"While it's OK to venerate America's aboriginal people by naming cities, counties, streets, rivers, Jeeps and casinos after them, it's no longer a good idea to pay tribute by naming your sports teams in their honor.

Now, don't confuse this with overtly racist names like Redmen and Redskins, or tactless names like Savages. Those were idiotic ideas a hundred years ago. They're idiotic now. Any school that perpetuates offensive nomenclature in the name of tradition (or lucrative licensing deals) is placing custom and economics ahead of cultural sensitivity, which seems a tad ironic for a place that describes itself as a "university" and would likely balk at naming its teams the Yellowmen, the Blackskins or the Scalpers.

I don't have a huge problem with teams named for individual tribes, because nicknames were chosen to reflect traits the institutions wanted to celebrate, such as courage, toughness, stamina."

Get the Story:
John Levesque: NCAA means well, acts foolishly (The Seattle Post-Intelligencer 8/25)

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

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