(Fightin' Whities) T-shirts in demand

Because of an overwhelming national demand for T-shirts from the Fightin' Whities, University of Northern Colorado intramural basketball team members are in business.

Charlie Cuny, 27, the team's founder and a member of the Oglala Lakota Nation, worked with other students Wednesday to open a nonprofit account, talk with lawyers about copyrighting the logo and secure a printing deal.

Team members from various backgrounds, including Hispanic, American Indian and Caucasian, came up with the idea for the mascot after finding Eaton High School's Indian mascot offensive.

The issue gained national attention, and the team has received more than 1,000 e-mails to their address, fightingwhites@hotmail.com, from interested T-shirt buyers.

"We haven't even come to the point of making the T-shirts," said John Messner, a 23-year-old member of the team. "This is just a way to see how many people are interested."

Any profits from the shirts will go to the Native American Coalition or another cause for education, Messner said.

UNC cannot stop the team from making the shirts as long as the shirtsaren't directly associated with the school in any way, said Ken McConnellogue, UNC spokesman.

Although most of the prospective buyers appear to support the team's message of getting rid of American Indian mascots, Messner said, some could care less. In order to make sure their message gets out, the students plan to print it clearly on the shirts.

"We are not promoting any race here, especially not white extremists," said Solomon Little Owl, team member and leader of UNC's Native American Student Services. "We are promoting education and awareness."

Some have made the argument that the Fightin' Whities mascot doesn't offend whites, so Indian mascots shouldn't offend American Indians.

"Our message is strong, but some people still don't know how I feel," he said. "The whole point is to look at it from a different perspective."

Many people have picked up on the humorous aspect, which is good, Little Owl said.

A Denver radio station, KRFX 103.5-FM, called The Fox, sent an employee Wednesday to Eaton High School to give T-shirts to students who signed a petition in favor of the school changing the school's mascot to the beavers.

"Since we should change anyway because our mascot is offensive, the beaver would be a cool thing to change to," said Tyler Christy, a 17-year-old junior at Eaton High School, who rushed to school early Wednesday to get one of the free shirts.

"But I doubt the administrators would allow it because of the sexual implication."

Tyler and other classmates were told by administrators to remove the shirts soon after they walked into school.

The radio station was asked to leave school property but will return to Eaton at 7 a.m. today to sell the shirts for $10 at Steven's Grill, 131 1st St.

The restaurant's owner, Steve Schlotthauer, said he was in favor of the new mascot because many people are offended by the American Indian caricature.

"I don't blame them for feeling offended," Schlotthauer said. "They are standing up for themselves, and I think that is OK."

Although the radio station's suggested mascot is a joke, the show's producer, Kathy Lee, said it would certainly be less controversial.

The Fightin' Whities continue to gain national attention. Tuesday night, they even made Jay Leno's opening monologue on NBC's The Tonight Show. Here is the text of his joke:

"Big controversy at the University of Northern Colorado. It seems an intramural basketball team there made up of mostly Native Americans decided to protest all the mascots that offended them. You know, like the Reds, the Braves and all the kind of stuff. They're protesting by naming their team 'The Fighting Whities.' Wasn't that the name of the Republican Party? Wasn't that their name?"

Fightin' Whities gain national attention (thanks to Free Republic)

Story By Julio Ochoa

Solomon Little Owl hasn't had much rest since Monday.

That's when the national media began calling about his University of Northern Colorado intramural basketball team named The Fightin' Whities.

Since then, Little Owl, team member and leader of UNC's Native American Student Services, has answered phone calls from talk shows and news organizations around the country.

"The attention is overwhelming," Little Owl said. "It's gone beyond all of our intentions."

The UNC students picked a white man wearing a suit and tie for their mascot in response to Eaton High School's American Indian mascot, which they say is offensive.

Their attempt to turn the tables on those who couldn't understand their point of view has received media attention from national radio talk show hosts Rush Limbaugh, Tom Leykis and Michael Medved; newspapers, including the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and USA Today; and every television station and daily newspaper in Denver.

Even a Denver radio station, 103.5 The Fox, has taken notice and plans to send someone to Eaton this morning to get reaction from residents.

Demand for the article crashed the Greeley Tribune's Web site. As of 11 p.m. Tuesday the story had been read at www.greeleytrib.com nearly 29,000 times since 2 a.m. Sunday. By comparison, high-interest, local articles usually get about 200 reads per day.

Much of the response has been positive about the mascot but negative for the American Indians' cause, Little Owl said.

"People still don't understand," he said. "They are just trying to nail me on some of these talk shows."

But what people say doesn't really matter, as long as they are talking, said Charlie Cuny, 27, team founder and member of the Oglala Lakota Nation.

"It opens the lines of communication," Cuny said. "If it brings an understanding of both cultures, I look at that as a victory." While the Eaton Re-2 School District superintendent, John Nuspl still refuses to talk to the media, the attention hasn't hurt Eaton High School, said principal Doug Chamberlain.

"I've tried to convince my students that it is everybody's constitutional right to speak their opinion," said Chamberlain, who has responded to media calls since Monday.

"We accept people's opinions on all kinds of subjects, as long as it's gone about properly."

Chamberlain said he is familiar with Little Owl, whose wife taught at the high school for three years before leaving on good terms.

"I don't have the same sensitivity as Mr. Little Owl, but that doesn't mean he's wrong," he said. "I certainly respect his right to express himself and be concerned and try to make a change."

The Eaton School Board has discussed the issue and previously has said it would discuss the issue again but has yet to schedule a meeting.

Where exactly the issue can move from here remains to be seen, said Ryan White, a 22-year-old Mohawk Indian and member of the team.

"It's a simple statement that is echoing throughout the country," White said. "I don't think everything is going to change all of the sudden just because of this."

Whether Eaton changes its mascot is not going to affect Cuny's sleep, he said.

"Eaton can do what they want. We've got this window to state a message," Cuny said. "To me, you state your message and see what happens. I'm not so sure it will bring change, but it will bring awareness and that is the seed of change."

Fightin' whites or whities

The University of Northern Colorado intramural basketball team that has come to be known as The Fightin' Whities started out with the name Native Pride. When team members picked a mascot, they chose a caucasian man in a suit and called themselves The Fightin' Whites. After word spread around campus, the name evolved into The Fightin' Whities.

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