultural stereotypes.
The team, made up of American Indian, Anglo and Hispanic players, is protesting nearby Eaton's use of the team name "Fightin' Reds" and an Indian caricature as a mascot -- both identified with the school for generations.
Painful, cultural stereotypes. Hmm. How can one possibly believe that naming your team after something strong, or stealth, or intimidating is an insult? This social disease has taken over too many schools and has created an unnecessary controversy. Schools spend their time combating people who are offended rather than educating children. For shame.
I found an interesting site that contains high school team names from across the country. If you're needing a good laugh, go check out the site and see what the PC movement has left our schools with. Some of the names are ones that have always existed for their teams, but it's still a good laugh.
Posted by Stacy at October 17, 2005 12:02 PM | TrackBackThis story was not news to me but I am so glad you posted this. I have long wanted one of these yet never bothered to get one. Humor is so much better than ranting. These young fellas are clever.
Posted by: bigwhitehat at October 17, 2005 01:43 PMNext team "the rantin' bloggers".
Posted by: Stacy at October 17, 2005 01:45 PMThis whole topic makes me tired.... Have we nothing of greater importance in our society than to take offense at the names of sports organizations?
Like you, Stacy, I would have thought that such names might have been seen for the tribute they are -- Braves is certainly a tribute, for example. But nooooo...
Posted by: Bill at October 17, 2005 02:12 PMInteresting subject. I'm on all sides of this issue, so be forewarned my reply will seem a bit schizophrenic.
I'm taking a course in Minnesota history, and our teacher is courageous (or stupid) enough to tell us that all was not peaceful in America before the white man arrived. Native Americans were at war with one another for time immemorial, and it may come as a complete shock to some that the Native Americans themselves weren't the first inhabitants of North America. In other words...they conquered others.
Shudder. I thought just whites were evil.
With that said, however, I can see the Native Americans' point from a couple of perspectives.
First, I understand how a direct reference to skin color could be offensive. Redskins, Reds, etc. Even if Native Americans' view of history is skewed since they were the conquered, not the conquerers, it's perfectly understandable that a reference to their skin color would be seen as a slight.
Also, I can see how after being conquered they would consider it the supreme insult to injury to turn around and have white people call attention to the nobility and bravery of Native Americans by using such nicknames as Braves, Warriors, whatever.
But before I raise the ire of my conservative brethren, let me close by saying everyone is too damned sensitive. All this polarization along racial and political lines grows tiresome. As usual, it's the supreme illustration of irony that our supposedly awful nation is in such good shape that everyone, including Native Americans, can get worked up into a lather by something as nonsensical as a team nickname.
50,000 people just died in an earthquake in Pakistan, but here in America we're busily ridding the public square of offensive materials like the Ten Commandments and questionable sports team names.
God Bless America...before it's too late.
Posted by: Admin Worm at October 17, 2005 03:08 PMHow about this Tom; since Ron's the only perv in my life, I'll let you be the only schizophrenic in my life. Okay?
Posted by: Stacy at October 17, 2005 03:58 PMRoses are red, violets are blue, I'm schizophrenic...and so am I.
Posted by: Admin Worm at October 17, 2005 04:33 PMhey, I may be Schizophrenic, But at least I'm not Schizophrenic!
Posted by: echotig at October 17, 2005 05:18 PMIf the Florida Seminoles lose their fight to keep their name, maybe they should go with "Suffering Succotash" -- or would that also flunk the Indian PC name test?
Admin Worm and Echotig: after carefully analyzing your arguments, I'm afraid my mind is divided.
Posted by: civil truth at October 17, 2005 09:04 PMHey, Schizophrenia was my favorite "Who" album, so lay off!
About the names, I've heard that something like 80% of Native Americans polled do NOT find tribe names insulting (Illini, Seminoles, etc). It's the professional axe-grinders and grudge-bearers that stir this soup.
Hereabouts, we had one Rutgers intramural team called the Fightin' Amish. I've played on a roller-hockey team called the Hoffas and a deck-hockey team called the Mother Puckers. (I designed the logo for our unis, actually.) The Cleveland Indians? Big whoop (no pun intended). In fact, they were re-named in honor of a Native American player (Louis Sockalexis) from their early days, before they even joined the American League.
Despite all this you have these guys. Notice some of the offensive names - Warriors, Chiefs, Hurons, Moccasins, and Apaches.
If I had the spare dough I'd buy a Fighting Sioux hockey jersey just because. And if they want to call their intramural teams the Dagos from Winnebago I have no objection.
Posted by: Nightfly at October 17, 2005 09:11 PMMother Puckers, yes, so much better than any Indian name.
Posted by: Stacy at October 17, 2005 09:23 PMThose were good links boys. All of these damn people with nothing better do. If they'd all just get a frickin' blog and perform their 'sensitivity masturbation' there then it would save us taxdollars and many headaches.
Posted by: Stacy at October 17, 2005 09:31 PMAs an alum of the University of Illinois--itself an Injun name--I got to be really familiar with the Chief Illiniwek controversy.
The complainers in those days were a couple of graduate students with far too little work and far too much time to think about miscellaneous crap.
At the time, the Peoria Tribe of Oklahoma had been identified as the nearest living descendents of the Illini. They didn't mind then. Sometime in the last decade I think they decided that they DID mind.
At any rate, if the NCAA decides that the Fighting Illini can't be named that in the March 2006, then would they have the state change its name as well?
ps - Anyone know where I can get a Fighting White T-shirt? I've been looking for one for awhile now.
Posted by: eLarson at October 28, 2005 02:40 PMLOL, I'm shocked you saw this piece. Really, if you think about it; states as well as MANY towns are named after Native Americans. What should we do about all of it? The t-shirt; guess you could Google it.
Posted by: Stacy at October 28, 2005 02:47 PM