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| Published Jan. 16, 2006 at 5:24 a.m. |
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This time of year, NFL playoffs -- and teams not usually covered here in Packerland -- are thrust into the national spotlight. With the resurgence of the Washington Redskins, who's season ended Sunday, attention is once again turned to the team's controversial nickname.
It's been debated over the years, but it still remains. With so many teams being forced to change their marques, how do the Redskins slip by? And how are Wisconsin teams with Native American nicknames responding to an increasing call to change to a name less blatantly offensive?
Locally, sports insiders have their opinions. Mark Kryka, president of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association and athletic director at Verona Area High School, has an idea why the name has remained in use.
"We're talking professional sports here," he says. "To them, it's a business, and if the business is thriving, they see no need to change it. It's sad, but true."
Kryka has experienced the debate over Native American team names firsthand. Verona Area High School, where Kryka is the athletic director, had to change its name from the Indians to the Wildcats during the 1991-1992 school year.
"'Redskins' is a whole lot more derogatory than 'Indians,'" adds Kryka. "But, we wanted to make sure everyone in the community was happy, so we changed it."
And now, the entire state of Wisconsin is joining the fray. Wisconsin state superintendent Elizabeth Burmaster recently called for all schools in the state to remove any team names relating to Native Americans. There were 39 schools included.
In her letter she wrote, "As you know, I believe that stereotypical American Indian logos do not support sound educational practice because they interfere with a school's efforts to provide accurate information related to history, culture and tribal sovereignty of American Indian honors."
For Wauwatosa East High School, the Red Raiders team name is in the process of being changed.
"We want to be respectful to Wisconsin tribes," says Wauwatosa East High School athletic director Joe Vitrano. "We should be sensitive and follow protocol. If that means removing the 'red' from Red Raiders, so be it."
As for the Redskins team name, Vitrano says, "That's pretty bad. That one's bad."
Kryka says he isn't a fan of the team name, either. "Redskins should be changed," he says. "It's not right for them to call themselves that."
Says Burmaster, "Stereotypical logos can hurt our children, albeit unintentionally."
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25 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
Recent Talkbacks ...
Posted by OMCreader on May 18, 2006 at 8:45 a.m. (report)
Why? said: Sports teams shouldn't have to change their Native American name just because people are offended! They are just names, you don't have to think about it in a bad way so why should it bother you?...What if people think the name is cool?
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Posted by OMCreader on Jan. 20, 2006 at 6:59 p.m. (report)
Mike said: give me a break, i work on the rezand i see more redskin, braves, and indians, seminoles, gear than anything else, all my indian friends and relatives refer to themselves as indian or skins, as in redskins, how about we take up a real cause like getting running water and sewer lines to the homes on the reservation, or maybe alcohlism or teen pregnancy, that is rampant on the rez. go to a rez post office on the first of the month and watch everyone looking for their checks instead of going out and earning one. indian mascots or names are way down on the list.
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Posted by OMCreader on Jan. 18, 2006 at 3:45 p.m. (report)
chisel said: My favorite part is how the Verona principal changed the team name to "Wildcats" because it made everyone happy. I know I'd be happy, when I think Verona, I think Wildcats, RAR.
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Posted by OMCreader on Jan. 18, 2006 at 2:05 p.m. (report)
eaglescout said: my point was about the people who claim there are more important things to worry about. yes there are, but most people walking upright have the ability to worry about many things at once. claiming someone that's worried about team nicknames can't also be worried about crime, or poverty, or hunger is nonsense.
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Posted by OMCreader on Jan. 18, 2006 at 1:51 p.m. (report)
James K. said: Eaglescout, I think you missed the point. The point is this: discussing whether or not a team should change its nickname because it is ASSUMED that it is a racist term, is foolishness. I wholeheartedly agree with you that there are far better things to worry about and I listed a few in my comments. I also agree with you that our president is a doofus and the war in Iraq is a travesty. Trying to be politically correct is what has ruined this country. It’s the age old issue of trying to please all of the people, all of the time. You can’t and being PC is like playing with fire: you’re going to get burned. I don’t expect everything to go my nor am I naïve enough to believe that everything should. As a former teacher, I can honestly say that for the past 20 years, the curriculum has taught children that they make no mistakes and every one is a winner. PC BS!!! If we lived in a perfect world, that would be the case but we live a world filled with greedy, self-centered, rude, obnoxious, evil people. I’m not being negative, I’m just saying the truth and not make excuses about the reality of what is! Of course there are good people in this world but more often than not, we reward bad behavior and thus, you have the problems we see in our country. This includes a president and administration that is clueless on how to get out of a Iraq. Those who don’t learn from history (Hello, the Vietnam war) are doomed to repeat it!
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