Washington State Wants Schools to Ban Native American Mascots

ABC News ^ | September 30, 2012 | Abby Ellin

[Steelfish]

By Abby Ellin Sep 29, 2012 Washington State Wants Schools to Ban Native American Mascots

If the Washington State Board of Education has its way, high schools across the state will no longer count Warriors, Braves, and Redskins among their mascots.

The state board passed a resolution last Wednesday encouraging districts to stop using Native American mascots, according to ABC affiliate KOMO-TV, in Seattle.

The resolution, which is similar to resolution passed by the board in 1993, cites research conducted by Dr. Stephanie Fryberg, a member of Tulalip Tribes in Washington State and an associate professor of Social and Cultural Psychology at the University of Arizona.

Fryberg and the American Psychological Association presented their research on the psychological consequences of using Native American mascots before the Senate Indian Affairs Committee in May, 2011. Other findings include an increased achievement gap between Native American and other students and negative effects on race relations in the United States.

In the past decade, 10 Washington State high schools gave up their Indian-named mascots, including Eatonville Middle School, which went from the Warriors to the Eagles, and Eisenhower Middle School in Everett, which went from the Warriors to the Patriots.

But 50 more, including some tribal schools, haven’t given up their nicknames. And despite the resolution, the board doesn’t have the authority to require schools to comply with the change, board spokesman Aaron Wyatt told KOMO. However, he added, there will be no adverse consequences for schools that don’t voluntarily choose a new mascot.

The Native American mascot controversy — that is, whether to ban the names from school sports teams — has been hotly debated for decades.

[ClearCase_guy]

I want to cheer for my hometown team — the Kleagles. We have a long-standing rivalry with the Imperial Wizards who just think they’re supreme above all others. We’ll show ‘em!

[Gatún(CraigIsaMangoTreeLawyer)]

But Notre Dame’s “Fighting Irish” would be okay though.

Good for the Fighting Irish.

In admiration to Indian tribes by giving these wonderful tribal names to high profile sports, soon children will be asking who were the Chicacawasoosto?

Oh well. It’s not my problem.

[blueunicorn6]

The Indians aren’t doing good in school because of this?

“Tom Leaping Weasel! Another ‘F’ in math! What is the problem?”

“Ummmmm.....I’m hurt because Atlanta calls their baseball team the Braves.”

“I guess Bobby Smith must have got an ‘F’ because his Dad is a math teacher and Bobby is offended by the San Fracisco 49ers. Get your behind out in the kitchen and hit the math books.”

[Sacajaweau]

All these names came around because we were trying to help them preserve their heritage. As always, the indians are their own worst enemy.

I think it was Teddy Roosevelt who said...if it wasn't for us, the tribes would have killed each other off.

[Sacajaweau]

Well guess what....the whooping was real. When Andrew Ellicott was surveying the NY/Penn boundary, he wrote about their incessant whooping.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Washington State Wants Schools to Ban Native American Mascots

This is outrageous!

The Indians should be allowed to have any mascots they dam well please.

Geeeeeesh!

[Avid Coug]

In Spokane, WA, (other side of the state from People’s Republic of Seattle)the local minor league baseball team has always been named the Indians. When they recently wanted to update their logo and uniforms, management talked to the local Spokane tribe’s leaders and came up with a good looking new logo that the tribe felt was an honor. Sometimes people just don’t know when they are supposed to be offended, I guess. (sarc)

[LibertarianLiz]

So the term “Warriors” is now solely the provenance of Native Americans

I had exactly the same thought.

[LibertarianLiz]

Yep, I always said, if you want to dishonor somebody or something, make them a school mascot. Oh, the humiliation. /s

I remember hearing Dennis Prager talking about a caller to his show (some years ago) who was insulted by the "Indian" names for University sports teams. He challenged Prager by asking how he would feel if they named sports teams after his ethnic group.

He laughed and said that it would be the first time in history that people were rooting for the "Jews". "Go, Jews", "I'm a Jews fan", "I'm going to the game to root for the Jews". It was hysterical.

[elcid1970]

Oh, but lots of us have for years cheered “dem fightin’ Jews”.

Their official team name is the Israel Defense Force.

During the summer of 1967 I heard a redneck say, “Heck’s fire, man, it looks like those Jew-boys know how to fight!”

This was shortly after the Six Day War victory.

[dsrtsage]

I wouldn’t mind a few teams like the “Drunken Irish”, or the “Drunken Scots”, or the “Drunken Germans”

[vox_freedom]

OK. Ban the pre-Clovis mascots now!!!

[Avid Coug]

Maybe these schools could totally update their image by going with something like: Sharing Shamrocks,Consensus Building Citizens; Conciliatory Comrads; Apologetic Organizers; Compromising Cronies, etc.

Then after changing their team mascot names, they could concede and forfeit every game in order to demonstrate their good intentions of not hurting anyone’s feelings.

[IM2MAD]

Try having to cheer for the Maniacs.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

During the summer of 1967 I heard a redneck say, “Heck’s fire, man, it looks like those Jew-boys know how to fight!”

I could hear that redneck holler,
as he hit that hardwood floor:
They ain't makin' Jews,
like Jesus any more.

-Kinky Friedman

[combat_boots]

Unless, of course, their names are Abu Al Ali or some such.

Yes. Let’s forget even the NAMES of American Indians, let alone their heritage.

[clearcarbon]

I guess political correctness is shifting mascot preferences to losers rather than winners. Onward to glory "Bowing Progressives."