Native American mascots not worth funding loss
The Major League Baseball team in Cleveland has been a member of the American League since 1901. For the vast majority of its years, it was known as the Indians, a name it adopted in 1915. This year, however, the team has a new moniker, one that is better suited to the times — the Guardians.
The National Football League team in the nation’s capital has also changed names. For a few years, it went without a name altogether, simply known as the Washington Football Team, this after years when its name was considered by many a slur. In later years, some newspapers refused to publish it. Today, they’re known as the Commanders.
These new names are a reflection of changing values. It hasn’t spread everywhere — the Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Chiefs, for example, still exist, to say nothing of countless college teams with Native American mascots. But over time, the momentum against naming sports teams after people has been growing.
But it may have hit a wall in Connecticut.
While many high schools in the state have switched away from Native American mascots over the years, others have dug in their heels. Even in the face of a state law that denies some funding to schools that don’t change, local officials in some towns have decided to stick with tradition — even if it’s a tradition some find offensive.
It’s a bad idea, and it’s costing real money for schools in need.
Last year, the General Assembly passed a law barring towns that use Native American nicknames or logos without tribal consent from receiving annual slot machine payouts from the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes. It was meant to spur towns that had been reluctant to change longstanding names into taking action, and it’s worked in some towns.
The communities of Killingly, Windsor and Derby, however, as well as the school district serving Woodbury and Bethlehem, have resisted. They’re sticking with their longstanding team names, driven in large part by longtime residents resistant to change.
In Derby, especially, the price is significant. The state’s smallest city stands to lose $207,304 in state funding next year, while Killingly will go without $94,184. For districts that have serious needs, it is irresponsible to turn down needed funding over such a cause.
It’s understandable that some people don’t like change. But it’s just as understandable that other people don’t want to see themselves represented as mascots for a high school sports team. Times change, and what’s considered acceptable in one era is not going to look the same down the road. That’s unavoidable.
It’s worth noticing, too, what these changes mean in the long run. The St. John’s University basketball team was for years known as the Redmen, but it’s been nearly 30 years since it changed to the Red Storm. What was lost in the transition? Nothing as far as anyone can see, other than a whole lot of needless offense at potential
In Derby, especially, the price is significant. The state’s smallest city stands to lose $207,304 in state funding next year, while Killingly will go without $94,184. For districts that have serious needs, it is irresponsible to turn down needed funding over such a cause.
fans.
This shouldn’t be a hard call. It’s long past time to choose names that are acceptable to everyone, and there’s no excuse to deny schoolchildren much-needed funding. The holdout districts need to make this happen.