Racism and College Mascots?
College mascots are supposed to pump the crowd up during a college sports game. They are associated with school-spirit, fun and good times. But what about racism?
Well, actually, yes.
The use of Native America has become a serious issue. American sports have a long history of ‘playing Indian since the 1700s.
Native American named sports teams have come under attack as derogatory and racist.
According to Peter Roby, former director of the Center for the Study of Sports in Society at Northeastern University, the issue as an organized public debate dates back to 1968, when the National Congress of American Indians called for the elimination of mascots and nicknames that stereotype Native Americans.
The NCAA has adopted a policy prohibiting colleges or universities with “hostile or abusive mascots, nicknames or imagery” from hosting any NCAA championship competitions.
And many intercollegiate teams, including, in 1994, St. John’s University (previously the Redmen now the Red Storm), have elected to drop their Native American nicknames. For example, Marquette University changed their team name from the Warriors to the Golden Eagles in 1994 and Stonehill College also changed their mascot from the Chieftain to the Skyhawk “out of respect to Native American culture.”
Native American groups, among others, argue that this country doesn’t always accept responsibility for its own history as swiftly and thoroughly as it should. Racism isn’t always blatant. It often creeps in, in subtle ways that are difficult to shake.
Do you think Native American mascot and team names are racist and should be abolished or do you think that they should be preserved for historical purposes?
This entry was posted on Thursday, June 26th, 2008 at 3:02 pm and is filed under Just for Fun, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
