The Game is the Name

Shakespeare could wax poetic about 'What's in aa pioneer for minority involvement in major sports as
Name?' because he didn't have to contend with sportsthe great Jackie Robinson was fifty years later.Yes,
mascots ...It's the politically-correct issue in America thatthe team uses a caricature of a Native American as
refuses to subside. I consider myself to be anits logo now. In fact, Chief Wahoo is perenially one of
enlightened cyberbeing, but I contend there are justthe hottest-selling logos on sports merchandise. It far
some topics that blur the bigger picture of an ethicallyoutsells the NHL's Columbus Blue Jackets orginal logo,
responsible society, and complaining that mascots canwhich is honoring the valiant Ohio battalion that fought
be degrading is near the top of the list.A quick checkso honorably in the Civil War. We haven't heard
of Webster's Twentieth Century Unabridged Dictionaryhistorical societies from that great state howling with
defines 'mascot' as 'any person, animal or thingindignation that this is done by putting a green insect in
supposed to bring good luck by being present.' So, ita Union soldier's uniform. Instead, the odds are they're
would seem that a team mascot is an honorable title.pleased that more of the North American public has
Most mascots in American sports had their origins inbecome aware of the Blue Jacket history than ever
the early 1900s. Back then, teams fumbled around withbefore, just as the Cleveland Indians can keep alive the
quaint monickers until they gradually realized thememory of Sockalexis.
tremendous marketing value they carried. The NewSome protestors say Chief Wahoo has 'shifty' eyes
York Highlanders became the moreand that makes him even more demeaning. I, for one,
regionally-identifiable Yankees, for instance, and thenever drew that connection, but if anyone else did,
Chicago Cubs took their nickname so newspaperwhy wouldn't they be laughing and demeaning the
editors could more easily fit it into headlines.Oklahoma University Sooners? After all, that term
Distinguished symbols like Tigers and Giants appeared.originally implied cheaters getting a jump on staking
Unique features like White Stockings and Redclaims to land being opened for settlement.There are
Stockings evolved into the more headline-friendly andmany more examples. I simply don't see Native
spelling-special White Sox and Red Sox.One of theAmericans being unduly isolated in this context, and no
earliest attempts at humor in mascot-anointing wasone else involved is feeling belittled.The Washington
made by the Brooklyn nine of baseball's NationalRedskins originated in Boston, home of baseball's Red
League. Urban legend wasn't a known phrase backSox and Braves in the 1930s. They were also called
then, but it farily describes the allusion to fans whothe Braves back then, because they played in that
'dodged' trolley fares to get a free ride to Ebbetts Fieldteam's stadium. However, when they wound up getting
and watch the game. Those 'bums' were calledbetter terms to locate in Fenway Park, they didn't
Dodgers, and their favorite team became christenedwant to confuse the paying public by being Braves but
as such.Ironically, that drift toward the whimsical ---playing in the Red Sox stadium. Their solution made
probably intended to portray sports in its propersense: they incorporated references to their origins
context as a divertissement of life --- may have beenand their new game site by changing their name to
the root of indignation two generations later.The socialRedskins. The logic apparently didn't register with
upheavals of the 1960s and early 1970s were certainlyenough fans, though, and the team soon exited to the
justified, in my view. Civil rights needed to come to thenation's capital.The point here is that the Redskins
fore, and the resultant improvement in how all peoplesname wasn't derived as a slur, but as a facilitation to
were perceived was a great step forward fordistinguish the team's new --- albeit transitional ---
mankind. Still, there's a difference between significanthome. Furthermore, to be fair, the Redskins
awareness and pedantic perception in any movement.organization has only used a noble image as a symbol
Thus, in my view, when certain Native Americans firstof the name. Washington DC is one of the most liberal
raised the mascot controversy in headlines of the time,cities in North America, with its population's majority
the attention afforded was only due to its beingconsisting of minorities. The connotation of that
sucked into the backdraft of searing human rightsnickname being demeaning, as in the Cleveland Indians
campaigns.Personally, I've always thought the issuecase, just doesn't emerge from its context.My
had as much relevance to their legitimate concerns asimpression, then, remains that the mascot controversy
bra-burning did for women's rights.Think about it. Nativehas its sole value in the publicity it gives those
Americans aren't alone in being designated asorganizations who are raising it. Pro and college sports
mascots. In accordance with Webster's Dictionaryare more visible than ever in the USA, and what better
definition, other persons given the distinction include theway is there to affix one's organization to higher 'page
Irish (University of Notre Dame) and Scandinaviansrankings' than making headlines in the Sports section of
(Minnesota Vikings). Both of these ethnic groupsnewspapers and broadcasts?The matter isn't going
endured their moments of discrimination in the annalsaway anytime soon. Now the NCAA --- college sports'
of American history, too. So far, neither has mounted agoverning body --- has decreed that any university
protest about being characterized as a good luckwith a Native American mascot can neither host a
symbol for a sporting organization.Don't even try tochampionship event nor use their mascot in any
broach the 'caricature' argument as a reason why thechampionship event. Some schools have successfully
Native American situation is different. Perhaps Notrebeen granted exceptions, which makes even less
Dame uses a leprechaun logo now, but the termsense to me. Does this mean that Florida State's
'Fighting Irish' was a clear reference to barroomSeminoles, for example, are less demeaning to Native
brawlers, a stereotypical low-life trait at whichAmericans than North Dakota's Fighting Sioux (a
immigrants from the Emerald Isle were perceived totraditional college hockey power)? How hypocritical is
be quite proficient. As to the Scandinavians, there is nothat? If they're contending that degrees of
evidence that even one Viking was ever so dim as todiscrimination exist due to local circumstances, then
go into battle with a set of heavy horns on his helmet;they're admitting to a targeted sensitivity beyond
why would any warrior charge into a kill-or-be-killedsociety's pale, which is discriminatory in itself. How can
scenario wearing anything that could directly impedesuch a position be rationalized with a clear
his ability to win? (The image of horns came fromconscience?Mascots, no matter how commercialized,
priests' drawings of Viking attacks, attempting toare still nothing more than whimsical symbols. Society
equate them to the Devil incarnate, and it was Wagneras a whole understands that, just as it realizes the
who popularized this image when he staged his epicstylized violence in Grimm's Fairy Tales leaves no
Ring of the Niebelung.)Cleveland's baseball team sortedlasting scars on the psyches of children who innocently
through a number of mascots in their early days.absorb them. Those who claim to the contrary only
'Spiders' just didn't have that 'je ne sais crois' ofrisk trivializing themselves and the credibility of their
marketing sizzle. They were the 'Naps' for a while, ingreater cause.Nowhere in the country do such topics
honor of their star player-manager, Napoleon Lajoie.remain in a lighthearted perspective more than in
So, when they finally settled on 'Indians' in correlation toOrofino, Idaho. That's the site of the state's mental
one of their first star players --- Louis Sockalexis, ahospital. The local high school's teams are called the
Native American --- the monicker may not have begunManiacs.No one protests, unless the teams don't play
as a tribute to him, but it has since memorialized hishard.J Square Humboldt is the featured columnist at
legacy. The evidence indicates the term wasthe Longer Life website, which is dedicated to
derogatorily applied to all members of the Clevelandproviding information, strategies, analysis and
team in the 1890s because it dared to have thecommentary devoted to improving the quality of living.
fortitude to allow an Indian to play for them. Since then,His page can be found at and his observations are
Sockalexis has been recognized as being as much ofpublished three times per week.