What if...NCAA bans indian names?

[WideRight]

OK, just a hypothetical. This will never happen (and should not), but what if the NCAA banned all indian names. What would you choose as names for the different current indian teams?

PLEASE, this is not a debate on if native american names are right or wrong. Don't start that debate, it is just a chance to imagine different identities for current NCAA programs.

Examples:

Illinois Fighting Illini --> ?

FSU Seminoles -->?

Utah Utes-->?

U-L Monroe Indians-->?

N Dakota Fightin' Sioux-->?

etc.

[Broken Record]

OK, just a hypothetical. This will never happen (and should not), but what if the NCAA banned all indian names. What would you choose as names for the different current indian teams?

PLEASE, this is not a debate on if native american names are right or wrong. Don't start that debate, it is just a chance to imagine different identities for current NCAA programs.

Examples:

Illinois Fighting Illini --> ?

FSU Seminoles -->?

Utah Utes-->?

U-L Monroe Indians-->?

N Dakota Fightin' Sioux-->?

etc.

Illinois Fightin' Illinoisians

FSU Samolians (you could still call them F$U)

Utah Uteries

Monroe Shocks and Struts

N. Dakota Fightin' Sues

I think these would be brilliant. C&C welcome, but only the first C.

[dgnmrwrw]

Monroe Shocks and Struts...

Classic...

[OnWis97]

It's not gonna happen.

But I think some of the schools would welcome it. Right now they have pressure from both sides.

This way, they can stop hearing from the people that want them to change the name, and the others will be upset with the NCAA, not the University.

Plus it would enable the schools to get a new name, logos, shirts ect., without being accused of breaking tradition since it is the NCAA's fault.

However, I just don't see it happening.

I think the schools would take the NCAA to court and win.

[CityOfWalrus]

they are also asking University of Hawaii to explain why they are the "Warriors"

[TruColor]

I like "North Dakota Fightin' Boys Named Sue"...

(apologies to Johnny Cash fans everywhere...)

[pcgd]

Illinois would be come the:

Illinois Nitney Tide

[Broken Record]

I like "North Dakota Fightin' Boys Named Sue"...

(apologies to Johnny Cash fans everywhere...)

Love it! That's a keeper right there

[OnWis97]

I like "North Dakota Fightin' Boys Named Sue"...

(apologies to Johnny Cash fans everywhere...)

That is a chant at Wisconsin hockey games--

"I'd rather be a Badger than a boy named Sue."

[Joshawaggie]

I like "North Dakota Fightin' Boys Named Sue"...

(apologies to Johnny Cash fans everywhere...)

That is a chant at Wisconsin hockey games--

"I'd rather be a Badger than a boy named Sue."

oh yeah, well...

i got nuttin right now.

[SteveR]

they are also asking University of Hawaii to explain why they are the "Warriors"

They were more concerned elsewhere when they dropped the "Rainbow" part

[RyanB06]

One thing that would happen for sure is that Phoenix Design would get a lot more business...

[winghaz]

Back in the 1970s, some American Indian activists who were protesting the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux nickname were saying to white North Dakotans (who make up a high percentage of a certain ethnicity), "How would you like it if they were the Fighting Norwegians?"

Personally, as a full-blooded Norsky, I'd like it. Or better yet, the Fighting Norse.

But the Sioux nickname is here to stay ... for a while, ever since Ralph Engelstad poured money into the university demanding the nickname stay. Of course, Ralph is dead now, but money still talks.

Besides, I do like the Sioux nickname. But if they ever do change, I have offered that alternative in Norse.

[pcgd]

To tell you the truth, the university of Illinois really has nothing to fall back on but Illini. I don't see them changing but if they did, there isn't really much to do. Champaign/Urbana's biggest thing is the agricultural field; mostly corn and beans with some dairy cows as well. To do something unique and local would be very difficult. Maybe they could continue the trend they are going down and just drop the mascot name entirely, and just go by Illinois. The team name nor the Chief logo apears on any uniforms anywhere.

Even if they officially changed it, it would never leave. People would still yell "I-L-L....I-N-I" everywhere no matter what they did.

[STL FANATIC]

To tell you the truth, the university of Illinois really has nothing to fall back on but Illini. I don't see them changing but if they did, there isn't really much to do. Champaign/Urbana's biggest thing is the agricultural field; mostly corn and beans with some dairy cows as well. To do something unique and local would be very difficult. Maybe they could continue the trend they are going down and just drop the mascot name entirely, and just go by Illinois. The team name nor the Chief logo apears on any uniforms anywhere.

Even if they officially changed it, it would never leave. People would still yell "I-L-L....I-N-I" everywhere no matter what they did.

Actually, the basketball shorts do say ILLINI on the bottom of the right leg.

Also, remember they did wear the Flying Illini throwbacks this year with "FIGHTING ILLINI" on the jersey and the Chief logo on the shorts. I know it was just a one time throwback, but that could have easily been vetoed.

I don't think they'll ever change. Perhaps Chief Illiniwek may someday be removed, but I don't see the name changing, and if they did, I think I'd agree with pcgd here...they might just not have an official nickname, cuz unofficially, Illini will not die.

Hopefully none of that happens, and eventually this movement dies down and the beautiful logo is reinstated.

[pcgd]

Since this is a design board, did you know the guy that did the cheif logo has gone on to do...nothing else?

Jack Davis has done some things you'd recongize around champaign/urbana, and I'm sure he's very successful there. He is a good designer, but its nothing amazing.

Just found it interesting that he didn't have all this instantly recognizable national stuff.

www.jackdavis.com

[SEMOSTLfan]

Well this is certainly a topic I can speak from experience on. I am a student at Southeast Missouri State University. We are an NCAA Divsion I-AA school and in January we fell victim to this whole Indian name controversy. Since 1922 our sports teams had been known as the "Indians" and the womens teams were the "Otakhians". These names were chosen to represent the good qualities of native people who suffered on the trail of tears when the US government forced them to walk to reservations in oklahoma. Part of the trail is located about 10-15 minutes from our campus. However because this is supposedly politically incorrect the sports nickname was changed to the "Redhawks". Part of me feels this was a money making ploy because people in the area went crazy buying new merchandise after the change. Here is the most recent indians logo and the redhawks logo(s).

[cranium]

Couple of thoughts.

I live in Illinois, but graduated from Indiana U. Way back in the past, when some of these nicknames arose such as hoosiers, people from Illinois were known as "suckers". I kid you not. Obviously, I don't see that happening. I cannot think of an alternative for the school. The cool rodents are taken: badgers, gophers, wolverines. How about squirrels? Plenty of those running around here.

On this topic in general, if I'm not mistaken, I once heard that St. Johns took the name Redmen because their first colored football uniforms were all red, and supposedly Syracuse's were all orange. hence, redmen and orangemen. But, somewhere along the way Redmen equaled indian in the minds of many. Is this story apocryphal? I'm pretty liberal about most things, but if this story is true, then St. John's went too far.

cranium

[NJTank]

It would piss me off and could lead me to never watch the NCAA again, paticurally football.

[the_cynic]

This would be a huge tragedy in Utah. I say if the universities have the tribe's permission then they should be able to use their names. I think "Savages" and "Redmen" is going a little too far though.