Commentary: “The East Carolina Nautical Trade Liberators”

The Syracuse Orangemen.  The Carthage College Redmen.  The Arkansas State Indians.  The Central Michigan Chippewas.  The North Dakota Fighting Sioux.  The University of Utah Utes. 

These are six schools that have been placed on the Tolerance.org “18 to Watch” list.  It is understandable that many of these college mascots may be considered “insensitive” to some members of the Native American community and there is a concerted effort by the NCAA to challenge schools to promote more tolerant nicknames.   For example, NCAA President Myles Brand labeled Chief Illiniwek of the University of Illinois as one of the “hostile and abusive racial/ethnic/national orgin mascots.” However, not all of the Native American tribes feel that way.  In fact, Florida State received approval to keep their name from the Seminole tribe, who receive scholarship money from the University.

This is political correctness gone a bit crazy and it is also a case of hypocrisy. The NCAA should be concerned with more pressing matters such as athletes receiving illegal payments, having their tests taken for them, and getting thrown in jail.  Besides, there are much more important issues confronting society than that of team nicknames. 

What’s next?  Most state names are derived from a Native American background.  Shouldn’t Tolerance.org require the states of Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Indiana, and Michigan to change their names as well?  Politically correct college nicknames existed long before the age of political correctness.  Stanford was the first school to follow PC reasoning and changed their nickname in 1972 from the Indians to the Cardinal (the color, not the bird-- never knew this until today).  Oddly, for some reason or another, their logo is now a green tree and not even a cardinal one.

These issues have even affected a university in our state.  William & Mary last year appealed a 2006 ruling that they could not host NCAA tournament events due to their logo!  The NCAA claimed that the William & Mary logo which shows the letters “W” and “M” and two Indian feathers could not be displayed at NCAA championship events or in hosting NCAA tournament games.  President Nichol (recently fired) claims that the Tribe logo “while embracing the depiction of a brave on horseback, in war paint, plunging a flaming spear into the turf at midfield, to the delight of 85,000 chanting tomahawk fans is, at best enigmatic.”  You must keep in mind that this quote is coming from someone who removed a historic cross from the campus chapel because it was deemed not inclusive.  Nichol is not exactly a model of intolerance.

Why stop with Indian nicknames? What about the following list of Mascots that might be offensive to various ethnic minorities?  They include: Alfred University (Saxons), Wooster College (Fighting Scots), Hofstra (Flying Dutchman), Louisiana Lafayette (Ragin’ Cajuns), Michigan State (Spartans), Southern Cal (USC), and Notre Dame (Fightin’ Irish).

The next list might be offensive to thieves and legislators: George Mason (Patriots), George Washington (Colonials), UMass (Minuteman), Tennessee (Volunteers), and Oklahoma State (Cowboys).
Let’s take a crack at changing a few nicknames while making them inoffensive and politically correct.  The Texas-El Paso Miners do represent the proletarian members of society so they should be changed to something which is much more environmentally friendly.  How about the conservationists?  The Colorado Buffaloes have an extremely insensitive mascot. They need a name which encourages collaboration and a vegetarian lifestyle.  How about the tofu traders?  Finally, any school that has a nickname that includes a male-dominant and “chivalrous” mascot should immediately seek a new mascot.  This includes the Virginia Cavaliers.  Any suggestions here?

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