Offensive Mascots
I’ve never been passionate about changing the offensive names of team mascots. However, it seems that the NCAA is taking it serious and has now issued a rule that schools with offensive mascots will not be able to host post-season games. That will hit a lot of schools in the pocket. However, I’m not sure which names they would consider offensive and who would make the decisions. Will the Florida State Seminoles or the Fighting Illini be on that list? What about the Gamecocks of South Carolina? Is the Fighting Irish or South Dakota Fight Sue make the list? 
I think it is much easier to look at professional teams and point out some offensive mascots. The first that comes to mind is the Cleveland Indians. If caricature is not offensive then nothing is. The Washington Redskins come in a close second followed by the Atlanta Braves. Personally, I think they should get rid of all names depicting Native Americans. But the argument will always be made on the grounds of tradition and in some twisted, perverted way we are honoring the culture of Native Americans. Yeah – whatever.
10:36 AM There should be no team with a name that is of any culture, especially Native American culture, which has been stripped of it's people and way of life. It is degrading and demoralizing, and should have been done away with long ago. These names were derived during times when Native Americans were thought to be dispensible and their history left a bad taste in the mouth of Euro-Americans. What better way to degrade a powerful culture than to make them funny looking cartoon characters? Native Americans are not the first and only people to be reduced to such nonsense, as represented by the cartoonish nightmare that America liked to represent Blacks in America not so long ago.
Native American history is something I hold close to my heart, as it was what I primarily studied in college. I would be overjoyed if the athletic teams did away with the Native American mascot.
10:38 AM ...and they are not that f@*king red!!!
7:37 PM I think the distinction that the NCAA is using is "hostile or abusive references" and I believe that the Illini and the Seminoles both are considered to be under that blanket. I think that the Illini have talking about fighting the rule, and the Seminoles are claiming that they have approval from Seminole tribes. I believe that they do have permission from tribes in Florida, but I know there are tribes in Oklahoma who still consider the use of the Seminole offensive.
8:32 AM USC Gamecock(1986) in the house. Actually our nickname is in reference to Col. Francis Marion, a Carolina Revolutionary War hero. According to legend, the British gave him this nickname of his fighting tenacity and skills at eluding them in swamps of the lowcountry.