[nomorelurker]

“I have asked some people, seriously, not joking, as to why some ethnic type names are deemed offensive, such as Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins, Edmonton Eskimos, and why some are ok, such as Boston Celtics, Minnesota Vikings, and Notre Dame Fighting Irish.”

Good point.

If you think about it they are erasing certain ethic groups but leaving European ethnic groups.
Do they even realize that.

[Wallace T.]

The cases of the Minnesota Vikings and the Boston Celtics are reflective of the role of the Scandinavians and the Irish in their respective states or cities. The name of the San Diego Padres, reflects the Spanish and Catholic heritage of that city, One nickname, the New York Yankees, seems inappropriate for a city where very few residents are descended from colonial era New Englanders.

However, Southern whites do not have the exception applied for Northern ethnic whites. Throughout Texas and I assume the rest of the South, high school and college teams with names like the Rebels have dropped those names and any visual association with Southern heritage, like the Southern Cross flag or the Confederate uniform.