NCAA Drives Indians Off College Campuses

When it comes to the latest attacks by the PC crowd, especially at colleges, ...well, some things you just can't make up. I'm not going to waste my time explaining. Just read the following stories.

Here's what it's about:

NCAA bans Indian mascots, 'abusive' nicknames from postseason
AP NEWS via CBS SportsLine.com
Aug. 5, 2005

Fed up with what it considers "hostile" and "abusive" American Indian nicknames, the NCAA announced Friday it would shut those words and images out of postseason tournaments, a move that left some school officials angry and threatening legal action.

Starting in February, any school with a nickname or logo considered racially or ethnically "hostile" or "abusive" by the NCAA would be prohibited from using them in postseason events. Mascots will not be allowed to perform at tournament games, and band members and cheerleaders will also be barred from using American Indians on their uniforms beginning in 2008.

..."Certainly some things remain to be answered from today, and one of those things is the definition of what is 'hostile or abusive,"' said Tom Hardy, a spokesman at Illinois.

The NCAA did not give a clear answer on that.

Florida State University Seminole

Dennis Dodd of CBS Sportsline goes on to express his opinion....

NCAA takes a stand that isn't much of one
By Dennis Dodd
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Aug. 5, 2005

That raises the next point. If the NCAA stops at the Native American issue, then it is diminishing issues at Notre Dame, Texas A&M and Louisiana-Lafayette. I'm sure I can find 13 Irishmen somewhere that are offended by Notre Dame's nickname. For some, "Fighting Irish" might conjure a stereotype of brawling, drunk Irishmen. If the NCAA found a Seminole tribe, I'm sure I can find an Irish nationality advocacy group.

Or what about the Aggies of Texas A&M and Utah State? To many, that nickname means uneducated, rural farmers. It's a punch line at places like Texas. Or what about the Ragin' Cajuns of Louisiana-Lafayette?

If we're going to split hairs here, let's get an ax.

...Already schools like St. John's and Marquette are among the 14 schools that have changed their nicknames on their own, bowing to societal pressure, not an NCAA edict.

...I'm more concerned that five years ago, Hawaii changed from being the "Rainbow Warriors" to just "Warriors." Some school officials and athletes thought the rainbow part had a gay connotation.

You get the point. But, just so you know that we're not making this up, here is the official press release from the NCAA Executive Committee comprised of university presidents. It also has a list of the "offending" schools:

NCAA Executive Committee Issues Guidelines for Use of Native American Mascots at Championship Events
Friday, August 5, 2005

It's just a matter of time until the NCAA caves in to the PETA protesters and makes college teams stop using names like the Tigers or Bulldogs. The PC crowd doesn't even like white people as mascots, as shown when UAB was forced to drop its Viking mascot because it was "too violent."

Some people just choose to be offended. I believe in most cases, it's not that they're that sensitive or really offended, it's just that they don't have much of a life, so they want to cause problems for the establishment whom they blame for their own failings--while giving them a sense of importance and putting them in the limelight at the same time.

I think that PC represents more than Politically Correct, because, in these cases, it might mean Psychologically Challenged. Rather than spending money on changing the names of teams, take that same money and hire psychiatrists for the PC protesters. What do you think?