Of Braves And Warriors And Indian Chiefs

In Michigan, of all places, two High Schools are refusing to put-aside their now politically incorrect sports logos:

Despite the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) banning the use of American Indian mascots by sports teams during its postseason tournaments last month, the Tecumseh Indians and the Clinton Redskins remain firm on continuing to use their names and mascot logos.

There is more to read in the whole story.

Mascot names such as warriors, chiefs, braves, Indians, and even tribal names such as Florida State's Seminoles, don't bother me much. But I do have a problem with schools using the term "redskin" as a moniker for their sports teams.

I've never much cared for it, as redskin was indeed a derogatory term used against Native Americans through much of our country's history.

Perhaps it's time for this particular nickname to go.

As for those Censorchimps over at NCAA banning the use of certain names for college/university mascots, I'm dead-set against it. I don't think that an "executive committee" of any organization should be the final arbiter of what is or is not a politically acceptable form of school spirit.

Such a committee arbitrarily limiting free expression smacks of oligarchy.

However, when the community brings pressure to bear on a school to change its nickname, it's a different matter. That smacks of democracy. --------------------View the latest edition of The Carnival Of Education, hosted here at The Wonks, as well as entry instructions for next week's edition right here. Take a look at our latest posts over there.