Fightin' Whities swamped with T-shirt requests

Denver Post ^ | March 13, 2002 | Coleman Cornelius

[John Jorsett]

The Fightin' Whities, an intramural basketball team of American Indians at the University of Northern Colorado, has been flooded with requests for T-shirts since news broke of the team's satirical mascot protest.

On Tuesday, the student basketball team set up an e-mail account to start taking orders - even though players have not yet figured out exactly how to mass-produce their shirts.

Would-be buyers may send T-shirt requests to fightingwhites@hotmail.com. The team will send back acknowledgments and more information. The system is meant to gauge demand while the team irons out copyright issues and checks university guidelines, said Jeff Van Iwarden, 21, one of the team's few Anglo players.

The Fightin' Whities expect to charge about $20 for their shirts and will donate all profits to a Native American cause that has yet to be determined, Van Iwarden said.

In the course of just two days, as news of the team has exploded nationwide, the players have gained countless fans across the country.

Many are clamoring for T-shirts bearing the team mascot - a 1950s-style caricature of a middle-aged white guy - and the phrase "Every thang's gonna be all white!"

The intramural basketball team's official name is "Native Pride." But the team calls itself the "Fightin' Whites" - and is widely known by the more in-your-face "Fightin' Whities" - as a jab at nearby Eaton High School.

School officials in Eaton, a farm town north of Greeley, have refused to discuss the school's mascot - the Fightin' Reds - despite complaints from area Native Americans who see it as a degrading stereotype.

Eaton High School's mascot is a caricature of an Indian with a misshapen nose, wearing a loincloth and eagle feather.

The UNC team was frustrated that pleas for tolerance were misunderstood or discounted, they said. So the players decided to use some provocative humor to stir up the debate.

"Walk in someone else's shoes, and then you can make a judgment," said Ryan White, 22, a team player and member of the Mohawk Nation.

[Phantom Lord]

I suspect that the image they are using for their "mascot" is a copywrited image and that they could get their asses sued off for using it.

[ThreePantherEightyDuce]

It's the wrong sport, but I was thinking Whitey Ford would look nice on a logo along this lines.

It was just Manifest Destiny this would make the national press. ;-)

[ffusco]

Correction: No land was stolen, the american Indians were a conquered people. They lost their land fair and square.

[PLOM...NOT!]

Actually if you look at the picture of the mascot, it sort of looks like Ronald Reagan.

[Psalm 73]

I have no problem with a "Fightin' Whities" logo, why should they have a hard time with "Braves" or "Redskins"?
It's the horrible, demeaning use of animals' names that I think is hurtfull - like Dolphins and Rams! (Go Patriots - repeat)

[BornOnTheFourth]

Unless, of course, you attend the Univeristy of California, Santa Cruz. You would be a Banana Slug. No kidding!

[Attillathehon]

You don't see teams named after the rabbits, mice, rats, squirrels, French, peaceniks, and the like. It's a sign of toughness.

Guess you never heard of the New York University Violets.

[Dukie]

ROTFLMAO Bump for you, GEC !

[John Jorsett]

How about the 'Surrendering Frenchies'?

[Bobby777]

I'm a "white" male with Cherokee Indian roots ... if their goal was to offend it definitely backfired ... this is hilarious ... oh well, I guess it's easier to blame a group than get a job ... more leftist silliness from socialist campus freaks taught by professors who never worked in society anyway ...

[Psalm 73]

"No land was stolen, the american Indians were a conquered people. They lost their land fair and square."

And they were not even the original inhabitants of North America - they conquered the real natives and stole it from them!
How ironic.

[Dante3]

Tom Knott had a humorous article about his in today's The Washington Times (March 13, 2002, sports page)

[Caipirabob]

that's exactly what i was thinking... what's with the "Thang" thing?

It's a snipe at our beloved "Southern Drawl". The kind you hear in "Shake N Bake" commercials ("..and Ah hayelped...")

Tune into the Country Music Channel and you'll hear kind of what it sounds like. Better yet, catch a re-run of HEE-HAW!

[ThreePantherEightyDuce]

It reminds me of portraits of the "head" of the "Church of the SubGenius," 'Bob.'

[What Is Ain't]

The hotmail reference is an email address not a web site.

I did the same thing until I thought: D-uh.

[Leto]

I WANT one of those 'Wagonburners' Sweaters (Hockey Jersey for all those south of the Mason Dixon line). WOnder if they have caps too?

[kaboom]

I prefer the Oregon State Beavers.

[Fred Mertz]

I smell green here...

I sure wish I could buy two Fightin' Whities t-shirts; one for me (the red man) and one for my white man boss.

[1Old Pro]

No land was stolen

Little Big Horn?

[John Jorsett]

Interesting. Infowars has registered the fightingwhities.com domain. I wonder if the Fightin' Whities will sue them for it?