What's in a name?

Today the NCAA overruled Southern California in its battle with a small town in present-day Turkey inhabited by direct descendants of Troy, made famous by being invaded and decimated by the Greeks around 1200 B.C. They say the school represents a "hostile and abusive" image of Trojans.

"Our people come from a proud heritage. The culture was about more than just war, but USC fails to recognize this," said Hector MCCXII, adding that their current 32 game winning streak undermines a culture defined by losing.

Ok, this is a bit extreme. But the way the NCAA has handled the nickname controversy has been, well, typical of the way the NCAA handles complicated matters: with Ryan Leaf-like introspection and Mr. Magoo-like shortsightedness.

Rejected today was an appeal from Illinois; ruled "hostile and abusive," the cliché of choice for inappropriate mascots, was Chief Illiniwek, a staple at Illini halftimes since 1926.
I’ve seen better defined rules on WWE Smackdown.

The Aug. 5 decision banning the use of Native American images in NCAA postseasons and prohibiting schools who use them from hosting postseason events didn’t take long to prove misguided and uninformed. Three schools -- Florida State, Utah, and Central Michigan -- have already won appeals, with backing from the tribes they represent.

So, not all Native Americans are not offended by the mascots’ use? This is a complex issue, not fodder for a PR ploy? No kidding?

Perhaps just a little bit of fact-finding on the topic by the NCAA could have prevented outrage from schools they later ruled respectful. Their snap judgment finding everyone guilty at once turned many off on the whole concept of intervention.

Too bad, because the NCAA and Native American community has a case. Names such as the Southeastern Oklahoma State Savages or the Carthage University Redmen are basically ethnic slurs and have no place in sports. And schools with no Native American involvement in its traditions should be forced to seriously re-evaluate themselves. Many have, as well over a third of about 3,000 schools ranging from elementary through college have dropped their Native American tags.

But schools respectful of heritage should inspire pride in a people, not disgust. Many tribes fought valiantly in wars defending their homeland. How do they consider a group of people purporting to emulate them in a competitive setting abusive?

This decision comes on the heels of yesterday’s ruling in favor of a Dublin activist group, which deemed Notre Dame’s "Fighting Irish" nickname demeaning.

"The image furthers the stereotype that the Irish are a drunk and violent people," Patrick Fitzpatrick said in a statement issued from the group’s local pub.

(He later declined further comment between pulls from a whisky bottle.)

So what of teams like the New England Patriots or Fighting Irish? The depictions of the Patriots and Seminoles are similar in many ways: a distinct group noted for bravery in battle. The Patriots don’t represent accurately the way of life in New England in the late 1700s any better than FSU customs depict the whole of Seminole culture. The Irish are depicted by a leprechaun, fists raised, which could be regarded as worse.

But this is sport. A football game is considered a battle, a violent contest in which one team is attempting to beat the other. Essentially, it’s a sport in which the attributes of good warriors or fighters are valued. These names are not offensive in that context.

In 2002, a University of Northern Colorado intramural basketball team (composed of multiple races) dubbed itself the "Fighting Whites," a parody of Native namesakes targeted at a local high school’s Fighting Reds nickname. The media ate it up, and it snowballed into a national debate. Activists loved it, feeling it turned the table. Most white people got a good laugh out of how unintimidating their race sounds.

The world is far from perfect. The best we can do is strive to right the bigger wrongs, where the NCAA should start. A Seminole is the name of a tribe, something you could use in addressing a native of that nation. Redman and savage are not. The Redskins have been in a battle over their name and logo for a long time. Rightfully so.

But at some point you have to realize you can’t go about life expanding all your energy not offending anyone. Hey, if you think it’s tough being a Native American Chiefs fan, imagine the internal struggles of a Jewish Padres fan.

Hopefully we can all get to a point where we can go through life with thicker skin, not allowing the insensitivity of others to hurt us, brushing off innocent traditions as stupid, inconsequential prejudices of the past, not personal attacks at present.

Until then:

The future is unclear for the traditional powers, who plan to appeal the decisions. A return to 1920’s nickname "Fighting Methodists" is unlikely for USC, with expected upheaval in the South. In South Bend the initial suggestion of the Hunchbacks of Notre Dame was immediately thrown out, and with a pack of Nittany Lions ravaging Happy Valley after being released by animal rights activists, even animal nicknames seem risky.