Another school with a mascot problem

[Racket_Man]

and the reason for turning down this mascot is actually really funny:

and JUST for Smiley this is in Utah
I give you the NO cougar zone LOL

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME??????

Maybe Ol Battle Axe would have been better.

[Gravekeeper]

I would have let that one go by specifically because of the comedic potential. >.>

[wraiths_crono]

Next it will be the Trojans whom have to pull out.

[Shangri-laschild]

"a middle-aged woman seeking a romantic relationship with a younger man."

Instead the board members chose a war horse

And now I can't get "Trojan Maaaaaan" out of my head

[smileyeagle1021]

The thing about this story that is getting lost on non locals is that the note at the bottom about there already being the BYU Cougars and three other high schools was probably a much bigger factor than the potential innuendo of the name.
That said... only in Utah would people be stupid enough to actually say that. Our politicians have a problem with having a thought pop in their heads and then just say it.

[Jetfire]

My old high school about 5 years or so ago, had to change the name of its sports team, or at least the boys team. They used to be the Warriors (and the symbolization was an amerindian warrior), but after 20-some years, someone decided it was offensive to the local indians. Despite the school being the only high school in the region, so it was the school for the local reservation as well as the town and surrounding area. Now, instead of being the Warriors/Wildcats, all the teams are just the Thunder.

[mikoyan29]

I graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1992. When I started as a freshman in 1987, we were the Hurons and when I graduated we were the Eagles. The President and the Board of Regents deemed that the name Hurons was offensive to the tribe but never mind that a representative of the tribe was found and he didn't have a problem with the name (although to be proper it should be the Wyandottes). I can see the problem with the name Redskin but when the actual tribe is used, I don't see where the problem lies. It's not like we are picking names of mascots for stupid reasons.

What is really funny was that the NCAA wanted to ban schools with Native American mascots from post season or tournament play. Both Central Michigan and Florida State got letters from their respective tribes basically saying that if the NCAA does that, they will see them in court. The NCAA has since sort of backed down but have decided to pick on North Dakota instead. (It is a little tougher for them to get a letter from the Sioux since it is comprised of several tribes and some of which have issues with each other).

But what really bothers me is when people say, "Well the Native Americans think its offensive" and the Native Americans say, "No we don't" and then the people say, "Well you should". That strikes me as people deciding what other people should think which in my mind is more offensive.

[HYHYBT]

But what really bothers me is when people say, "Well the Native Americans think its offensive" and the Native Americans say, "No we don't" and then the people say, "Well you should". That strikes me as people deciding what other people should think which in my mind is more offensive.

Amen!

*Anybody* who tells someone else how that someone else feels to the point of insisting S.E. is wrong when they disagree is both arrogant and foolish.

[Amanita]

Yeah, this business of getting offended on behalf of others and refusing to back down even when the people you're claiming to protect say they don't mind is one of the worst sorts of arrogance.

I've heard people of color say that's one thing that they dislike about some of the anti-racism crowd- the tendency to come in acting like they know best, and the people they're allegedly standing up for can't be trusted to speak up for themselves, or their opinions somehow don't count, because they "should be offended".

[Racket_Man]

Next it will be the Trojans whom have to pull out.

And now I can't get "Trojan Maaaaaan" out of my head

One of the highschools in my area has the school team name/Mascot the Trojans

AND if memory serves isn't one of the University of Southern California mascots a Torjan????

[Gravekeeper]

I'm really trying to remember what our team mascot in high school sports was. I *think* it was a bear. But there's an animal with a completely different and even more potentially horrific internet connotation than cougar. >.>

[Andara Bledin]

My grade school had a wildcat. My middle school had a husky. My first high school was a lancer and second was a pioneer. Nobody that I know of has yet given any of those less savory connotations.

^-.-^

[bhskittykatt]

My high school mascot was the "Red Raider", depicted by a hawk. Originally, though, it was a Native American warrior. It got changed at sometime after it was deemed offensive.

Throughout my school career, I've also been a polar bear, a lion, a panther, a gnome (a f***ing gnome!), a thunderbird, an orca, and a Viking.

[KabeRinnaul]

In Junior High we were the Eagles.
In High School we were the Patriots (and I think the mascot was supposed to be a minuteman).
And in college we were the Mountain Lions.

Nothing too bad in those. Well, except that a mountain lion is a cougar. But they were never called that, so.

[blas87]

Nearly every school this side of Wisconsin either had to change their name or mascot because it was "offensive" to Native Americans, despite never hearing any complaints from Native Americans.

Our Indian Head from my first high school was replaced by a star. Other schools either don't even have mascots or symbols for their schools anymore, or it's something really lame.

Political correctness goes way too far, sometimes.