PCM

From the Texarkana Gazette: Mascot rule is NCAA blunder

Erik was hurt much of last year, which was the biggest factor limiting his playing time. However, he made a real statement during the playoffs when the Sioux were up against the best teams in the nation. I think that if he stays healthy, he'll see a lot of playing time because the Sioux will need his experience. He's also a very intelligent, articulate player who would do well as a team leader.

Fabian should have an A.

http://www.UND.nodak.edu/dept/aiss/Indian%...%20Programs.htm

That's one of the big problems with this issue. Some people choose to interpret words and symbols in specific ways that offend them. For example, I had an American Indian with a Ph.D. tell me, "UND isn't the Fighting Sioux. It's just a bunch of white kids playing hockey." Obviously, the "white kids playing hockey" (or black, Hispanic or Asian athletes in other sports at UND) don't think of themselves as being real Sioux Indians any more than Brett Favre thinks of himself as being a real meat packer. What reasonable person would think this way? But to be offended by white hockey players with the Sioux name and logo on their jerseys, this otherwise intelligent person chose to apply an extremely literal interpretation to UND's intent and motive for using the Sioux name. I can't tell people to not be offended if that's the way they truly feel. But I can make a judgement about whether or not their reasons for taking offense are reasonable.

I'm sure that you're right. That's what concerns me.

Aug. 26, 2005 From the Lansing State Journal: Nicknames: CMU, take note -- NCAA mascot policy was ill-conceived From TownHall.com: Mascot mayhem

An article in today's Herald makes it sound as if there's an effort under way to get the Spirit Lake Sioux tribe to reverse its support for UND's use of the Sioux name and logo.

Nooooo, Diggler, nooooo!!! Run away! Don't sell out to "The Man."

Ah, yes. For the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, it's still all about Ralph Engelstad. Except that time has moved on and there are two glaring problems that don't fit into the Trib's script. The first one is that Ralph is no longer with us. The second problem is that the primary alleged victim of Ralph's bullying and blackmailing -- Charles Kupchella -- is now fighting to keep the Fighting Sioux name and staring down the NCAA. So who's doing the blackmailing now? Who blackmailed dozens of newspaper editors and columnists across the country into taking UND's side on this issue? Who blackmailed the radio and TV commentators who've criticized the NCAA for its action? Who's blackmailing the Chippewa tribe in Michigan? Who's blackmailing the Seminole tribe in Oklahoma? Who's blackmailing the Seminole tribe in Florida? Who's blackmailing the Cherokee tribe in North Carolina? Who's blackmailing the Ute tribe in Utah? Who's blackmailing the Spirit Lake Sioux tribe in North Dakota? It seems that the vast majority of Americans have decided who's truly being unreasonable, hostile and abusive. And once again, many of the tribes that are supposedly the victims of the hostility and abuse that the NCAA alleges are saying that they either support or don't mind the practice of college sports teams using American Indian nicknames, mascots and imagery. But never mind all that. The Strib knows best. It just knows that American Indians need to protected from abusive names and image. It also knows that the "larger public" also needs this protection. Unfortunately, we're all just too stupid to realize it.

The Associated Press has a story about UND's appeal to the NCAA in which Kupchella is quoted as saying that he's optimistic about the university's chances. Sebastian Braun, an assistant professor of Indian studies at UND, says the Spirit Lake Sioux might withdraw their support of the nickname and logo.

Wouldn't we be praising UND if it got an exemption from the NCAA as fast as FSU did? Other schools didn't have the advantages that FSU did, one of which was handed to it on a silver platter by the NCAA. You could be right. But I'm not surprised that FSU did what was in its own best interest to return to the status quo as quickly as possible. That's what I figured it'd do all along. No matter what happens, UND is going to have to fight its own battle on this one. I suspect that a big part of the NCAA's problem with UND is its past association with Ralph Engelstad. For that reason, I doubt that many schools are going to want to take on that baggage by appearing to ally with UND. Yes, it is interesting to see how far the NCAA has moved from its Aug. 5 position. This is a portion of the transcript I made from the NCAA teleconference the day the new policy was announced. The answers were given by Walter Harrison, chair of the NCAA Executive Committee, and Charlotte Westerhaus, NCAA VP for diversity and inclusion.

This shot at the NCCA for granting FSU an exemption comes from Cindy Fairfield who is sports editor of The Muskegon Chronicle and part Cherokee. About face shows NCAA the loser over nicknames

Add Louisiana-Monroe to the list of schools filing appeals with the NCAA. Louisiana-Monroe will appeal to keep Indian mascot

It was a general statement. I have no specific information or solid rumors on who else might go from UND or any other school.

Does this mean that we can look forward to Ryan Potulny wearing a Flyers' sweater when the NHL starts?

If having the first and only appeal submitted qualifies as "special treatment," then I suppose you're right. Where's your evidence that FSU didn't go through the appeals process? One of the reasons the NCAA moved so quickly on FSU's appeal was because of the NCAA's obviously sloppy work in researching Seminole tribal support for FSU's use of the Seminole name. The NCAA simply assumed that the Seminole tribe in Oklahoma opposed FSU's use of the name. Because of that, the NCAA said that the support of the Florida Seminole tribe was immaterial. However, the Oklahoma tribe was only too happy to prove the NCAA wrong, thus leaving Walter Harrison, Myles Brand and Charlotte Westerhaus with copious amounts of egg all over their faces and a PR nightmare. You can call it special treatment. I call it quickly throwing the rug over a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the foot. It was to the NCAA's advantage to get FSU out of the spotlight and off the stage as soon as possible. It had nothing to do with magic. FSU said from the beginning that it wanted an answer to its appeal before Aug. 29. If FSU wanted an answer that quickly, then it had to quickly submit its appeal, which it did. The reason why the NCAA moved so rapidly on FSU's appeal is stated above. Why is that a coincidence? FSU didn't submit a lengthy letter to the NCAA asking for clarification before submitting its appeal. UND did. The Herald says that Kupchella heard from the NCAA yesterday and received clarification. Phil Harmeson is quoted as saying that UND will submit its appeal by the close of business on Friday. FSU did what was in its own best interest, and it did it well. As far as I know, FSU did nothing unethical or illegal in pursuing its appeal. And until someone can provide some evidence that FSU didn't go through the appeals process, I'll treat that statement as an unsubstantiated claim.

To a certain extent, I agree with what Issac Bailey says in his column. Far too many people use political correctness as a reason to immediately dismiss a viewpoint with which they disagree. And some of those viewpoints do have merit. However, that doesn't mean that there is no such thing as political correctness or that it can't be carried too far at times. Bailey's thinking goes astray when he says: This is a strange statement coming from someone who readily admits that: Just because somebody labels an action or idea "politically correct" doesn't mean that those who are advocating the idea or action are automatically shut out of the public debate. All it means is that they have to work harder in the court of public opinion to convince people of the merits of their case and demonstrate why the position they're advancing isn't politically correct. In the case of the NCAA's attempt to ban American Indian nicknames, mascots and imagery that it considers "hostile and abusive," the organization is acting as judge, jury and executioner to force its will upon members it admits it has no authority to control. And it is engaging in censorship for the express purpose of limiting free speech. Which is more disturbing? The "politically correct" label being attached to the NCAA's action or the NCAA's blatant attempt to censor free speech? For me, it's not a tough call to make. I understand completely Baily's point. For example, when I attempt to advance a controversial conservative idea, I've had liberals label me a "Rush Limbaugh disciple" or a "neo con." The truth is, I don't listen to Rush very often, and when I do, I sometimes disagree with his ideas and the tactics he uses to advance them. I don't even know what "neo con" is. But I do know that many liberals think it's game, set and match when they attach that label to me without giving any serious thought to the merit of my argument. Does that mean that I have to shut up and take whatever they're dishing out? No. It just means that there will always be people who argue without thinking -- on both sides of the political spectrum.

To quote The Sicatoka: Where do you get this stuff. UND is going through the NCAA's appeals process, just like FSU. And just like FSU, UND is saying that if it loses the appeal, it's prepared to go to court. About the only thing UND hasn't done that FSU did is get the state's congressional delegation to publicly come down hard on the NCAA. But who knows what Conrad, Dorgan and Pomeroy are doing behind the scenes? I don't. Nor do I know what they might do if the NCAA denies UND's appeal. FSU followed the strategy that was best for it. UND is doing the same. FSU's strategy worked, but that might have been because FSU had some cards to play that UND doesn't. It's too soon to say that what UND has done so far is wrong or unintellignet. Time will tell.

Dr. Domenick J. Maglio has an excellent column in Hernando Today entitled PC-ing of FSU and America.

And I fear there are more to come.

Good point.

This was put on the Grand Forks Herald's Web site in the "Local Update" column. In another story I posted a link to earlier, Phil Harmeson said UND's appeal would be sent to the NCAA on Friday before the end of the business day.

Aug. 25, 2005 From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer: NCAA means well, acts foolishly

Maine goalie Jim Howard signs with Detroit.