Should UND keep the Fighting Sioux nickname?

YES! The NCAA needs to go pound sand. From what I've read the majority of Sioux Indians want UND to keep the name. They're the ones who should decide, not some ivory tower politically correct taxpayer funded bleeding hearts.

If the name should be discontinued, here's what I predict happening:

The System, in their typpically scandalous ways, will proceed business as usual, act like everything is normal and ignore anything that doesn't fit in with their narrative.

The People, on the other hand, will continue calling the teams "the Sioux" for many years to come, regardless of the System's facile efforts to make the reality look/sound like something else.

I would love to see the Fighting Sioux retained. However, the reality of the situation is that UND entered into a contract with the NCAA about getting approval within a specific time frame in order to continue using the name. It didn't happen, and the NCAA is adamant about enforcing the agreement. As long as UND wants to remain in the NCAA (and there are other, less visible and financially lucrative options) they either have to drop the nickname or suffer the scheduling and post season consequences. I think dropping the nickname would be the better option for the students/athletes at this point.

You cannot have it both ways, what the NCAA is saying is that a minority of Sioux are offended by the nickname and because both of the Sioux tribes have not agreed to allow(Spirit Lake has agreed to allow the nickname, Standing Rock did not disagree, the Tribal Council abstained from voting, meaning they neither agreed or disagree, but they are voting this spring on the issue, if they pass it, it should be a non issue like with the Seminoles) then they cannot use the nickname. However if you haven't seen the Fighting Irish's mascot, let me enlighten you. Its a red headed leprechaun, and on the sidelines, they sure as can have someone dressed that way running around with a Notre Dame flag. If you don't think the Irish weren't persecuted at all in history, now may be a good time to pull out a history book. Both in the UK and in the United States the Irish have been treated like 2nd class citizens for the past 1100 years, and I would bet a dollar that there are Irish out there that ar

Before construction on the Ralph Engelstad Arena was completed, the primary benefactor, Ralph Engelstad, indicated he would withdraw all funding if UND’s Fighting Sioux nickname were ever changed. Both he and his wife Betty have since passed on, and of course, the arena is finished. Mr. Englestad’s condition of keeping “Fighting Sioux” intact was agreed upon when the university accepted the money.

If I were an Engelstad heir, I would not remain silent.

The way I see this is the NCAA has their own issues with racism and prejudice. How can they justify allowing one top school to have a name like "Fighting Irish" and demand that another school eliminate their "Fighting Sioux" name. How dare they!!!! The proud Sioux people in ND and the North Dakotans that support them are just as honorable and deserving as the proud Irish of Notre Dame University. It really makes me sick that they are so discriminating.

How about leaving the NCAA and retaining the nickname?

Schedule Canadian university hockey teams for season play and forget about these idiots in the NCAA. Why should they even care? What kind of nonsense are they foisting onto the citizens of North Dakota and UND. Shame on them for abusing people in such a crass and cruel way. Take it some place else, please.

No need to whip the dead horse to death.

Actually, the Irish and the Scandinavians to a lesser extent faced a considerable amount of discrimination in the United States. To say there's no history of that kind of thing just isn't true.

But please see my original comment about being an adult with some perspective...

Why would anyone name their sports team after something they dislike or despise?

I have Irish and Swedish blood.

However, I dont use them as part of my being an American.

The Irish and Swedes have both been treated as second-class citizens, by those who were here longer than they had been, along with lots of others.

I got used to the jokes, and even tell some of them.

Why are Americans with European backgrounds so upset about the name of a school mascot, or a professional team mascot?

I have known a pretty good number of American Indians, and most all of them made jokes about their backgrounds.

It is something people do.

Jewish commedians tell more jokes about being Jewish than anyone does.

It is well past time for those of us with white skin to quit trying to pretend we are concerned about the "feelings" of those who are do not look like us, and let the teams do what they want to.

If a mascot is a problem, let the people effected deal with it.

Political Correctness will not ever solve any racial problems, but may make them worse.

A bison isn't a human being like the Fighting Sioux figurehead, though.

Just for argument's sake ... I'm primarily of Scandinavian and Irish descent and have never been overly offended by the Minnesota Vikings or Notre Dame's Fighting Irish nickname. On the other hand, none of my relatives walk around wearing horned helmets or looking like leprechauns. There also isn't the same history of racism and cultural appropriation, etc., with the Scandinavians and the Irish that there is with Native Americans.

I know the other side of it is that some tribal members in the state see it as an honor and want to keep the nickname.

I'm a UND alumnus. I've always liked the Sioux sports team name as I am partial to naming things in a way that reflects something that is locally significant.

To the point about real bison not feeling insulted about the chants, we should approach this with an eye for context and understanding. Certainly no real bison would feel offended by the insults chanted from the stands, but the flipside of that example asks if anyone thinks for a moment that any of those slurs are meant to be directed toward actual bison. The answer, of course, is "no".

I would like to think that everyone could be adult enough to deal with this issue thusly. Apparently, this has not been the case.