Is a Cleveland Baseball Team Watching?

Earlier this month, the National Collegiate Athletic Association adopted a new policy to prohibit NCAA colleges and universities from displaying hostile and abusive racial/ethnic/national origin mascots, nicknames or imagery at any NCAA championship, beginning in 2008. So what is the leading name banned by the NCAA under the rule, calling for cultural sensitivity and respect? Simply, "The Indians."

The legal reasoning is that while officers and trustees for independent education institutions can choose whatever nickname they want for themselves, the NCAA can exercise its own discretion to choose not to provide visibility to that institution at an NCAA event. The NCAA also urged schools to follow best practices, citing the Universities of Iowa and Wisconsin, who do not schedule athletic competitions with schools who use Native American nicknames, images or mascots.

Education institutions like Catawba College, Indiana
University-Pennsylvania, Midwestern State University, Arkansas State University, University of Louisiana-Monroe, Newberry College , Murry University, all of which called themselves the Indians, would be barred from the 88 NCAA championships. Others include the University
of Utah (Utes), Bradley University (Braves), University of North Dakota (Fighting Sioux), Carthage College (Redmen), Chowan College (Braves), University of Illinois-Champaign (Illini), Mississippi College (Choctaws), and the Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Savages). Florida State University (Seminoles) successfully challenged their inclusion on the list. While only a handful of major institutions are impacted (Illinois, Utah, Bradley and a few others have qualified recently for NCAA tournaments), there is a broader application in that a public body has identified a standard for cultural respect. Is a Cleveland baseball team watching?

For more information, see the NCAA website