Political Hysterics Come and Go

[star2city]

Cincinnati Reds dropped nickname for fear of being viewed as Communist sympathizers

The anti-Communist fervor of the 1950s resulted in numerous social conformist reactions. A face powder called “Russian Sable” was renamed “Dark Dark,” and libraries in Indiana were pressured by anti-communists to remove Robin Hood, with its lenient view of “spreading the wealth,” from their bookshelves. In 1954, the Cincinnati Reds changed their club nickname to “Redlegs,” and by 1956 the word “Reds” was completely absent from the team’s uniform. That season marked the first time since 1912 that Cincinnati’s home uniform failed to feature the team’s nickname. By 1961, with the era of McCarthyism over, the club’s original nickname and its use on the team uniform were re-established.

Tribal nicknames dropped for fear of being viewed as rascist

The racism victim and identity politics fervor of the late 20th Century and early 21st Century resulted in numerous social conformist reactions.  Those who practiced victim and identity politics in those years corrupted the dreams of Martin Luther King and other visionaries, substituting divisiveness for harmony, outrage for civility, group conformity for individual acceptance, offensiveness for reconciliation, and legalism for community.  The group identity politicos of this era judged actions based on ethnicity and racial background, in direct opposition of the ideals of Martin Luther King.  By the late 2010’s, the spiritual and psychological nature of the victim and identity politics had been exposed as the barren anti-individuality philosophy that it was.  As an example, the Fighting Sioux, Chippewa, and Ute nicknames were dropped in 2006 by the Universities of North Dakota, Central Michigan, and Utah, respectively.  By 2019, new leadership in each of these  tribes, rejecting the victim and identity politics of the earlier generation, had successfully petitioned these universities to reinstate the tribal nicknames.

[YaneA]

The NCAA would like everyone to believe that, to avoid the type of NCAA ruling with which UND and other shcools are now faced, there was a stampede among colleges to change their Indian names/logo. Hardly. The ESPN.com story on the NCAA ruling lists 14 schols as having removed all referfences to Native American culture or being deemed not to refer to NA culture. The list includes UNC-Pembroke and 13 others. Only two have changed names: Stonehill (to Skyhawks) and SE Mo. State (to Redhawks). Two on the list are still known as "Braves" and the rest as "Warriors." If so inclined, you can google the schools, locate their current logos and judge for yourself how "Indian" they are or aren't. Warriors: Cal State Stanislaus, Lycoming, Winona State, Hawaii-Manoa, Wisconsin Lutheran (logo looks like a knight); E. Connecticut (logo is a mountain lion, maybe?), Merrimack, E. Stroudsburg. Braves: Husson, U. of Western Georgia (changed its institution's name but not that of its athletic teams).

[YaneA]

Sorry. The new name is University of West Georgia but the name is still "Braves."