Grover Cleveland HS Forced to change Mascot -- Odor of the Bone Forum

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Date Posted: 16:10:51 08/13/02 Tue
Author: Bill M.
Subject: Grover Cleveland HS Forced to change Mascot

Why is it okay to name a large gaming casino after Native Americans, but it�s not acceptable to name high school sports teams after the same group?
Last week, this newspaper carried the story of six public high schools in New York City that are being forced to change their sports mascots to something that is not considered offensive to Native Americans.
Among the group is Ridgewood�s Grover Cleveland High School. For 50 years, it proudly carried an Indian Head as its logo for athletic teams called the Cleveland Indians.
The other schools have to banish names such as the �Warriors� or the �Chiefs� and opt for more �politically correct� monickers.
Such hypocrisy!
The Mohegan Sun Casino proudly boasts in press releases that it is owned by the Mohegan Tribe. You can bet that should some Indian Head nickels pass across their plates, they wouldn�t turn them back as being offensive.
Years ago, St. John�s University switched the name of its athletic teams to the Red Storm. It was thought that �Redmen� denigrated Native Americans�despite the fact that it hadn�t even been coined after Indians.
Things are a bit different in the world of pro sports. Baseball still has the Cleveland Indians (originally known as the Spiders, but renamed in tribute to one of their early stars, Louis Sockalexis, a Native American) and Atlanta Braves, with their fans� infamous Tomahawk Chop. Meanwhile, the National Football League has the Washington Redskins and Kansas City Chiefs.
Naming athletic teams after Native Americans is far from an insult. It is a way of honoring those who have the reputation for being brave, strong and fearless.
How did these attributes suddenly become degrading?
Beyond that, what makes Native Americans think they are the only Warriors, Chiefs and Indians on the block?
Soldiers in the U.S. Army are warriors, too. In fact, it has been said that pro hockey�s Chicago Blackhawks�who sport an Indian Head as their logo�were so named because their original owner had commanded the 333rd Machine-Gun Battalion of the Army�s 85th (Blackhawk) Division during World War I.
As for the matter of chiefs, several members of the FDNY who gave their lives on September 11 held that rank.
It�s also worth noting that New York City is home to many natives of India�otherwise known as Indians.
Maybe the new schools chancellor can take a moment out from the serious problems in the public school system and put an end to the nonsense of having sports teams change their names so they are ethnically acceptable.

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