Going Mad over Mascots
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Going Mad over Mascots
Mascots are supposed to inspire those who play for the team, but just as often they provide amusement for those who don't.
On college campuses nationwide there are no fewer than 107 teams named for Lions, Tigers and Bears - oh my - but only the University of Idaho dares calls its teams the Vandals. I only wish the Vandals of Idaho could engage in macho combat with, say, the Ne'er Do Wells of Nevada.
With some teams, it's hard to tell just whom they're trying to scare. Take the Centenary College Ladies and Gentleman - the actual mascots. Are they intended to intimidate the ill-mannered? Or, how about the Brandeis University Judges, named after Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis. Who's afraid of the big bad Judges - the Parolees of Penn State?
And what are we to make of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons? What are they, Demons or Deacons? I think they should pick one, and stick to it. Their oxymoronic mascot reminds me of a chant I once heard at a Friends School in Pennsylvania, where the uninformed cheerleaders broke into the classic mantra: “Fight, Quakers, Fight!”
This otherwise silly subject takes a serious turn when we start talking about Native American nicknames. Some 600 high school and college teams have dropped such names, but over 2400 still use them.
It seems pretty obvious to me such pejoratives as Braves, Blackhawks and Redskins need to be replaced - and hundreds have been. But that shouldn't mean all team names should automatically be changed.
There is no better example of good intentions gone awry than the mascot mess Eastern Michigan University stirred up a few years ago. The athletes there called themselves, at various times, as the Normalites, the Men from Ypsi and, from 1929 to 1991, the Hurons.
Despite the fact that the Hurons are an authentic tribe indigenous to the region, and that the school created no offensive logos or rituals, a movement arose to change the name. Many of the arguments for doing so were of the “How would you like it?” variety.
This position ignores the many teams named for groups such as the Hoosiers and Cornhuskers, the Sooners and Aggies, not to mention the Midshipmen, the Mountaineers and the Minutemen. Believe it or not, Notre Dame's teams used to be called the Vagabonds, but school officials felt that name would only reinforce negative stereotypes, so they changed it to the Fightin' Irish. adopting a logo depicting a leprechaun with his dukes up. Problem solved.
In the professional ranks you have the Celtics and the Knickerbockers, the Canucks and the Yankees. Atlanta's former minor league team was called -- get this -- the Crackers. That's right: the Crackers. And don't get me started on the Minnesota Vikings - named after my people - whose sideline mascot walks around wearing that silly horned helmet, which comes not from Nordic custom but a Wagner symphony.
Well, whatever.
I realize there is a fundamental difference between a bunch of white students deciding to call their squad the Minutemen, and a group of, say, African-Americans deciding to call their team the Crackers. Something tells me that wouldn't go over so well.
But it's also true that when we eradicate all group names - no matter how respectful or accepted they may be, we lose something. If we are to get rid of the Hurons, should we also rename Lake Huron, Port Huron, the Huron River and Huron High School? The vast majority of states adopted their Native American names, including Michigan, Mississippi and Minnesota, for starters.
Here's another consideration - which too often seems to be an afterthought: What do the Native Americans think? Believe it or not, according to a Sports Illustrated survey, when asked if school teams should stop using Native American nicknames, 81% of Native Americans said no.
Shouldn't that matter? It seems to me it’s almost as arrogant to assume Native Americans shouldn’t be insulted by the Redskins as it is to assume they should be by the Hurons – even if they’re not.
The officials of the University of Utah Utes did something almost revolutionary: They actually asked the members of the Ute tribe what they should do. The Utes said, please keep the name. And then, more incredibly, the university listened.
Eastern Michigan officials could find only two actual members of the Huron tribe, one in Oklahoma and the other in Quebec. When asked, they urged the school not to change its name because they felt it reflected well on their tribal heritage.
So the school changed it anyway. Worse, in my opinion, they didn’t change it to the whimsical (and obvious) Emus, but to the utterly bland Eagles - the single most common nickname in college sports - a mascot picked mainly for its inability to file a class-action lawsuit.
Go Hurons.
I do not understand why naming your sports teams after an Indian tribe is objectionable. Yes, "Redskins" is a problem, but not Seminoles or Utes or Hurons. What is the logic here?
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It's hard to follow the logic some times, especially if the mascot is respectful, accurate, and the tribe in question urges the school not to change it.
As you say, however, if the name could be a pejorative -- "Redskins" certainly qualifies -- or the symbol or rituals are derisive (see Cleveland's "Chief Wahoo" or Chief Illiniwek's "Rain Dance" and garb, which were actually borrowed from the Lakota tribe), that should be a no-brainer to me.
Bottom line: It's not as simple as it first appears, and a group of administrators determining for a Native American tribe that they should be offended, even if they're not, strikes me as just a different side of the same condescending coin.
-JUB
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This discussion takes me back to a walk down Diversey to Duffy's with a certain writer after a book signing...Hope to see you soon
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John: Excellent blog, as usual. So let me ask your opinion- what about the beloved Wolverine? I think it's one of the coolest animals in the kingdom and a mascot worthy of recognition. Yet the U of M administration continues to thumb their nose at the idea of a "mascot". (I have a great story to tell about my first hand experience with the matter, if you're interested.) A Wolverine mascot could be done in a fine, first-class manner. It would add another dimension to the wonderful Michigan football experience, and be a great catalyst to the youngest future Michigan fans. Just think of the added revenue it could generate for the university? And lastly- how about the U of M students themselves? Do you think they would like a mascot to go toe to toe with Brutus, Sparty and all the others? I think we all know the answer. But what are your thoughts, John?
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Kurt,
Thanks for your kind words and comments.
The Wolverine is an interesting case. It's not clear why Michigan picked it, when only a handful of wolverines have been found in the state. (Some have written that none have.) There are a number of stories suggesting a few reasons -- the trappers, the toughness of the settlers, etc. -- but it remains largely a mystery.
As for an actual mascot in costume, the university has always declined, though in the 1990s, I recall, a student group created one and tried to promote it, with limited success.
There would certainly be many who would support the move and, no doubt, financial incentives to do so, but like the ban on advertising in Michigan Stadium, the almighty dollar does not always win out.
As for my thoughts, I feel if there is an organic movement to create one, that could add to the Michigan experience, but any attempt to manufacture one solely for financial reasons would come across as hollow, and likely be rejected by the faithful.
-JUB
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don't forget the Pekin (Ill.) Chinks...
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Pat,
I did not believe my eyes when I read that, but having looked it up on line (it's on the internet, ergo has to be true) Pekin High actually did call its team the "Chinks." I assumed this was an unfortunate coincidence with the term "chinking," which is the process of sealing the gaps in a log cabin -- but incredibly, it seems to be what you'd least like it to be: a racial epithet.
From Wikipedia: "The team mascot was a student dressed as a Chinese wearing a coolie hat, who struck a gong when the team scored."
Unbelievable. The only saving grace here is that they changed mascots in 1983 to the Dragons.
-JUB
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In today’s polarized, hypersensitive, politically correct society, someone is always offended by something -- sometimes people look for opportunities to be offended and it’s inevitable.
It doesn't seem to matter anymore that many Native Americans are honored by the way schools represent them... the vocal minority feels slighted and therefore it must go.
You could write an encyclopedia-length piece about the false indignation of people who complain just for complaining’s sake. Like the fellow in San Francisco who sued a school district over the pledge of allegiance on behalf of his daughter... the same daughter who didn't have a problem saying the pledge. Or when Plymouth-Canton schools were naming the mascot of the new high school, parents made a STRETCH of deductive reasoning that it could have a sexual connotation. Or if you criticize the President, you're automatically branded a racist these days.
Society has lost their darn minds. It's no wonder the buffoonery affects school mascots.
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The fact that we are still talking about this after all these years should send a signal to administration. Everyone alum I know still says "Go Hurons!"
I understand trying to be sensitive. I could almost support that. But the Eagles nickname just plain sucks.
In the past I have always donated to EMU when asked. I am going to hold any further donations until EMU administration changes the nickname to Hurons or Emus (equally acceptable).
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Didn't they have an actual Wolverine in a cage during games in the 1930s?
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They did, in either the 1920s or 1930s (Greg Dooley of Mvictors.commight know). I've seen photos of it. Yost finally found a wolverine in Ontario, I believe, and they used it for a mascot for a few years. But it proved as nasty as advertised, and they finally decided it wasn't a very good idea.
-JUB
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John - When the NCAA started banning post-season tournament appearances we did a little research. You might find the "Half-breeds" of Alaska Aniak High School interesting ( http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/090605/spo_20050906001.shtml ). I've always wondered about the Detroit (MI) Southeastern High School Jungleers. Of course, my favorite mascot is the ECHL hockey team from Georgia -- the Macon Whoopee.
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