The Ming Report

NO MORE ABUSE

August 6, 2005 - The University of Illinois is in trouble. The NCAA announced from its Indianapolis headquarters that it has deemed Illinois’ athletic team nickname, “Fighting Illini”, as hostile and abusive. Illinois along with 18 other schools was designated as schools using Native American images or references and subject to the new policy. The Florida State University Seminoles also made the list as did the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux and the University of Utah “Utes”. From now on teams from those schools may not use their team nicknames, mascots or logos in any manner at NCAA sanctioned national events nor may they host NCAA championship events.

"The NCAA objects to institutions using racial/ethnic/national origin references in their intercollegiate athletics programs," said NCAA President Myles Brand in announcing the new rule. "Several institutions have made changes that adhere to the core values of the NCAA Constitution pertaining to cultural diversity, ethical sportsmanship and nondiscrimination. We applaud that, and we will continue to monitor these institutions and others. All institutions are encouraged to promote these core values and take proactive steps at every NCAA event through institutional event management to enhance the integrity of intercollegiate athletics related to these issues." http://www2.ncaa.org/media_and_events/press_room/2005/august/20050805_exec_comm_rls.html

Florida State has secured specific approval from the Seminole Tribe of Florida for its continued use of the team name but, apparently other Seminole tribes have not granted approval. Florida State does have somewhat of an advantage in the management of the controversy however. Illinois, Dakota, and Utah are all universities in states which are themselves named after the same tribes that the NCAA finds are offended. Presumably the University of Illinois must also change its name to some ethnically neutral formulation like “University of the Corn Belt”.

The policy is restricted to institutions using Native American ethnic imagery or names. It is not extended to the Spartans, Trojans, or Fighting Irish nicknames in use at various NCAA schools or ethnically stereotypical mascots such as Notre Dame’s Paddy. In announcing the rule NCAA President Myles Brand ignored those schools’ use of racial/ethnic/national origin references in their intercollegiate athletics programs. President Brand is no stranger to controversy. Myles Brand left the presidency of Indiana University to take his present position soon after having alienated the Hoosier faithful by firing Bobby Knight.

The next step is to tell Notre Dame to quit abusing the Irish. And what about that character running around the track in East Lansing? The NCAA has just got to end the abuse – all of it!