More views and opinions on the new Indian mascot policy of the NCAA that bans the use of "hostile and abusive" images during post-season tournaments.

ARROGANT MASCOTS
"Given the genocidal treatment of America's native peoples by the European settlers and their more subtle heirs, the use of Indian caricatures to sell beer and whip up stadium crowds strikes me as arrogant at best. At worst, it's something akin to those marches through Irish Catholic neighborhoods by Protestants celebrating the victory of William of Orange. Dropping the nicknames and mascots has to be one of the easier acts of reparation the ruling class will ever confront; and indeed it's been done without apparent disastrous consequences at Stanford, St. John's, Dartmouth, etc."
• Dan Carpenter: World without Wompum (The Indianapolis Star 8/17)

SORRY ISN'T ENOUGH
"The wise heads at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, were a decade ahead of the NCAA in realizing that the use of American Indian mascots and imagery should go the way of Chief Noc-a-homa. What did I just type? I mean, until Tuesday, I shared the popular view that NCAA officials have too much time on their hands.
• Terence Moore: �No offense intended� isn�t acceptable anymore (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 8/17)
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OUT OF BOUNDS
"It's hard to view the CMU-Chippewa connection as anything other than a proud reflection of the bonds the mid-Michigan community and university have with the tribe. While there's room for disagreement -- not all tribe members support the university's nickname -- using the tribe's name does not denigrate like other clearly racist monikers, such as the Savages or the Redmen. The NCAA should ban those nicknames."
• NCAA on Chips: Out of bounds (The Saginaw News 8/17)

DON'T PUNISH UTES
"The Standard-Examiner's editorial board experiences no heartburn whatsoever with penalizing schools that still have nicknames for sports teams like Carthage College's Redmen or Southeastern Oklahoma State University's Savages. Those are over-the-line remnants of a not-so-pretty past in which racism was casual and pervasive. But the Ute tribe has been copasetic with the use of its name by the University of Utah -- which has been, in recent decades, anyway, respectful in its stewardship. "
• Editorial: Giving offense (The Utah Standard-Examiner 8/17)

ETHNIC CLEANSING
"Maybe I feel this way out of a simmering case of mascot-envy. Maybe it's defensiveness about Florida identity. Or a more generalized inability to accept change. But I find myself baffled and irritated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association actions against Florida State University over its use of the Seminole name and symbols."
• Mark Lane: Ethnic cleansing of team symbols singles out wrong tribe (The Daytona Beach News-Journal 8/17)

SILLY SKIRMISH
"Is this silly, or what? We're talking about the brouhaha between the NCAA and Florida State University over the school's cherished Seminoles nickname and its mascot, Chief Osceola."
• Editorial: Seminole skirmish (Florida Today 8/17)

GOING TOO FAR
"Native American logos aren't the only ones taking a hit these days. I recently performed at Elon University in North Carolina. The Elon sports teams are known as The Phoenix. Seems fine enough. I learned while on campus that until a few years ago they were called The Fighting Christians. "Fighting Christians" is one of the cooler nicknames I've heard. Too cool, I guess. It fell under the PC inquisition and was changed. Why? Was that also deemed "hostile and offensive"? What is offensive about a Christian defending himself?"
• Jay Mohr: Lame name game (CNN/SI 8/16)

WRONG MOVE
"Now, the latest flap is so trivial that it�s a wonder this powerful body would even take the time to dally with it. You know the one I mean, the attempt to ban Indian (Native American, if you prefer) nicknames, logos and such from postseason NCAA championships. On the grounds that the practice is �hostile� and �abusive,� which provokes the slack-jawed response, �Say what?� That treads on the toes of some rather prominent institutions that have long since brought pride to the tribes whose names they have chosen, in the eyes of the beholder.
• Furman Bisher: NCAA will regret mascot misstep (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 8/17)
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FSU PRESIDENT SCORES
"T.K. Wetherell has received nearly 800 e-mails since - to borrow from Max Osceola - a bunch of non-natives decided to get politically correct about an issue involving natives. The Florida State president claims he's read most of the e-mails. The NCAA didn't do its homework on this one, and Wetherell is right to take them to school."
• Steve Ellis: T.K. scores TD with Seminoles' fight vs. NCAA (The Tallahassee Democrat 8/17)
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LET SCHOOLS DECIDE
"The college campus experience is a diverse setting for political viewpoints, and a recent study showed that 84 percent of college instructors consider themselves liberal. Universities are where such thinking should be. All ideas, viewpoints and considerations should have a place on college campuses. But that didn't happen here."
• Earl Watt: Schools, not NCAA, should decide (The Southwest Daily Times 8/16)

NCAA Announcement:
NCAA Executive Committee Issues Guidelines for Use of Native American Mascots at Championship Events (August 5, 2005)

Relevant Links:
NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee - http://www1.ncaa.org/eprise/main/
membership/governance/assoc-wide/moic/index.html
National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media - http://www.aimovement.org/ncrsm

Related Stories:
Even more reaction to the NCAA policy on mascots (8/16)
FSU trustee apologizes to Seminole Nation (8/16)
Editorial: FSU leaders insulted Seminole people (8/16)
Schools appeal NCAA policy on Indian mascots (8/15)
Reaction to NCAA mascot policy still rolling in (8/15)
Bad Eagle: NCAA doesn't care what Indians think (8/15)
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Editorial: NCAA policy a step in the right direction (8/11)
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NCAA will ask TV stations not to use mascot names (8/11)
North Dakota governor criticizes NCAA policy (8/11)
FSU trustees approve fight for 'Seminoles' mascot (8/11)
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe calls policy 'unacceptable' (8/11)
Local high school league won't take up mascot issue (8/11)
Even more reaction to NCAA policy on mascots (8/10)
Editorial: Good riddance to 'demeaning' mascots (8/10)
Jeb Bush calls mascot policy 'offensive' to tribe (8/10)
University of Utah mulls position on 'Utes' (8/10)
More reaction to NCAA's new policy on Indian mascots (8/9)
FSU wants policy changed to allow 'Seminoles' (8/9)
Utah 'Utes' among the names on NCAA's mascot hit list (8/9)
'Fighting Sioux' arena contains thousands of logos (8/9)
NCAA announces revised Indian mascot policy (8/8)
Mixed reaction to change in use of mascots (8/8)
NCAA committee to take up Indian mascots (8/3)
TV stations challenged on use of 'Redskins' name (07/22)
Giago: Seminole Tribe wrong on Indian mascots (07/19)
Appeals court keeps 'Redskins' lawsuit alive (07/18)
Opinion: Changing mascots is a waste of time (07/15)
Mascots not only an issue for Native Americans (7/14)
Opinion: It's time for racist mascots to go (7/14)
Seminole Tribe doesn't have problem with mascots (07/05)
NCAA committee won't call for ban on Indian mascots (6/28)
Seminole Nation opposes FSU's 'Seminoles' mascot (6/23)
Seminole Tribe supports FSU's 'Seminoles' mascot (6/21)
Editorial: Not all 'Indian' mascots are offensive (05/31)
Harjo: NCAA should ban all 'Native' imagery (5/27)
FSU defends use of 'Seminole' mascot in NCAA letter (05/17)
Schools defend Indian mascots in reports to NCAA (5/16)
Editorial: UND's 'Fighting Sioux' report not truthful (05/06)
FSU preparing report on use of 'Seminole' mascot (04/29)
Virginia tribe not offended by school's nickname (04/26)
Saginaw Chippewa Tribe supports CMU nickname (04/13)
Drunk Student: Chief Illiniwek is not offensive to Natives (04/07)
Group protests university's 'Fighting Sioux' name (03/28)
UNC-Pembroke stands by its 'Braves' nickname (03/09)
UND asked to study 'Fighting Sioux' name again (02/17)