Pondering Political Correctness

The Utes May Keep on Runnin’

By Lucy Burningham, 8-24-05

Earlier this month, the NCAA made a grand announcement: 18 schools would face sanctions for using “hostile and abusive� nicknames, mascots or imagery. All of the schools cited use American Indian tribal names or related symbols, including the University of Utah Runnin’ Utes.

The Ute tribe, for which Utah is named, occupied most of Utah and Colorado before the white settlers arrived, and like most Indian tribes, went through the painful process of receiving reservation land. While the Uintah Basin, the site of the tribe’s reservation, was inhospitable, oil and gas finds in the region benefited the Utes immensely. The tribe has never had to resort to gambling as a means for earning money.

The Utes have always endorsed the University of Utah’s use of their name, which includes a tasteful drum and feather logo, and when the NCAA handed down its ruling, they reiterated their stance. Today, the NCAA ruled that Florida State will be allowed to continue using the name Seminoles because of the relationship between that tribe and the school, and the U of U hopes the precedent has been set.

At first, I wondered why it mattered. A mascot and logo seem like fun little tools that universities use to boost ticket and t-shirt sales and alumni donations. Whether fans are shouting “Go griz,� Go eagles� or “Go ducks� doesn’t seem to affect much. The Utes could become the Saints or something equally silly, and life would go on. But obviously, mascots become more than just a symbol of the schools that adopt them, and the NCAA has taken offense at some of these larger themes.

Thankfully, the organization seems to have realized the error in their pessimism. Not every use of a tribal name offends the tribe. And really, isn’t that what counts? All the white people in the country could be offended by the Runnin’ Utes, but if the Utes appreciate the sentiment, who is the NCAA to tell them they’re wrong?

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