Sports Mascots an American Tradition

The explosion of multicultural madness in the 1990's, coupled with political correctness as the new and bizarre orthodoxy on the American scene, has buttressed racial paranoia to the point of hysteria.  Calls to conform all aspects of American culture to the brave new world of thought control have manifested themselves in some of the most insane causes imaginable.  One of the chic demands made by the PC police has been leveled at sports franchises to change the names of their teams and mascots, which offend the sensibilities of radical Indian activists.

As a result, the famed basketball team of St. John's University changed its name from the Redmen in 1994 to the Red Storm.  Another Big East basketball team, Syracuse, changed its name 20 years earlier from the Indians to the Orangemen, after the fruit, of all things.  But this doesn't appear to be an issue that is dying. 

Suzan Shown Harjo is probably the leading "Native American" activist dedicated to the wasteful endeavor of cracking down on Indian sports names.  The most offensive name, in her view, is "Redskin," the moniker of Washington's storied NFL franchise.  She refers to the term as the "r-word."  According to Harjo, more than 1,000 sports teams in America -- representing schools at all levels -- have cast aside their Indian names since 1970.  But she's hardly through with her crusade.  The major professional sports franchises are the fish she still wants to fry. Eventually, she got her wish. The Redskins are now the Commanders. Baseball’s Cleveland Indians are now the Guardians.

Harjo once appeared on Fox network debating the issue with constitutional attorney Ann Coulter.  Harjo spouted the usual bromides that Indian names were "offensive," demeaning and cast "Native Americans" as somehow subhuman.  Other ethnic groups, she maintained, are not made into mascots.  Coulter countered that in a national poll, a majority of Indians supported the concept of using Indian names for sports teams, as a matter of honor and prestige.  While Harjo disputed the poll findings, she remarked to Coulter, "How would you like it if they called a sports team, 'The Blondes'"?  Coulter, not missing a beat, replied, "That would be so cool!"

So what are the facts on sports teams and their names and mascots?  In the four major sports -- football, baseball, basketball and hockey -- which total 124 teams in all -- there are now only four teams which go by Indian names.  They are the Chicago Black Hawks (hockey), the Golden State Warriors (basketball), the Atlanta Braves (baseball), and the Kansas City Chiefs (football).

In what is undoubtedly startling news to the new Thought Police and racial avengers, there are as many as 23 teams which bear names symbolizing Caucasians, Europeans and their descendants.  While not all are explicitly racial or ethnic, even those signifying certain occupations are unquestionably pertaining to white people.  (And these 23 teams do not count the "Fighting Irish" of Notre Dame, a college football team.)
The Vancouver Canucks and Montreal Canadiens (hockey) are both representative of French Canadians.  The Boston Celtics (basketball) clearly represent a historic people of Europe, more specifically of the United Kingdom.  The Minnesota Vikings (football) represent the Nordic or Scandinavian peoples, and the Viking mascot is a white man with a big beard and sword. Vikings were often seen as raiders or invaders of sorts, so the team not only represents a white group, but a group often engaged in international criminality.  In the case of the Pittsburgh Pirates (baseball) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (football), whites are overtly represented as criminals, yet everyone accepts this all in good fun, looking instead at the masculine and rugged qualities of these groups, which is why teams were named after them in the first place.  The Oakland Raiders (football) fall into the same category, with a Caucasian marauder as the team's symbol.  The team has always been known for its physical style of play and its silver and black uniform colors.

Other famous teams also overtly represent Caucasian peoples.  The New York Knickerbockers (basketball) received their moniker in tribute to Dutch settlers of New York State.  While Cowboys could technically be of any race, the Dallas football team was clearly modeled on the traditional white cowpoke.  The New England Patriots (football) were based on the white American patriots of Boston, and even the fabled New York Yankees derived their name from northern Caucasians, more specifically white Union soldiers, with the term "Yankee" usually one of derision.

Less overtly racial but still based on white men are the New York Rangers (hockey), Texas Rangers (baseball), Ottawa Senators (hockey), Los Angeles Kings (hockey), Sacramento Kings (basketball), Cleveland Cavaliers (basketball), Kansas City Royals (baseball), Seattle Mariners (baseball), San Francisco 49ers (football), Pittsburgh Steelers (football), and even the beloved New York Mets -- short for Metropolitans, signifying white New Yorkers of a different era.
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While the multicultural fanatics are on a roll, why not consider teams that may be construed to be making a mockery of religion, specifically Catholics?  The New Orleans Saints (football), Los Angeles Angels (baseball), San Diego Padres (baseball), and New Jersey Devils (hockey) all fit this particular bill.
Ironically, sitting on the sidelines throughout this debate are the blacks, who finally have a legitimate gripe: they are not represented by any American sports teams, despite comprising most of the players!