FB: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[badgerwarhawk]

My local high school just changed its nickname from "Indians" to "Mustangs" as to avoid a lawsuit according to a newer state law.

Now a brand new high school in Utah can't use the nickname "Cougars" because some on the school board feel it may offend middle age women. 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/school-t-cougars-because-middle-aged-women-might-161402778.html

Indians at my high school became Timberwolves.  What was maddening about the whole thing was that the original nickname actually had the blessing of the local native americans. There was no formal complaint but the school board felt the change was necessary.  In Wisconsin it only takes one individual to file a complaint and the after that the change becomes inevitable.  One school district, Mukwonago, isn't taking it lying down.  The complainant in that case was something like 1/10th native american.  So they found a native american alumni who was not offended by the name (Indians) and went to court.  I don't believe it's been resolved yet but the court issued a stay of the order and they have retained the nickname. 

[SagatagSam]

Indians at my high school became Timberwolves.  What was maddening about the whole thing was that the original nickname actually had the blessing of the local native americans. There was no formal complaint but the school board felt the change was necessary.  In Wisconsin it only takes one individual to file a complaint and the after that the change becomes inevitable.  One school district, Mukwonago, isn't taking it lying down.  The complainant in that case was something like 1/10th native american.  So they found a native american alumni who was not offended by the name (Indians) and went to court.  I don't believe it's been resolved yet but the court issued a stay of the order and they have retained the nickname.

Milaca H.S. used to be the Indians when my mother attended back in the 70s. I believe they had the blessing of the local tribe at Mille Lacs, but they changed it to the wolves anyway.

The next one on the chopping block is going to be the Wichita State Shockers.

The name for the mascot is completely innocent and consistent with the culture and tradition of central Kansas. The verb "shock" is a synonym for harvesting wheat. The first students would earn money by shocking in the fall and the football games were played next to a wheat field.
But, as the college students of my generation all know, the shocker is also slang for a crude sexual act.
WSU students are seen flashing the "shocker" hand gesture at nationally televised games all the time.

They even sell large foam "shocker" fingers.


I'm not endorsing it, but WSU has the right to destroy their own reputation as an institution of higher learning by allowing their students to be idiots if they like. I'm certainly not going to jump at the chance to send my child there when the time comes.

[SagatagSam]

Just saw this posted on a friend's Facebook page. I figured it is appropriate for this audience.
http://thecollegegrind.net/2012/01/18/tcg-mascot-of-the-year/

[57Johnnie]

Just saw this posted on a friend's Facebook page. I figured it is appropriate for this audience.
http://thecollegegrind.net/2012/01/18/tcg-mascot-of-the-year/

As a Johnnie and a classmate of the original 'Rat' Frank Berres I had to vote for the 'Pack' but the Kernal is best hands down.

[sfury]

My local high school just changed its nickname from "Indians" to "Mustangs" as to avoid a lawsuit according to a newer state law.

Now a brand new high school in Utah can't use the nickname "Cougars" because some on the school board feel it may offend middle age women. 

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/school-t-cougars-because-middle-aged-women-might-161402778.html

Ah, yes. The professionally offended strike again.

Hearing stuff like this makes me even more interested to read Schools for Misrule: Legal Academia and an Overlawyered America by Walter Olson, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute's Center for Constitutional Studies.

If I may offer a slightly different viewpoint, while maintaining a pro-cougar stance...

Not sure what lawyers, law schools, Obama or Bill and Hill have to do with a ridiculous decision by a school board in that bastion of hippiedom, Utah. And I won't buy this book to find out.

And I'm not sure how the professionally offended struck in this case. It's not like there was a marauding group of scantily dressed middle-aged women protesting on school grounds while sporting placards and wearing sandwich boards that read "Cougars score off the court, not on it."

The school board made the decision. No one sued them. No professionally offended cougars clawed their way onto school property to express their disgust, while stopping by 7th-hour Chemistry to flirt with that cute senior boy, you know, the one with brown hair. Or are you blaming a trickle-down effect, ie., those who are offended by Native American nicknames are to blame because, by god, look where it's gotten us now, things are so bad and out of control that school boards are now afraid of offending chicks, even if the chicks probably wouldn't care?

School boards make dumb decisions all the time. Blaming this one on (lefty) lawyers or the professionally offended makes as much sense as blaming them for the Oklahoma law that says you can't have a sleeping donkey in your tub after 7.

To save everyone trouble, people should just follow the lead of Blooming Prairie. The Awesome Blossoms. Although I suppose Mayim Bialik could be offended by that.

Edit: There were parents who complained (perhaps ironically?). I'll slink back into my dark corner and for penance read 11 Ann Coulter books.

[GoldandBlueBU]

Just saw this posted on a friend's Facebook page. I figured it is appropriate for this audience.
http://thecollegegrind.net/2012/01/18/tcg-mascot-of-the-year/

As a Johnnie and a classmate of the original 'Rat' Frank Berres I had to vote for the 'Pack' but the Kernal is best hands down.

Not even close.  How awesome / funny looking is that aggressive look on his face?

[Retired Old Rat]

I fear the ear.  Had to go with the Cobber.

[AO]

Long Prairie got rid of the Indians in favor of "thunder" back in '93 when Grey Eagle joined.    Fun Fact--Long Prairie was once the 2nd most-populous city in the state thanks to 3000 winnebago indians.

Do nicknames really matter that much?  MIAC fans are probably uniquely able to see the silliness in being offended over nicknames as our teams have perhaps the least creative nicknames in the country. 

[finsleft]

I really have nothing to say, so I figured this would be the appropriate place to do so.

+k just for the hell of it...

[GoldandBlueBU]

Long Prairie got rid of the Indians in favor of "thunder" back in '93 when Grey Eagle joined.    Fun Fact--Long Prairie was once the 2nd most-populous city in the state thanks to 3000 winnebago indians.

Do nicknames really matter that much?  MIAC fans are probably uniquely able to see the silliness in being offended over nicknames as our teams have perhaps the least creative nicknames in the country.

Didn't know that about long prairie.  Grand Rapids was once also the "Indians" but became the "Thunderhawks". 

I for one am offended that Indians are apparently unfairly associated with Thunder, as seen by 2 schools trading their "Indians" name for a name including thunder.

[USTBench]

Just saw this posted on a friend's Facebook page. I figured it is appropriate for this audience.
http://thecollegegrind.net/2012/01/18/tcg-mascot-of-the-year/

I had to go with the Kernal. So weird, but awesome.

[coach24]

So Just read on footballscoop a Division III Head coach from a Minnesota school is a finalist for the Head coaching position at Southwestern University in Texas.  Any word on who that maybe?

[hazzben]

So Just read on footballscoop a Division III Head coach from a Minnesota school is a finalist for the Head coaching position at Southwestern University in Texas.  Any word on who that maybe?

Glenn Caruso, guaranteed 

[sfury]

I also stand corrected, as apparently some absurd parents (including, possibly some cougars) did complain about cougars. Although I still don't think law schools are to blame. 

[SagatagSam]

I also stand corrected, as apparently some absurd parents (including, possibly some cougars) did complain about cougars. Although I still don't think law schools are to blame. 

You're right, it is the school board that made the decision, but only because of the (somewhat but not entirely irrational) fear of being dragged through court.
So much of what is done in today's society is done to defend against a frivolous legal battle (see: defensive medicine) brought on by an excessively litigious--or what the author of the book calls "overlawyered"--society. It was never my intent to spark any kind of left vs. right, liberal vs. conservative, blue vs. red battle by the political leanings of the book. The intent was to point out that perhaps we have paralyzed people by the threat of someone being "offended," or someone with an advanced law degree looking for "standing."
In essence, my statement was right and wrong at the same time. There was no throng of 40-something, silicone-enhanced women picketing outside of the school to force this decision, but there was a hypersensitivity to the thought that someone could come along and try to sue.