Name Changes

May 4, 2005 6:34 PM

If you could change the college mascot, what would you choose? Warriors? Too offensive. Golden Eagles? Boring, common, weak. Gold? What?!?
posted by brent (52 comments total)

It's like the Crimson, only now it's pretentious AND unoriginal.

I suggest an actual gold brick for their mascot, it would just sit there and look pretty. Kind of like me.. xoxo :*
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 6:40 PM on May 4, 2005

the Gold? Whatever shape the mascot takes, it is imperative that his name be "Bling-Bling."
posted by jonmc at 6:47 PM on May 4, 2005

Plenty of schools use colors as mascots.

And without any official costumed mascot on the field, some of us even manage to have fun with it.
posted by sellout at 6:47 PM on May 4, 2005

Is it jsut me or are "warriors" a pretty cross-cultural reference? Is there some reason why "warriors" today is particularly degrading to Native Americans? Because it was my conception that the greeks, romans, Chinese, Japanese, Mongols, Americans, English, French, Zulu, and Native Americans all had warrirors at some point in their culture.
posted by thedevildancedlightly at 6:48 PM on May 4, 2005

They can change the name all they want. They were the Warriors when I was there and that's what I'm gonna keep calling them. We could have done without the "Willie Wampum" mascot, but the name was just fine. Still irritates me that they changed it.

I am curious as to what they'll do for the mascot, though. BlackLeotardFront, I like your idea.
posted by aine42 at 6:55 PM on May 4, 2005

Is it jsut me or are "warriors" a pretty cross-cultural reference?

I always thought so as well, devildancedlightly, but I imagine some people might object because it seems to be promoting "violence."

But, you know what: some people on the cultural right go bananas at anything remotely sexual or questioning of fundamentalism, and some people on the left go bananas at anything that might bear the slightest trace of racism, sexism or homophobia.

People have to stop worrying so damned much about what "some people," might thing. Screw "some people" and the "some horses" they rode in on.
posted by jonmc at 6:56 PM on May 4, 2005

The Gold sounds good to me, but I'm partial to the color.
posted by TheGoldenOne at 7:00 PM on May 4, 2005

People have to stop worrying so damned much about what "some people," might thing. Screw "some people" and the "some horses" they rode in on.

For Marquette though, when they were the Warriors, they had an Indian logo. At the time I thought they should just change to a Roman Warrior, but they went with the Golden Eagles. Personally, I would rather be a Golden and Eagle instead of just Gold, but I'm a former Panther, so it doesn't matter- well, except that Marquette (lost in the NIT) won't face us anymore (sweet 16).
posted by drezdn at 7:04 PM on May 4, 2005

None of the schools I went to had a mascot, maybe they could just drop that too.
posted by cali at 7:05 PM on May 4, 2005

quote by jonmc
the Gold? Whatever shape the mascot takes, it is imperative that his name be "Bling-Bling."

I looked up the term "Bling-Bling" in the Urban Dictionary and this is what it came up with:


posted by Guerilla at 7:07 PM on May 4, 2005

Gold is heavy, but soft.
posted by interrobang at 7:09 PM on May 4, 2005

Go, Go!! Fighting Maroons!!
posted by Balisong at 7:11 PM on May 4, 2005

I like the mascot for one of our local high schools: the River Rats. Runner up: the U C-Santa Cruz Banana Slugs
posted by beelzbubba at 7:18 PM on May 4, 2005

Funnily enough, my high school mascot was the Warrior (and my school was named Narragansett--no beating around the bush there). The drum major wore a brown felt Indian princess costume during half-time. Around the time I graduated (in 2003), there was a fuss in the local paper about someone in a neighboring town trying to get their mascot changed. Their mascot? The Blue Devil. Apparently some mother was offended that her poor, innocent daughter had to go to school with a bunch of heathens. Needless to say, there has been no such fuss at my high school.
posted by strikhedonia at 7:22 PM on May 4, 2005

My undergrad school mascot was a color. My grad school mascot is a plaid. I guess it's an improvement. At least gold is an element.
posted by tss at 7:23 PM on May 4, 2005

Is there some reason why "warriors" today is particularly degrading to Native Americans?

It's pretty much standard that an American school with Warriors as its mascot has someone dressed up as a Native American in full war drag. Usually done up using some white dude's imagination as to how an Indian warrior would've been dressed back in the 19th century.

Hey, it could be worse. Pekin, IL could still be the Pekin Chinks.
posted by NoMich at 7:39 PM on May 4, 2005

Usually done up using some white dude's imagination as to how an Indian warrior would've been dressed back in the 19th century

Oddly, I remember watching a documentary on the Washington Redskins controversy, wherein a Native American activist said that she found the cartoonish stuff like Cheif Nok-A-Homa less offensive than representations that had pretentions to authenticity.
posted by jonmc at 7:41 PM on May 4, 2005

It was perpetuating an ugly stereotype and it's good they moved on. Why didn't they keep Golden Eagles? Animals are always good.
posted by amberglow at 7:47 PM on May 4, 2005

I am highly offended that they would make light of the trials and troubles my ancestors went through due to gold fever here in California.
posted by catachresoid at 7:52 PM on May 4, 2005

Also, if the team is called "The Gold," would their locker room they send send ejected players to the "Golden Showers?"
posted by jonmc at 7:55 PM on May 4, 2005

a crotchedy, grizzled old miner would be a good mascot ; >
posted by amberglow at 7:55 PM on May 4, 2005

You can't beat the Miskatonic's Fighting Cephalopods! "Lean to the left, lean to the right! Iä! Iä! Fight, fight, fight!"
posted by SPrintF at 7:56 PM on May 4, 2005

Animals are always good, but why is it that you never see apes as anyone's mascot? how about the battling Macaques?
posted by eustatic at 7:58 PM on May 4, 2005

Why didn't they keep Golden Eagles? Animals are always good.

I think it was because many Marquette graduates (see the one that posted above) can't let go of the Warrior name, and expressed their displeasure with the University. Some alumni even offered large sums of money to the University if they would change the name back. So, to address the controversy, they changed the name again to something almost everyone would hate.
posted by drezdn at 8:03 PM on May 4, 2005

You know, my high school is represented by the Centurians. If I were Italian, I would be OUTRAGED!!!1!1!

But hey, Native Americans probably need all the publicity they can get, lest their rights be "forgotten" again and, for example, we suddenly decide to tax them.
posted by Citizen Premier at 8:06 PM on May 4, 2005

You can't beat the Miskatonic's Fighting Cephalopods! "Lean to the left, lean to the right! Iä! Iä! Fight, fight, fight!"
posted by SPrintF at 7:56 PM PST on May 4 [!]


I had no idea they could use The One Almighty Lord Cthulhu at a team mascot. I'd be afraid it would iritate Him.
posted by Balisong at 8:10 PM on May 4, 2005

jonmc, this particular controversy isn't caused by crazy left-wing people getting all potentially-offended, it was real native americans getting all already-offended:

The Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, a group of Indian tribes in the region, didn't agree. Its leaders have said that, even if the university removes references to Indian imagery, the connotations remain.

Just wanted to clear up that minor point.
posted by breath at 8:20 PM on May 4, 2005

Why not just keep the Warrior name, and pick a new mascot?
posted by Citizen Premier at 8:26 PM on May 4, 2005

Too bad the Fighting Whites was already taken.
posted by jennyb at 8:30 PM on May 4, 2005

Best ever sarcastic suggestion for a new mascot: the Stanford Robber Barons.
posted by rkent at 8:36 PM on May 4, 2005

The Fighting Whites basketball team was organized in early February (2002) by a group of Native American and non-Indian students of the University of Northern Colorado with the intent of playing intramural basketball.

So what, they just go together to express their distaste for Hindus?
posted by Citizen Premier at 8:37 PM on May 4, 2005

Mr. T. Doi.
posted by santiagogo at 8:41 PM on May 4, 2005

Gold is offensive, especially if you consider the way the native populations were systematically looted of their treasure. I believe that the Marquette Yellow would be more appropriate. Not only would it be void of those ethnic connotations, but it would correctly portray their fear of offending others. Yes, Marquette Yellow. With a nice color streak across the uniforms. Fantastic!
posted by jmccorm at 8:41 PM on May 4, 2005

by a group of Native American and non-Indian students

I think that single sentence captures the problem with trying to keep up with the current PC group reference. Apparently it's kosher (can I say that?) to call somebody Native American, or to say they're non-Indian, but "non-Native-American" just doesn't work. It just hurts to read.
posted by thedevildancedlightly at 8:44 PM on May 4, 2005

beelzbubba: Why do those Banana Slugs look like pumped up alien frogs?
posted by MightyNez at 9:13 PM on May 4, 2005

My favorite one is Earlham's Hustling Quakers--they were Fighting initially, but then it was pointed out that Friends are pacifists.
posted by brujita at 9:20 PM on May 4, 2005

The mascot should be Kenny Banya from Seinfeld:

"That's gold, Jerry! Gold!"
posted by Tlahtolli at 9:37 PM on May 4, 2005

Arg! They gave the banana slugs arms!? Horrible. Don't they know they're gastropods.
posted by Citizen Premier at 9:41 PM on May 4, 2005

How are they supposed to play tennis without arms then?
posted by drezdn at 10:34 PM on May 4, 2005

The "Gold"? That's not very inspiring.
My softball team is called "The Little Sisters of Mercy Bible School for the Blind," even though we are neither a bible school nor blind. It just cuts down on the gloating when other teams have to say that they beat the Little Sisters of Mervcy 14-0. Our motto is "We'd like to have your respect, but will settle for your pity."

But, in the spirit of school spirit, here are some good names that aren't taken and only occassionally offend protected minorities:
The Pleursy Whelps
The Jittery Midgets
The Groin Pullers
The Skittering Junkies
The Illegal Immigrants
The Squirming Gypsies
The Recalcitrant Weasels
The Orthodox Jews
The Effete Mincers
The Conquering Krauts
I, for one, look forward to the day when I can yell "Go, Krauts, go!" at a sporting event of my choice (like 43-Man Squamish).
posted by klangklangston at 10:41 PM on May 4, 2005

I would choose the Borg.
It would be appropriate, at my Nike-run university of 20,000.
posted by kaibutsu at 11:18 PM on May 4, 2005

The banana slug, or Ariolimax to give it the proper respect, is the coolest. mascot. evar.

To begin with, they're hermaphrodites. So already we're doubling the action.

They have tremendous packages. One rare species of Alpine banana slugs (Ariolimax dolichophallus) measure 6-inches long and possess 32.5-inch tumescences, or 542% times their body length.

They have sex for hours, and often get stuck. At which point they take turns gnawing off the offending organ...

...and it GROWS BACK.

Hard core, my man, hard hard core. Keep you your feral tiger, your brutal warrior, your engineering beaver; my mascot represents me in its sweet, hot, yellow lovin'.
posted by Aknaton at 11:55 PM on May 4, 2005

You can keep your fighting cephalopods and banana slugs. The geoduck is where it's at for hip, happening invertebrate mascots. Plus: huge schlonglike siphon! Everyone wins!

...or something like that.
posted by Vervain at 12:40 AM on May 5, 2005

New fight song selected
posted by planetkyoto at 4:02 AM on May 5, 2005

AFAIK, no Texas college or university uses the armadillo as a mascot; I wonder why not.

Southern Cal's mascot is the Trojans. I've always wondered why they named their teams after the losers.
posted by alumshubby at 4:07 AM on May 5, 2005

alumshubby: I dare you to find a Trojan who would object to them using the name. That's the benefit of going for a loser. You go for a winner, hey, odds are they have a descendant who will complain.

I say pick an animal. An extinct one, so no possibility of PETA picking up the animal rights/exploitation angle and complaining.
posted by caution live frogs at 5:44 AM on May 5, 2005

The Conquering Krauts
I, for one, look forward to the day when I can yell "Go, Krauts, go!" at a sporting event of my choice (like 43-Man Squamish).
posted by klangklangston

I was prepared to be offended, until I saw who posted this. Hey, we got a 43-man Squamish field behind my house--see you there, Heinie!
posted by beelzbubba at 6:56 AM on May 5, 2005

Pit Pat, the pan-sexual spokesbeast always works in a pinch.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 6:56 AM on May 5, 2005

My highschool's mascot was the Titan, but I never heard any sort of outrage over the fact that the mascot printed on everything looked almost exactly like the logo on a box of Trojan condoms.
posted by chickygrrl at 6:59 AM on May 5, 2005

posted by KevinSkomsvold at 6:59 AM on May 5, 2005

Isn't "Gold" offensive to half-Japanese, half-indian people!?
posted by delmoi at 7:42 AM on May 5, 2005

Isn't "Gold" offensive to half-Japanese, half-indian people!?

I found it much more offensive to jews.
posted by thedevildancedlightly at 8:12 AM on May 5, 2005