Media Stories on the Sioux Name

[SiouxMeNow]

The one thing I found interesting is the NCAA is still selling "abusive and hostile" merchandise on their website! I understand why they would give institutions fair warning (The Feb. deadline) to knock it off but why wouldn't they IMMEDIATELY PULL such horrendous and offensive merchandise from their product line

OH YEAH!! MONEY

sorry...forgot...

If you want to talk hypocrisy....the NCAA is living in the HUGEST F**KIN GLASS HOUSE ANYONE HAS EVER BUILT!

[The Sicatoka]

This part of Pensacola News Journal story was particularly intriguing:

There are other reasons that the NCAA might come to regret diving head-first into this issue.

Before it was money, now it's governance.

Gee, the Superconferences wanting to bolt from the NCAA and form their own organization because the NCAA isn't treating them the way they feel they should be treated? Where ever have I heard that concept before? Hmmm.....

Regret indeed they may.

[PCM]

Here's a sample of Web sites that ran this story by the Associated Press on UND having no plans to cover up logos in the Engelstad Arena.

MSNBC

San Francisco Chronicle

Record-Searchlight, CA

Leading The Charge (Australia)

Fort Wayne News Sentinel, IN

FOXSports.com

Newsday, NY

Chicago Tribune

San Jose Mercury News

Billings Gazette

St. Petersburg Times

CollegeSports.com, NY

The Missoulian, MT

Tahlequah Daily Press, OK

Daily Independent, CA

Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL

Pioneer Press, MN

Petoskey News-Review, MI

Wyoming News

North County Times, CA

Jefferson City News Tribune, MO

Suffolk News-Herald, VA

Canton Daily Ledger, IL

Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, GA

Contra Costa Times, CA

Albany Times Union, NY

Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC

Lodi News-Sentinel, CA

Gadsden Times, AL

Aberdeen American News, SD

OregonLive.com, OR

philly.com, PA

WJLA, DC

Times Picayune, LA

Monterey County Herald, CA

Sun-Sentinel.com, FL

Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA

In-Forum, ND

Tallahassee.com, FL

Dateline Alabama, AL

The State, SC

Fort Wayne News Sentinel, IN

Biloxi Sun Herald

Macon Telegraph, GA

Charlotte Observer, NC

Kansas City Star, MO

Kentucky.com

Centre Daily Times, PA

Norman Transcript, OK

Bradenton Herald, FL

phillyburbs.com, PA

Kansas.com

WRAL.com, NC

Tuscaloosa News, AL

Lexington Dispatch, NC

Duluth News Tribune, MN

MLive.com, MI

Gainesville Sun, FL

The Ledger, FL

Macon Telegraph, GA

San Luis Obispo Tribune, CA

[YaneA]

Sioux-cia:

St. Petersburg Times, for one, reports that Clough abstained because he didn't like the fact that the schools that were affected weren't represented at the meeting on Aug. 4 and could not make their case for non-inclusion on the hostile and abusive list. Since the FSU exemption, he has said he is pleased that the appeals process is available and appears to work.

[mikejm]

Not so good news from tribal councils:

Four tribal councils will pass new resolutions opposing the University of North Dakota's Fighting Sioux nickname and logo, according to a member of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council.

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/n...te/12500565.htm

[Fetch]

What if we drop the NCAA & have one of the best Junior Teams or a semi-pro team (is that even possible?) & keep the name ? Or is this PC stuff going to eventually happen in all venues ?

I have gone to Devils Lake for over 25 yrs (most weekends during spring - summer & Fall) I see lots of Native American folks wearing Sioux Sports hats jerseys & shirts

I sure hope they can see how much we sincerly want to keep the name & how it has served as positive thing between us.

Negativity by a few radicals, could ruin alot of things, we have come to appreciate about each other.

I think if it were a vote of the People they would gladly support UND & the name.

I think the Spirit Lake Nation has done alot to show their Positive forward thinking in recent years

I'd like to see this continue - This could be a setback that may never recover & that would be sad

I know there is alot of talk about Pride on both / all sides - I do know the young people listen to KABU & they play Green Day who has good sarcastic yet thought provoking lyrics & they ROCK

Greenday - No Pride Lyrics

I'm just a mutt

And nowhere is my home

Where dignity's a land mine

In the school of lost hope

I've panhandled for a life because

I'm not afraid to beg

Hand me down your lost and founds

Of second hand regret

You better swallow your pride

Or you're gonna choke on it

You better digest your values

Because they turn to shoot

Honor's gonna knock you down

Before your chance to stand up and fight

I know I'm not the one

I got no pride

Sects of disconnection

And traditions of lost faith

No culture's worth a stream of piss

Or a bullet in my face

To heck with unity

Seperation's gonna kill us all

Torn to shreds and disjointed

Before the final fall

You better swallow your pride

Or you're gonna choke on it

You better digest your values

Because they turn to shoot

Honor's gonna knock you down

Before your chance to stand up and fight

I know I'm not the one

I got no pride

You better swallow your pride

Or you're gonna choke on it

You better digest your values

Because they turn to shoot

Honor's gonna knock you down

Before your chance to stand up and fight

I know I'm not the one

I got no pride...

Close your eyes and die...

I got no pride...

I got no pride...

-------------------------------------------------

Times change for all of us - hopefully it changes for the positive ?

[PCM]

Not so good news from tribal councils:

http://www.grandforks.com/mld/grandforks/n...te/12500565.htm

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

These tribes are simply reaffirming what they've been saying for years. I don't see how it hurts UND any further. Now, if the Spirit Lake Sioux withdraw their support, that's another matter.

[kfah1]

WJR-Detroit AM Radio

WJR-760 AM is a very large radio station in Detroit which can be heard in many of the Great Lake states, Canada and beyond.

They have a poll regarding whether or not you agree with the NCAA decision regarding "ethnically abusive logos and nicknames." While Central Michigan University Chippewas probably come to mind to most here versus the Fighting Sioux, it just reiterates what most everyone here and abroad already know... it's a stupid decision.

At this time 93% disagree with the NCAA decision while 7% agree (I think GK and KTF must have voted more than once ). Unfortunately, it doesn't show how many voted...

[mikejm]

These tribes are simply reaffirming what they've been saying for years. I don't see how it hurts UND any further. Now, if the Spirit Lake Sioux withdraw their support, that's another matter.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I am aware of that. The last sentence in the story is what scares me:

Taken Alive said he would soon be meeting the Spirit Lake Tribal Council chairwoman, Myra Pearson, seeking her support on the Fighting Sioux issue.

[Sioux-cia]

Sioux-cia:

St. Petersburg Times, for one, reports that Clough abstained because  he didn't like the fact  that the schools that were affected weren't represented at the meeting on Aug. 4 and could not make their case for non-inclusion on the hostile and abusive list.  Since the FSU exemption, he has said he is pleased that the appeals process is available and appears to work.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks. Sounds as if he is familiar with and endorses the democratic process.

[Blackheart]

These tribes are simply reaffirming what they've been saying for years. I don't see how it hurts UND any further. Now, if the Spirit Lake Sioux withdraw their support, that's another matter.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Why? Even if the Tribal Councils vote against the name, the majority still probably supports it....I know I'm just another white dummy who attended UND and will support the name until I die, but I don't get where any of this falls into hostile and abusive...Personally, I would be honored if someone wanted to honor my heritage with a sports team..."Here come your Fighting Bo-hunks!!" So you will lend your name to a dry cleaner or casino but not a University?

P.S. I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance by switching to Geico.

[PCM]

Aug. 28, 2005

From the Tallahassee Democrat:

Let's hear it for the FSU Flockaderos

It's all well and good that the National Collegiate Athletic Association granted Florida State an exception to its ban on Native American nicknames in postseason play.

But the exception is based on what has always been the flaw in FSU's argument for keeping the nickname: It has the Seminole tribe's approval. The school has the tribe's approval today. What happens when the tribe rescinds it?

From the Herald-Tribune.com (Florida):

Seminole uprising

The National Collegiate Athletic Association retreated, prudently, last week from its plan to ban Florida State University's icons and images of Seminoles from postseason competition.

But that doesn't mean that FSU or other universities -- or their fans -- should disregard the NCAA executive committee's edict as an unfathomable expression of political correctness.

Aug. 30, 2005

From the Kanas City Star:

[url=http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/local/12508900.htm]Naming rights

[Sioux-cia]

Tate: Halftime show is a go

[PCM]

From ChicagoSports.com:

North Dakota Appeals to Keep Nickname

 

"We had no choice but to respond to this group that says we're 'hostile or abusive,'" university president Charles Kupchella said Tuesday. "We decided we had to go after them -- and that's what we did."

[PCM]

Aug. 31, 2005

From the Washington Post:

Central Mich., N. Dakota Appeal Bans

Central Michigan University asked the NCAA to allow it to keep its nickname of Chippewas, saying local tribal officials approve of the American Indian identity for the school's teams.

From the Punta Gorda Herald:

And the righteous shall inherit the Earth

(Scroll down)

The University of Illinois' nickname is Fighting Illini. Before we go any further, do you wonder as I do why Fighting Illini is deemed abusive and Fighting Irish, which conjures up images of drunken, brawling Irishmen, isn't?

From IndyStar.com:

C. Michigan asks NCAA to let it keep 'Chippewas'

"We're not going into this on the coattails of Florida State," school spokesman Rich Morrison said. "We think our appeal can stand on its own merit."

[ScottM]

Leigh Jeanotte, director of Indian programs at UND, said Tuesday that 21 of the 30 or so Indian-related programs at UND formally have opposed the use of the Fighting Sioux nickname as derogatory and promoting negative stereotypes.

"There's some arrogance at the university, and that is that our Indian voices are not being listened to," said Jeanotte, a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa.

Jeanotte attended a general assembly Tuesday at Fort Totten, N.D., of the Spirit Lake Sioux reservation. The assembly voted opposition to the UND name and logo; the tribal council will consider a resolution expressing tribal members' wishes on Friday.

It's always nice to know that the Sioux can't stand up on their own and oppose the name, rather than relying on some carpet-bagger from another tribe to do the cheerleading.

[UND92,96]

It's always nice to know that the Sioux can't stand up on their own and oppose the name, rather than relying on some carpet-bagger from another tribe to do the cheerleading.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Every time I hear Leigh Jeanotte speak out against the Fighting Sioux name, I have to laugh at the irony that he allowed his daughters to attend Grand Forks Central back in the 80's--when GFC used the name "Redskins." He has been all over the map on the Indian team name issue. Obviously he originally didn't think it was a big deal, as the above example should illustrate. Then about five years ago he said in a conversation with my wife that UND's use of the Fighting Sioux name was honorable, but he had a problem with how rival fans treated the name. Now, the name and logo are outright wrong in his view. He has no real credibility IMO.

[PCM]

Aug. 31, 2005

From MSNBC.com:

Tribe fights U. of North Dakota name, logo

North Dakota officials have said the school had support from the Spirit Lake tribe to use the nickname. But former tribal chairman Skip Longie said that authorization, granted to the university in 2000, came with a string of conditions, including required sensitivity courses for all incoming freshman and visits to all of North Dakota

[PCM]

From the Arkansas Times:

ASU battles to save its Indian

Arkansas State University is not ready to flatly declare that it will attempt to do as Florida State University has done, appeal for approval of its Indian mascot despite the NCAA effort to limit American Indian nicknames and mascots.

But it seems likely an appeal is to come. Athletic Director Dean Lee said in an interview last week about the possibility that ASU might change mascots,

[PCM]

From USA Today:

North Dakota loses some Sioux's support

More than 70 members of the Spirit Lake Tribe attending a Tuesday night general assembly in Fort Totten, N.D., approved a resolution calling UND's nickname and logo "an affront to the dignity and well-being of the members of Spirit Lake." That would reverse a 2000 position that did not oppose use of the name or logo.

UND's appeal of the policy arrived at NCAA offices Wednesday, as did that of the Utah Utes.

[PCM]

Sept. 1, 2005

From the Mercury News:

Wetherell wins fans in battle with NCAA over Seminoles nickname

The traditional characters were there for Florida State's annual football kickoff luncheon last week: the senior captains, the star tailback, the winningest coach in NCAA college football.

Yet an administrator in war paint emerged as the hero.

From The Chanticleer:

Will JSU say "Bye-bye Cocky"?

The gamecock. He is a proud, strutting rooster with brilliant plumage and a robust appearance. And he's JSU's mascot, a.k.a. "Cocky." Cocky, however, is causing a debate between JSU, the NCAA, and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Since cockfighting is an illegal blood sport in nearly every state, PETA confronted the NCAA and asked them to ban all team names and mascots that have hostile and abusive descriptions of animals.

PETA, however, sees the gamecock as anything but a proud and handsome symbol. By having a gamecock as a mascot, they believe a message is sent to sports fans that cruel, illegal cockfighting is something to cheer about. And while Ezell said that the name change is not on the top of their priority list, it is something that they will continue to pursue until they get a victory.

From The Kentucky Kernal:

NCAA mascot ban an exercise in bogus multiculturalism

The NCAA should worry about the things that need to be fixed, like a certain championship series of college football, instead of trying to be as politically correct as they can with their right hand while counting the money these teams (especially Florida State, which was the first school to be let off the hook from this "ban") with the left.

From the Minneapolis Star-Tribune:

James McKenzie: UND's hurtful use of nickname complex, unwise

I'm glad to see that the Star Tribune recognizes in its recent editorial that North Dakota's use of Indian nickname and iconography is "more complex" than some other cases. It is indeed, as I know from 34 years on the faculty there, during which time I never had a year when there were not Indian students in my office explaining how it eroded their educational experience at the university, damaged their children, made, in some cases, their very lives unsafe in Grand Forks.

Even in its acknowledging of that complexity your editorial glides over other complexities. It uses, for instance, the university's oft-cited justification of its "Fighting Sioux" logo: that it was designed by "a noted Native American artist." What is not noted is that that artist is Chippewa. Not that such a logo would be any better if it had been made by a "Sioux," whatever one might mean by that term, with its complex history. But the official blurring of such distinctions seems indistinguishable from stereotyping.

[ScottM]

Leave it to "Cryin' Jim" McKenzie to write into his favorite paper and explain how bad UND is, even as he stayed there to collect his pension. I remember Cryin' Jim attending a number of Sioux athletic events, back in the day.

What is not noted is that that artist is Chippewa. Not that such a logo would be any better if it had been made by a "Sioux," whatever one might mean by that term, with its complex history. But the official blurring of such distinctions seems indistinguishable from stereotyping.

Sure as hell doesn't stop a variety of traditional Dakota/Lakota/Nakota enemies from cryin' about the name either ... *cough* Bellecourt *cough*

A trip to Grand Forks four years later would reveal a second arena, "the Betty," and "in-your-face" use of the logo by a variety of merchants to sell every conceivable item including shot glasses and other alcohol containers, sweat pants with the word across the butt, hotdogs called "Siouxper dogs,"and so forth.

Can't say I disagree with this at all, including the use of certain handles on this board.

[PCM]

Sure as hell doesn't stop a variety of traditional Dakota/Lakota/Nakota enemies from cryin' about the name either ... *cough* Bellecourt *cough*

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

*cough* Jeanotte *cough* Yellow Bird *cough*

[PCM]

I realize that this isn't a story related the UND's use of the Sioux name, but it certainly makes you wonder how much the NCAA intends to involve itself in First Amendment issues.

From The NCAA News:

Study shows female faces lacking on sports pages

According to a study conducted by the Project for Excellence in Journalism and Princeton Survey Research Associates, coverage of female athletes on the sports pages of U.S. newspapers has not kept pace with an increase in participation.

[PCM]

Adam Wodon, who's an editor and columnist for US College Hockey Online and sometimes a college hockey commentator for ESPN, wrote this opinion piece for collegesports.com:

The Price Of Progress

Implementation of new NCAA mascot policy proves troublesome

The high majority of people who "celebrate" the nickname of their school with pride genuinely don't even think about the racial overtones. And those who do, are more than likely not someone you would typically call "racist."

But for the Native Americans, this is the whole point. After all, just because someone is ignorant on an issue, doesn't give them free reign to disregard it.

North Dakota will defend its honor, no matter the tribal and NCAA opposition. And that is fine. As has been stated, this is a tricky issue with emotions all around.

But North Dakota's defiance is unbecoming.

If Irish people took offense to the Notre Dame mascot, they would get full support. But there is an extra emotional charge behind the use of Native American-themed mascots that most people probably don't even recognize. Florida State, for example, has someone dressed up as Chief Osceola who rides onto the field every football game. Chief Osceola, however, was killed in 1838 in a war with white settlers.