January 17, 2007

'Fighting Sioux' Name Prevents North Dakota From Playing Against Some Teams

As the University of North Dakota fights to preserve its Fighting Sioux nickname while moving its entire athletics program to the NCAA’s top division, the university has hit a roadblock: More teams are refusing to schedule games against it, according to The Minnesota Daily.

The University of Minnesota-Twin Cities is the latest to take a pass on scheduling such games, based on a policy discouraging play against universities with American Indian logos. Minnesota, however, will continue to play North Dakota’s men’s and women’s ice-hockey teams, which are the only two Fighting Sioux sports to compete at the Division I level.

The rest of North Dakota’s teams are moving to Division I, where they will begin competing in 2008. The move up will give North Dakota more chances to play against big-time Division I universities. But some institutions, including the University of Wisconsin at Madison and the University of Iowa, also have policies discouraging them from playing against universities with American Indian logos and mascots.

North Dakota sued the NCAA last fall over restrictions on using its Fighting Sioux name. Last month the trial was moved to December 2007, but the state judge presiding over the case is encouraging the two sides to settle.

Comments

1. There already may be too many “Fighting …” this or that” My own University is the “Fighting Scots” but I haven’t heard any protests from any clan.
   How about SD rename themselves the “Peaceful Sioux” – nah, those easily offended by such trivia might consider this to much of a wuss name for a proud tribe.
   And how about that hideous leering logo for Cleveland baseball.
   Art Wegweiser
   East Bronx Tribe (Originally)

   — Arthur Wegweiser    Jan 18, 10:46 AM    #

2. I still laugh at the irony of the NCAA announcing this asinine policy from their headquarters in INDIANapolis, INDIANa. Will their next crusade be to force their hometown and state to find more politically sensitive names?

   Go Illini!

   — Rob Morrison    Jan 18, 01:44 PM    #

3. I am a very proud graduate of the University of North Dakota and this whole thing smacks of political correctness gone haywire. The artist as I understand it for the icon is a Native American and the Sioux tribal council in ND signed off on this. What really bothers me about this ruling by the NCAA is that the Florida State Seminoles are off the hook because many of their teams find themselves in post-season play. Is it just me or does anyone else find that the NCAA powers that be find themselves doing the backstroke in pool full of hypocrisy? Please will the jackasses at NCAA get a life and start making policy about the lousy graduattion rates of our “student” athletes and paying coaches millions of dollars. Please, Please oh pretty please get a life.

   — J. Marshall    Jan 18, 04:07 PM    #

4. To J.Marshall, you are wrong on two counts. 1. Although the artist is an American Indian, he is not Dakota, Lakota or Nakota (Sioux). He is Chippewa, the tribe that gave the name “Sioux”(meaning snake) to their enemies the Dakota, Lakota, and Nakota. The university never consulted the “Sioux” tribes when contracting with the artist. If they “honor” them so much, why didn’t they select an artist from among the “Sioux” or at least consult with them? 2. All the “Sioux” tribal councils in North and South Dakota have passed resolutions asking the university to change the name. One of the Dakota tribes said they would grant permission to use the name if the university fulfilled certain requirements. Among them was to stop using the current logo (drawn by a Chippewa) and to require all incoming university students to take courses on American Indian history. These requests have been conveniently ignored by the university administrators. Go to this website abd select resolutions of the left side to read the resolutions from the tribes, campus, and other organizations: http://www.und.edu/org/bridges/index2.html

   Listen, it is all about money. The university is worried that it will cost them too much to remove or negotiate some arrangement to do something about all the logos in their hockey arena. I am a UND graduate also, but I am not very proud of the university in this regard. It is time for white people to stop imposing their ideas on others and to start listening to Indians when they say that they are not honored by this name and this logo. And if that is political correctness, then I am all for it!

   — Judy    Jan 18, 10:45 PM    #

5. My students always find this debate important, and indicative of the state of race relations in the U.S. I agree. What would you do if a team or athletes decided to call themselves the “conquering whities?” Or, the “Southern honkies?” It’s an easy practice, this one of good manners: injury to one in a community is injury to all. And, yes, I do not abide use of the words “whitey,” and “honky.” Why? Because they cause injury and education ought to be about advancing knowledge, not playing stupidly to the lowest common denominator or exploiting the old tribal wars simply to say at the end, “oh, they don’t mind!” Yes, we who were once erased from the athletic as well as academic landscape do indeed mind….very much.

   — Malinche    Jan 19, 01:45 PM    #

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