You gotta love it when one comment starts a whole new discussion in a different direction. But let's face the music shall we? Soon there will be nothing left for teams but insect and animal names, until PETA gets all fired up that is...then we'll have to come up with something else. Remember the Bullits? How about the Generals? Too violent, too militaristic. I wonder if the muscicians union has complained about the Jazz team name.... certainly not the kind of vibes one would associate with milk toast Utah. (Oops, sorry, I've drifted into NBA territory again!) ...Go Sea-Slugs!!
Soon there will be nothing left for teams but insect and animal names old school, you missed quite a few discussions in which it was pointed out that pretty much all human mascot names fall somewhere on the scale between stupidly laughable and offensive. I remember a story about a high school that was picking a mascot and someone proposed the White Knights. One of the school's female athletes said, "So what are we supposed to be -- the Damsels in Distress?" As for the "jeez what next" wild exaggerations, they kinda undermine your point. Of course no one has complained that the Jazz name is offensive, but people have complained that it's stupid (Utah???). Meanwhile, in the WNBA they often follow a "sister team" name scheme (so Sacramento is the Monarchs, for example). They're also very big on "force of nature" or "natural phenomenon" names that seem to work out well: the LA Sparks, the Seattle Storm, the Detroit Shock, the Connecticut Sun, the New York Liberty, etc. Bottom line: there are plenty of good names out there without choosing offensive ones; you just have to think beyond the idea of, "Gee, I know what, let's get some drunk idiot to dress up in feathers and face paint, that'll be real original!"
I'm a Washington fan, and I'm proud of how my team ended a rotten season by making the playoffs and losing to the best team in the NFC. I think the Redskins name is offensive and should be changed. I also think the Fighting Irish name and mascot is deeply offensive and those who defend it as "tradition" would probably say the same about blackface and lynching.
the Fighting Irish name and mascot is deeply offensive and those who defend it as "tradition" would probably say the same about blackface and lynching. Well, the two used to go hand-in-hand.