A friend sent the below article to me today. I apologize in advance if already posted:
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Exploring the ridiculousness of nicknames
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Mike Bianchi
SPORTS COMMENTARY
August 10, 2005
Now that the NCAA is in the business of legislating against "hostile and abusive" nicknames, let them not stop with American Indians.
Let all of us have our say before the NCAA Can of Worms Committee.
And so . . .
- I am an animal lover and am offended by South Carolina's nickname of Gamecocks -- an obvious endorsement of the grotesque sport of cockfighting. For the NCAA to give its tacit approval to an activity in which proud and beautiful birds are bred for the purpose of mutilating and killing each other for human entertainment is appalling.
- I am an advocate of gun control and I want the NCAA to explain why it allows Gettysburg College to use the nickname "Bullets." With nearly 30,000 gun-related deaths in America every year, isn't this the most "hostile and abusive" nickname of all?
- I am a victim of Hurricane Charley and demand that the NCAA forbid Miami from ever again using its "Hurricanes" nickname. To extol the virtues of natural disasters that have caused devastation and death and cost our state billions of dollars is inexcusable.
- I am an African-American and I am outraged by Ole Miss' nickname of Rebels, which is a clear glorification of the South's fight to preserve state rights and slavery in the Civil War.
- I am a Christian woman and I am insulted by the plethora of satanic nicknames such as the Duke Blue Devils and Northwestern State Demons. For the NCAA to endorse the work of The Dark Prince himself -- the enemy of God and all of mankind -- is an assault on America as a Christian nation.
- I am a Muslim man and I am offended by Holy Cross's nickname -- the Crusaders. Thousands of my ancestors died during the Crusades, including thousands of captives slaughtered in cold blood by Richard the Lionhearted in 1191.
- I am a devout Hindu and am starting a petition to ban the nickname of the South Florida Bulls. The cow is a sacred animal in my religion and to caricature it as some sort of loony, ridiculous mascot is an insult to the 1.1 billion Hindus worldwide.
- I am a peaceable pacifist from Dublin and I am disgusted by Notre Dame's stereotypical portrayal of the "Fighting" Irish as a bunch of rowdy, drunken barroom brawlers.
- I am a snakebite victim and cannot believe the NCAA allows Florida A&M and Florida Southern to use two deadly snakes -- Rattlers and Moccasins -- as their nicknames. Poisonous snakes bite more than 8,000 Americans each year, and rattlers and moccasins are among the most dangerous.
- I am of Roman descent and I am offended by Southern Cal's mascot, The Trojan Horse, which, according to ancient history, the Greeks used to massacre thousands of my ancestors in the bygone city of Troy.
- I am a reformed alcoholic and would like to lodge a complaint against Vassar College calling itself the "Brewers." Binge drinking in college is an epidemic, with one study reporting that alcohol is a factor in 1,400 student deaths each year. For the NCAA to allow a nickname so closely associated to beer-making is criminal.
- I am not a spokesperson for any group; I'm just a frightened citizen of a violent world. Which is why I'm writing to complain about the nickname of the Ithaca College Bombers. In this day and age of suicide terrorists, isn't "Bombers" an affront to all of us and much more "hostile and abusive" than Florida State paying homage to an Indian tribe?
