[August 5th] - This mascot is simply wrong. Although I personally do not believe that schools who have chosen Native American names and mascots are inherently racist, there is such a thing as good taste and decorum. Mascots that are created using stereotypes and caricatures shouldn't be used by schools.

That said, no government entity or private group or organization should have the ability to forbid their use simply because certain specific individuals within that group or organization feel they are offensive.

The NCAA, which governs college athletics, announced August 4th that they would not allow any member school to participate in post-season play if their team mascot is brought to the venue, or if the mascot is represented on the team uniforms or other team property. Currently, there are 18 schools who have been singled out for this ban, including Florida State and the University of Illinois.

The NCAA does not have the right to forbid certain schools to participate in post season tournaments because they believe the school is fronting an offensive stereotype of Native Americans. Forget for a moment that the First amendment protects the actions of these schools. The problem we face is that where will this alleged "offensive" status be applied and by who. These schools have been singled out because of strong Native American lobbying. But why stop with Native Americans? Are we not concerned that the Michigan State Spartans name and mascot might be offensive to some Greeks? Certainly, the team's mascot is stereotypical of a Spartan soldier. Why is that OK but a man on a horse portraying a Seminole Indian is not? I attend Idaho State University, and a school in our conference, Northern Arizona, is known as the "Lumberjacks" with a big, burly stereotypical lumberjack mascot. Couldn't that offend men who cut down trees? We could find schools like this in every conference across the country.

It is no one's business but the schools as to their team names and mascot. When the NCAA begins to decide which names are offensive and which we are not, and they then become no different or no better than any group who haphazardly discriminates based soley on their personal beliefs. Don't believe it can happen? A few years ago, the NCAA passed a resolution that said all NCAA teams had to play on any day asked of it in the post season, including Sunday, or that school would be forced to forfeit the game. This was known as the "BYU" rule, as no other team had a problem with Sunday play. It took a backlash from many of the nation's secular schools to force the NCAA to change its mind.

It's just not right.

# posted by Farid Rushdi @ 11:56 AM