Teams should tackle offensive mascots

Last week, the NCAA announced that it would prohibit any school with

a nickname or logo considered to be ethnically “hostile” or “abusive”

from hosting any NCAA-sanctioned postseason events, starting next

February. Among the schools that would be affected are Florida State

University (the Seminoles) and the University of Illinois (the

Fighting Illini), though the NCAA said some schools would be exempted

because they do not use Native American symbols or have a

historically large percentage of Native Americans in their student

bodies. The rule would not apply to postseason football, since the

NCAA does not run bowl games. Where is the line between “hostile” and

acceptable when it comes to school nicknames and mascots?

There is no acceptable line if the logo or the nicknames are

offensive to any indigenous people.

I realize such changes are difficult for traditional people who

grew up never thinking twice about prejudice or racism. I am a child

of the 1940s and ‘50s, so I know that type of cultural challenge and

it can be tough. But think of the possibilities that now allow for a

whole new creative group of names -- ones that could come from the

world of computers, music or movies.

All that is required is a little imagination, sense of humor and a

willingness to try.

SENIOR PASTOR JAMES TURRELL

Center for Spiritual Discovery

Costa Mesa

A member of the Comanche tribe wrote, “Native Americans would

never associate the sacred practices of becoming a warrior with the

hoopla of a high school pep rally, halftime entertainment, being a

sidekick to cheerleaders or royalty in homecoming pageants. Most of

these types of activities carry racial overtones of playing Indian in

school events.”

Mock American Indian gestures and behaviors are sources of

ridicule and distort cultural perceptions. The warlike, aggressive,

scalp-gathering, war-whooping, flaming-spear-throwing Native American

is a degrading spectacle. The noble savage and red-faced warrior are

shallow caricatures. Exploitative depictions as bellicose tomahawk

wielders are repulsive anachronisms. Cartoonish images -- such as the

buck-toothed, big-nosed, red-faced logo of the Cleveland Indians --

are insults to the Native American’s ancestors and are a shameful

embarrassment to his children.

How about cheering on the Chicago Negroes, the New York Jews, the

San Diego Caucasians, the San Francisco Asians? Perhaps a

sombrero-wearing Hispanic as an official sports logo? What if we

rooted for the Blackskins, Whiteskins, or Yellowskins as symbols or

depictions, as logos and mascots?

Mascot naming is intended for playful, amusing use and not to

express esteem or reverence. Witness the “Anteaters,” “Banana Slugs,”

“Horned Frogs” and “Mighty Ducks.” A Buckeye is a dark brown nut

native to trees in Ohio. The names of animals and mythical characters

are most often selected. In my college days, we were the “Screaming

Eagles,” and in my high school we were the “Olympians.”

Using names associated with indigenous peoples, though, is not

humorous. It reflects a stereotypical bigotry, which most Native

Americans find disparaging to their treasured cultural and religious

symbols.

Eight of the 10 most common nicknames for college teams are beasts

of prey: eagles, tigers, cougars, bulldogs, warriors, lions,

panthers, Indians, wildcats and bears.

An observer noted that “seven predators on this list are species

whose numbers have declined precipitously in the past 500 years,

hunted to the brink of extinction. The preponderance of nicknames

used for American college teams conjures up fear and loathing.

Indeed, these species were eradicated because of the images Americans

concocted for them, the contempt Americans held for them, and the

fact that they occupied land that Americans wanted for themselves.”

Redmen, Red Raiders, Savages, Chiefs, Fighting Illini and Braves

are paternalistic ethnic stereotypes, blatant forms of racist

representation that cast Native Americans as primitive others. The

message sent by identifying them as mascots is a shameful legacy from

a sorrowful past.

Buffalo Bill admired the singular cultural heritage of the Native

Americans. He said that no white man could possibly impersonate it.

“I can put a pair of boots, a big hat, and a red shirt on any man,

and call him a cowboy,” Cody said, “but I cannot dress anyone up and

call him an Indian.”

To Cody, “Indian-ness” was not shallow, but was substantial and

genuine. It is we who have trivialized that culture.

American Indians are human beings, not mascots. Here is an idea:

rename the Washington Redskins the Washington Jackasses -- not only

will everyone know to whom the name refers, but we can all agree it

is a statement of fact and not a slur.

RABBI MARK S. MILLER

Temple Bat Yahm

Newport Beach

The National Collegiate Athletic Assn. should be most concerned

with putting the best college teams on the field or court; best

applies to athletics and academics.

While I applaud their efforts to teach the difference between

exploiters and the exploited and to encourage thoughtful choices, I

wonder what authority the NCAA has to recommend what is hostile and

what is acceptable and how and why this applies to logos and

nicknames.

I could theologically critique teams’ choices like “Friars,”

“Demon Deacons,” “Blue Devils,” “Saints” and “Angels,” but I feel no

need to do so. No matter how repulsive one finds tribal totems like

Redskins or Savages or Warriors, as I do, educating about the wealth

of their meanings seems only part of the NCAA’s task.

Because my dad and mom were graduates of Ohio State University and

the University of Kentucky, respectively, I grew up rooting for

Buckeyes and Wildcats.

“Wildcat” can mean “a feral feline”, or “a savage, quick-tempered

person” or “a financially irresponsible or unreliable bank” according

to Mr. Webster. A “buckeye” is “a large nutlike seed for a tree or

shrub of the horse-chestnut family” or ... the “nickname for natives

or residents of Ohio.”

Realizing who I was initially rooting for has led me to think that

the significance of such nicknames and logos must be chosen for a

great variety of reasons.

I was in the Bay Area when two great universities chose their

totems: Powers-that-were at Stanford decided that “Indians” was no

longer politically correct; Stanford students voted to become the

“Robber Barons,” but trustees decided on what seemed to this Cal fan

a Harvard “Crimson” wannabe. Cardinal?

The University of California at Santa Cruz chose Banana Slugs.

Yes, there are almost as many banana slugs on that campus as there

are ants on the campus of UC Irvine’s Anteaters.

Ducks and Beavers make no sense as totems to this Californian, but

they seem perfect to aficionados of the universities in Eugene and

Corvallis, Ore. The same is true for the Sun Devils of Arizona State

University.

Why anyone would chose to model themselves on native inhabitants

of an ancient (c.1200 BCE) city of Asia Minor with the word my

Webster’s dictionary defines as “an irresponsible or disreputable

companion?” I don’t have a clue, but the USC Trojans do.

Proud to be a Golden Bear, I am confident that the significance of

symbols, emblems, objects, logos and nicknames are primarily in the

minds of their choosers and fans and do not have a lot to do with the

NCAA putting the best collegiate teams on the field.

(THE VERY REV’D CANON)

PETER D. HAYNES

Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church

Corona del Mar

The plot thickens when we are told that Florida State has

permission of the Seminole tribe in Florida to use its name and

image. Who then is being offended?

It is inconsistent that Florida State (which has permission of the

Florida Seminole tribe) is under the ban, when other universities

(with more objectionable names) are exempted merely because they have

20% Native American enrollment.

Which school has more right -- the one with native permission or

the one with native enrollment?

The NCAA has gone about this half-heartedly and disingenuously.

Its ban does not affect football or mascots. There are several real

issues that need to be addressed.

The first is team names. I don’t find the name Seminole or Illini

any more objectionable than I do Trojan. At least the Seminoles have

a history connected to the location of the university.

I do find names such as Redskins as objectionable as I do “whitey”

or “yellowskin.” These latter names should be changed.

It is also objectionable to use adjectives such as fighting or

raging. The solution in this case is to change the adjective, not the

name.

This solution opens a new can of worms though, because if the NCAA

makes Illinois change the Fighting Illini, then the NCAA should

really tell Notre Dame to change the Fighting Irish. The current NCAA

solution seems a bit gutless to me.

The second issue is the portrayal of the name. This takes the form

of logos and mascots. Many of the universities have very dignified

portrayals of Native Americans. Many others do not have offensive

names, but offensive images. Under the new NCAA ban, these are not

affected. Again, the NCAA falls short in its attempt.

The final area is how these logos and images are used,

particularly in cheers. Chants that were once part of sacred rituals

are trivialized by using them in sporting events. The chop, often

used by teams, ridicules Native American culture. The NCAA did not

rule on these areas, so again, this ruling comes off as random.

Where I went to high school, the local teams were the Wildcats,

the Acorns and the Termites. It’s a good thing plants and animals

don’t have lawyers.

SENIOR ASSOCIATE PASTOR

RIC OLSEN

Harbor Trinity

Costa Mesa

Native Americans are the poorest minority group in the United

States, and the most overlooked.

The rate of poverty among them is 25.9%, compared with a national

rate of 11.3%. Twenty-five percent of Native Americans live below the

poverty line, some without running water or telephones.

Substance abuse and school dropout rates are among the highest for

any group. Healthcare is substandard, with diabetes, cancer and heart

disease approaching epidemic levels.

Our state has the largest number of Native Americans, with 333,300

of the total of 4.1 million nationally. Most Native Americans do not

live on reservations: 66% live in urban areas. They serve in the U.S.

military at higher rates than any other ethnic group.

Discussions about mascots, casinos and digs in sacred burial

grounds should not distract us from these facts and our

responsibility to remedy injustice.

Using the names of ethnic groups as mascots, logos and nicknames

is demeaning.

The majority of mascots are animals -- for example, the UC Irvine

Anteaters or the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. Others are impersonal (the

Angels or the Titans).

To get some idea of just how offensive it is to use people as

mascots, we need only experiment by using groups other than Native

Americans. For example, imagine the Costa Mesa High School Aborigines

or the Newport Beach African Americans or the UCI Egyptians.

Cowboys and Indians was standard 1950s play when I was growing up.

Every week, we saw “Gunsmoke,” “Paladin” and “Rawhide” on

black-and-white TV, and we watched Westerns on Saturday mornings at

the RKO Orpheum Theater. In the last half century, increased

consciousness of civil rights, diversity in our culture and the

plight of indigenous peoples has helped us to see how skewed those

portrayals were, and we are no longer so innocent.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights recommended that all

non-Native American schools stop using Native American imagery. Here

in Orange County, Fullerton Union High School uses Indians as its

mascot. Willard Intermediate School in Santa Ana deserves credit for

changing its mascot from Indians to Jaguars.

Unfortunately, there are dozens of elementary, middle and high

schools in California that use Apaches, Braves, Chiefs or Indians as

mascots.

At the college level, Stanford, Dartmouth and Syracuse led the way

in making changes many years ago. Marquette wisely dumped Willie

Wampum, and it is hard to fathom why the University of Illinois

doesn’t hurry to put the embarrassment of Chief Illiniwek behind

them.

In response to student interest, I have expanded study of Native

American spirituality in all of the university classes I teach, and

it is encouraging to see the appreciation young people have for

Native American culture. I believe that students, faculty and alumni

may be more effective than the NCAA in ending this use of Native

American imagery at their schools.

Zen Buddhists, along with other spiritual traditions, engage in

the political process to overcome poverty, to end discrimination and

to uphold the dignity of each person. Educational institutions should

not contribute to the dehumanization of any group and the

perpetration of negative stereotypes.

Excuses for continued use of these images (history of the

institution, nostalgia, humor, honor, permission) are flimsy when

weighed against the harm they do to Native Americans, to all young

people, and to our society.

REV. DR. DEBORAH BARRETT

Zen Center of Orange County

Costa Mesa