Team Names

[3bm103]

<p>On the news last night they had a story about a high school in CA whose team name was Arabs. There is now a movement to get them to change it. It has been their name since 1931. My question is: Why is this name offensive? Is it offensive to everybody? </p>

<p>My assumption is that teams choose names of groups they admire or want to be like. Why would you name your team something that you don’t like? I quickly came up with a list of professional teams whose names don’t seem to offend the group that they are named after:</p>

<p>Houston Texans
New England Patriots
Dallas Cowboys
Minnesotta Vikings
New Orleans Saints
NY Yankees
Pittsburgh Pirates
NY Islanders</p>

<p>So why is there an uproar about a team naming themselves Arabs? Can you see my point? I truly don’t understand.</p>

<p>I do, however, see a difference between naming your team Chiefs, Braves, Indians vs. Redskins. I can’t believe Eastern Michigan University had to change their name from the Hurons.</p>

<p>Or what about the Canadian teams naming themselves Maple Leafs, Canadiens or Canucks? Why is no one upset about that last one? </p>

<p>We can pretty much ignore the animal names or the plants. No Buckey has been insulted.</p>

[straightshooter]

<p>We are never going to please everyone. Politicians loathe to take a stand on an issue because they know they will alienate 50% of the voters. I think there is a differnce between upsetting a majority of a group and kowtowing to a fringe element of the population.</p>

[Niquii77]

<p>

Or what about the Canadian teams naming themselves Maple Leafs, Canadiens or Canucks? Why is no one upset about that last one?

They’re Canadian. That’s why.</p>

[Youdon_tsay]

<p>Have you seen the cartoon depictions? Those are pretty offensive.</p>

[tom1944]

<p>I think it depends if the name is derogatory. Redskin is in my opinion I am not sure Arab is.</p>

[tom1944]

<p>If the name appears on this list it might not be a great name for a team</p>

<p><a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs[/url]”>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>As a Met fan I see no reason to keep the Yankee name it is offensive.</p>

[3bm103]

<p>

I think it depends if the name is derogatory. Redskin is in my opinion I am not sure Arab is.

My point exactly. Someone must consider “arab” to be offensive. That, to me, is offensive.</p>

[Youdon_tsay]

<p>It’s not the word “Arab.” It’s the depiction.</p>

[3bm103]

<p>Then ask them to change the depiction, not the name.</p>

[mokusatsu]

<p>How do you know that saints aren’t offended by the name “Saints”? ;)</p>

[Kajon]

<p>Same with the Vikings…Scandinavians might not like to be associated with that silly looking guy running around the stadium with a sword ready to attack. Or how about the pirates…has anyone asked them. :p</p>

<p>Is Yankee offensive because it Civil War related or a nickname for the people from a physical location? I googled this question and here is one of the responses -

Yes, within New England, Yankee is definitely positive. It is used as an adjective form of “New England”, with connotations of “local”, “traditional”, “rural”, “independent”, or “grass roots”, as well as describing a person who lives here. Thus we have terms like “Yankee town meeting”. The only negative use would be in reference to the New York baseball team.

another said that if used within New England it was acceptable, if used by southerners toward northerners then it is derogatory…</p>

<p>I agree. At least change the depictions used for the Arabs logo. I assume that back when the name was selected it was to represent strong and fearless Arabian knights.</p>

<p>I hate eggshells.</p>

[tom1944]

<p>Anyone have any doubt that the name Redskins is derogatory?</p>

[Booklady]

<p>

I assume that back when the name was selected it was to represent strong and fearless Arabian knights.

</p>

<p>I don’t think there were any Arabian knights. Knights were a product of western Christendom. Perhaps you’re thinking of the [Arabian</a> Nights](<a href=“One Thousand and One Nights - Wikipedia”>One Thousand and One Nights - Wikipedia)?</p>

[Sikorsky]

<p>I think the essential question here is, what qualities of Arabs led people (or, perhaps, still lead people today) to think that Arabs would be a good name for a team?</p>

<p>Team names are often chosen to create an impression that the team is formidable (e.g., Raiders or Tigers), or to reflect some kind of local affiliation or pride (e.g., Steelers or 49ers). If we exclude as unlikely the possibility that the region served by this California high school was heavily populated with Arabs in the 1930s, that leaves the supposition that the people who named the team believed for some reason that Arabs were menacing.</p>

<p>I can see why actual Arabs, of whom I am not one, might be bothered by that.</p>

[Kajon]

<p>Booklady…i probably am…my mind is going, going…</p>

<p>My high school team name was the Hunters. There was recently an attempt to change the name because of the “hunting” connotation, but the school was able to keep it since the team name was actually the last name of the first principal.</p>

[Sikorsky]

<p>Well, bother. I went and researched a little. Perhaps I should have done that before making my previous post, but I shall leave it as part of the record.</p>

<p>People do contend that Arabs heavily influenced the area’s date-farming industry in the early twentieth centuries:</p>

<p>

The Arab mascot recognizes the influences of the Middle East in the area’s date farming, said Rich Ramirez, president of the Coachella Valley High School Alumni Association and a 1959 graduate of the high school.</p>

<p>In the early 1900s, the U.S. Department of Agriculture acquired date shoots from Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries and used them to establish date orchards in the valley’s desert climate, Ramirez said.

[Group</a> demands California high school change ‘Arab’ mascot - CNN.com](<a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/07/us/california-arab-team-mascot/]Group”>http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/07/us/california-arab-team-mascot/)</p>

<p>But then that argument starts to fall apart a bit:</p>

<p>

Some of the valley’s Arab-Americans – largely of Lebanese background – were involved in date farming, but they mostly ran men’s apparel stores and groceries, Ramirez said.

</p>

<p>And yet, nobody is suggesting calling the team the Haberdashers.</p>

<p>This, however, is where I fear the argument really loses credibility:

“We’re proud of Arab tradition and Arab culture,” Ramirez said. (emphasis mine)

</p>

<p>I’m not much of a stakeholder here, but, yeah, I think that name ought to be changed. Go, you Coachella Valley HS Fighting Haberdashers!</p>

[Emaheevul07]

<p>I like the Haberdashers better. :)</p>

[Kajon]

<p>I suppose they could change their name to “dates”. Our state has a team called the “spuds” because it is a potato farming community.</p>

[TatinG]

<p>I don’t think the name is offensive, but the mascot with his hooked nose and leering grin are.</p>

<p>They should change the name to the “Stats”. The Therma Stats. ha.</p>

[MADad]

<p>Surprised the Wikipedia list doesn’t contain ‘canuck’. In Canada, it’s used as a term of pride among French-Canadians. However, I’ve heard many English Canadians and Americans of non-French Canadian ancestry use it as a derogatory term. </p>

<p>Kinda like the N-word, in that some African Americans use the word to describe themselves, but woe to those aren’t black and use the term. I wish nobody would use the word, frankly.</p>