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Editorial: Good riddance to 'demeaning' mascots
Wednesday, August 10, 2005

"When a mascot dresses up in Indian costume and performs a 'war dance' or yells 'war whoops,' it is not to honor Indian culture. Imagine the discomfort of Indian spectators when a gross caricature of their race performs on the sidelines or at halftime. Why is it deemed acceptable to demean and belittle Indians when a similar spectacle involving another minority group would rightly be called racist?

The move by the NCAA to ban mascots, logos and names that are offensive to Indians from its events is a decision that is long overdue and one that we applaud. Schools that use Indian names and mascots at athletic events should seriously consider the misrepresentation of Indians that these images project.

The NCAA has finally recognized that the use of Indian names, logos and mascots are offensive to Indians and cannot be used at NCAA-sponsored events. It's about time."

Get the Story:
Editorial: Indian names demeaning (The Rapid City Journal 8/10)

NCAA Announcement:
NCAA Executive Committee Issues Guidelines for Use of Native American Mascots at Championship Events (August 5, 2005)

Relevant Links:
NCAA Minority Opportunities and Interests Committee - http://www1.ncaa.org/eprise/main/
membership/governance/assoc-wide/moic/index.html
National Coalition on Racism in Sports and Media - http://www.aimovement.org/ncrsm

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