“If I owned the Twins, I wouldn't even show up here. I'd just hire a bunch of scientists to do my homework. I mean, if you're rich you don't have to be smart. That's the whole beauty of this country”- Little Big Leagues
This week’s class was very interesting. The Native American and Mascot issue is more compelling than people really know. The most interesting talk was from Miami University. The SI article was talking about how alumni were willing to give more money to the school if they changed their name, Redskins. The name was changed and Miami is now known as the Redhawks. Soon after the name change, the school received $25 million in donations from the alumni. The other issue is the Washington Redskins. Native Americans do not appreciate the logo and name the Washington football franchise carries. Native Americans feel the term “Redskin” is cruel and hurtful.
My opinion, Native Americans need to back off this issue. Now, I have nothing against Native American’s and their history, which is probably because I know little about them. In history books, its was saving pilgrims and creating a holiday called “Thanksgiving.” Americans took your land and now taking Native American history right out of the books. Wouldn’t Native Americans be happy some history was kept around in America? Look at the Atlanta Braves for example. This team won 14 straight consecutive division titles. The Native Americans should be proud of the team and support the team has. The Chicago Blackhawks have one of the greatest logos in sports. They even made it to the Western Conference Finals. No respect? I think there is plenty of history representation here, Native American complainers.
The other topic is Sports in Revolutionary America. Ledbetter describes the sports participated during the war. Soldiers had to keep in shape and stay conditioned. Swimming was a big part of this conditioning. Other sports were boxing, fives, and nine-pin. Each sport was popular by the soldiers demand.
I have to say the soldiers playing sports during the war is not a bad idea. I wasn’t so sure why Washington restricted it, especially swimming. I thought swimming was good for the body because it worked all the muscles in the body. Then again, there were times soldiers were shot do to swimming. I think I understand why sports became popular in America. I can see the change in sports is being a change away from the British. Well maybe, it was just a thought.
Special thanks to Serena Williams, Roger Federer, Michael Jordan, and Kanye West for their big, glorious moments this past week!
Nick,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your opinion. I am sick of hearing about how Native Americans feel disrespected that college and professional sports teams are offending them with their logos. I believe they should feel honored and respected that teams represent their culture. You made a great point with the Atlanta Braves. How would someone feel disrespected when they're being represented in a positive way when Atlanta won 14 consecutive division titles. Another point to counter mine is how Miami received hefty donations from alumni when they changed their logo. People have different outlooks on whether having Native American logos and mascots are offensive, but i believe it is not a big deal and its a form of positive representation.
As mentioned in class, I disagree with some of the views you and Nick expressed, but I think the articles provided evidence that there are a variety of perspectives as well. I do think it is interesting that alumni from Miami of Ohio increased their giving after the mascot was changed to the Redhawk. I wonder if there was a similar change at the University of Illinois.
ReplyDelete