For Sports Fans & the PC ocean depths to which we have descended


grizzlee

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I think all sports fans will get a kick out of this letter written to the Chicago Tribune....

No  matter which side you are on in the matter of renaming the Washington Redskins, this is funny.

 

Here is an e-mail sent to Clarence Page of the Chicago Tribune after an article he published concerning a name change for the Washington Redskins.

  

Dear Mr. Page: 

I agree with our Native American population.  I am highly insulted by the racially

charged name of the Washington Redskins. One might argue that to name a professional

football team after Native Americans would exalt them as fine warriors, but nay, nay.

We must be careful not to offend, and in the spirit of political correctness and

courtesy, we must move forward.

 

Let's ditch the Kansas City Chiefs, the Atlanta Braves and the Cleveland Indians.

 

If your shorts are in a wad because of the reference the name Redskins makes to skin

color, then we need to get rid of the Cleveland Browns.

 

The Carolina Panthers obviously were named to keep the memory of militant Blacks

from the 60's alive.  Gone.  It's offensive to us white folk.

 

The New York Yankees offend the Southern population.  Do you see a team named for

the Confederacy?  No!  There is no room for any reference to that tragic war that

cost this country so many young men's lives.

 

I am also offended by the blatant references to the Catholic religion among our

sports team names.  It is totally inappropriate to have the New Orleans Saints,

the Los Angeles Angels, or the San Diego Padres.

 

Then there are the team names that glorify criminals who raped and pillaged.

We are talking about the horrible Oakland Raiders, the Minnesota Vikings, the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Pittsburgh Pirates!

 

Now, let us address those teams that clearly send the wrong message to our children. 

The San Diego Chargers promote irresponsible fighting or even spending habits;

wrong message to our children.

 

The New York Giants and the San Francisco Giants promote obesity, a growing

childhood epidemic; wrong message to our children.

 

The Cincinnati Reds promote downers/barbiturates.  It is the wrong message to

our children.

 

The Milwaukee Brewers; well that goes without saying; it is the wrong message

to our children.

 

So, there you go.  We need to support any legislation that comes out to rectify

this travesty, because the government will likely become involved with this issue,

as they should.  Just the kind of thing the do-nothing Congress loves.

 

As a diehard Oregon State fan, my wife and I, with all of this in mind, suggest

it might also make some sense to change the name of the Oregon State women's

athletic teams to something other than "the Beavers (especially when they play

Southern California}; do we really want the Trojans sticking it to the Beavers???

 

I always love your articles and I generally agree with them.  As for the Redskins

name I would suggest they change the name to the "Foreskins" to better represent
their community, paying tribute to the dick heads in Washington, D.C.

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I can agree that the depths of PC expectations are becoming ridiculous, however with this I do thing there is a bit of case to answer. To me if it was a direct flip and there was a team called the Cincinnati Caucasians, and there were people dressed up with white socks, sandals, people 'white facing' and fanny packs, I think there would be a fair few that would be pissed off with this reductive stereotype.

I can completely see the heartbreak for the fans, a tradition and history that has developed, and it would be gut wrenching to change it. but I can see both sides of the argument quite clearly. 

I think more importantly than anything else, is the question, isn't it sad that people in certain areas don't feel as if they have anything worth celebrating in their own city.  For example there is a Premiership Rugby Club in the UK called the Exeter Cheifs, and they do the Tomahawk Chop and dress up also.   My question would be this. Exeter is a fabulous place with amazing history, surely it's a pretty sad state of affairs if you're naming yourself after Native American Indians, when I don't think even one has ever stepped foot in Exeter!!!???. The word 'Exeter' means 'Fortress of the Axe' and has Danish Viking origins.  Pretty bloody cool if you ask me,  but yet they're called the Chiefs,  It makes no sense

More amusingly Bristol Rugby club has just rebranded themselves "Bristol Bears". Amusingly there are no bears in Bristol, but there is a preexisting club that have been in the newspapers called the "Bristol Bears" which are a well established club of large hirsute homosexual men.  I think they are currently battling over website rights Haha!!! someone should of done a bit more research!

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1 minute ago, 99call said:

I can agree that the depths of PC expectations are becoming ridiculous, however with this I do thing there is a bit of case to answer. To me if it was a direct flip and there was a team called the Cincinnati Caucasians, and there were people dressed up with white socks, sandals, people 'white facing' and fanny packs, I think there would be a fair few that would be pissed off with this reductive stereotype.

I can completely see the heartbreak for the fans, a tradition and history that has developed, and it would be gut wrenching to change it. but I can see both sides of the argument quite clearly. 

I think more importantly than anything else, is the question, isn't it sad that people in certain areas don't feel as if they have anything worth celebrating in their own city.  For example there is a Premiership Rugby Club in the UK called the Exeter Cheifs, and they do the Tomahawk Chop and dress up also.   My question would be this. Exeter is a fabulous place with amazing history, surely it's a pretty sad state of affairs if you're naming yourself after Native American Indians, when I don't think even one has ever stepped foot in Exeter!!!???. The word 'Exeter' means 'Fortress of the Axe' and has Danish Viking origins.  Pretty bloody cool if you ask me,  but yet they're called the Chiefs,  It makes no sense

More amusingly Bristol Rugby club has just rebranded themselves "Bristol Bears". Amusingly there are no bears in Bristol, but there is a preexisting club that have been in the newspapers called the "Bristol Bears" which are a well established club of large hirsute homosexual men.  I think they are currently battling over website rights Haha!!! someone should of done a bit more research!

there is a thread that goes over this in depth somewhere here. 

there have to be limits both ways. there are certainly arguments that in the first place, the name was a tribute and seen as that. there are still native americans who support it. plenty who do not. 

as an aussie, i'm obviously less invested than many. 

what of the waikato chiefs? they have never been questioned as far as i know. no doubt the local maori tribes had chiefs. is that what they are named after? no idea. 

 

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26 minutes ago, Ken Gargett said:

what of the waikato chiefs? they have never been questioned as far as i know. no doubt the local maori tribes had chiefs. is that what they are named after? no idea. 

 

That's not the one that will be first in the PC firing line. It will be Canterbury's Crusaders.

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Just now, SirVantes said:

That's not the one that will be first in the PC firing line. It will be Canterbury's Crusaders.

seriously?

normally the only thing that causes me to support the crusaders is if they are playing nsw. 

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1 minute ago, Ken Gargett said:

seriously?

normally the only thing that causes me to support the crusaders is if they are playing nsw. 

Hasn't happened yet, but I fear it is only a matter of time, given the conversations (to use the most charitable term) elsewhere

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/college-to-eliminate-crusader-mascot-over-fear-it-may-offend-muslims

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/ztvdg82

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On 05/05/2018 at 11:45 AM, Ken Gargett said:

what of the waikato chiefs? they have never been questioned as far as i know. no doubt the local maori tribes had chiefs. is that what they are named after? no idea. 

Haha yeah it would be interesting to see if some sort of undercover stipend has to be enveloped over to the Maori Community.  The most amusing to me what the Highlanders passing Sam Warburton a claymore sword. 

Its amazing Sam refrained from saying "hmmm!!!!??? you are aware that even with zero born and bred Scottish in our ranks, that, it's more relevant for us to give you this, that the other way round" strange times. 

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