School Mascots Show a Fighting Spirit

Re “Bill Would Ban Indian Mascots,” May 1: I understand and agree that names like Redskins, Indians and even Chiefs would be considered derogatory to Native Americans in most contexts. But Commanches? Apaches? When a school selects a mascot, the football team and the competitive spirit of the school have much to do with the choice. The school wants a fighting spirit, a name that makes it proud.

The Commanches and Apaches were fearless fighters who persisted against overwhelming odds. They are admired, as a part of their culture, for their fighting abilities, both intertribal and against the U.S. westward expansion. Other groups are admired (and used as mascots) for their similar histories: Spartans, Vandals, Vikings, Huns, etc. As mascots, all are cartoon-like figures that run up and down the field doing idiotic things to get the fans to cheer.

I have yet to hear anyone say the Commanche mascot looked stupider than the Spartan mascot doing those things. What next? Greek attorneys beating us up to paint over the Spartan symbol on the local high school or suing for mental distress?

Tim Arehart

Villa Park

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Kudos to state Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg for her bill to ban Native American sports mascots. This practice is an insult to Native Americans and those of Native American descent such as myself. We would be shocked if someone put on a public minstrel show, and rightly so. Dancing around in a cartoonish Indian suit to amuse sports crowds is no different. It’s long past time our nation started showing proper respect for Native Americans and their culture.

Garth G. Groff

Charlottesville, Va.

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In high school, in the late ‘50s, I was proud to be a Mark Keppel Aztec. The depiction was a strong warrior. In the early ‘60s I was a bulldog mascot for the University of Redlands. My partner bulldog and I made our heads out of ice cream cartons and gray flannel, and we wore gray tights and blouses with maroon jumpers. The week before we were to play Whittier College in football, “Pound the Poets” signs were posted all over campus. I seem to remember having one pinned to my bloomers to show when I flipped up the back of my jumper during the game. A guest speaker on campus that week was Robert Frost. His sense of humor at the irony of the coincidence endeared him to us.

So here’s a novel thought: Laugh! Get with the spirit of students who enjoy supporting their schools’ teams.

Maggie Bell

Dana Point

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The goals of the legislation may be reasonable enough, but the idea that the state government can limit the choices for team mascots made by student governments and local school boards sounds like a clear violation of the rights of Americans to freedom of speech and expression. I find it alarming that nobody quoted reflected on whether the state government should be involved in this kind of censorship.

Frank Grober

Fremont, Calif.