Trail of Tears in Sports

Sometimes an ethnic group or philosophical belief is so minoritized that the majority doesn't even notice the insult. For example, atheists have no right to be free of pervasive American deism.

So with Native Americans. BrooklynDodger has been told the sports blogs are sizzling with complains about the NCAA cracking down on racist portrayals, or maybe just ripping off of Native Americans as college "mascots."

For most red-blooded sports fans, the inconvenience of college athletics is the academic environment of the college in the first place. Grades are such an inconvenience for fielding a winning team. Worse, the place is full of professors and other holders of graduate degrees; the university administration is constantly bending over to the demands of these people. Even in places like Florida and Oklahoma.

Billions of dollars of public money are sunk in these universities, and controlled by this noisy minority that disrespects the values of the American people. Like these people not only hold the minority belief in evolution by natural selection, but seek to prevent the teaching of creationism or intelligent design in the schools.

Almost as elitist is the idea that Native American exploitation is OK. As noted below, some Seminole tribal leaders have supported Florida State in retaining their imagery.

The Trail of Tears refers most specifically to the removal of Cherokee people from Georgia to Oklahoma, then known as the Indian Territory. Many other tribes in the southeastern United States also were subject to ethnic cleansing by white European immigrant populations.

The 2000 census reports 2.4 million Native Americans, of whom about 28,000 are Seminole. BrooklynDodger gave up at figuring out home many of the Seminole are in Florida. A brief account of Seminole history is below, taken from a PBS posting:

The First Seminole War lasted from 1817 to 1818. The Seminoles were aided by fugitive slaves who had found protection among them and had been living with them for years. The presence of the fugitives enraged white planters and fueled their desire to defeat the Seminoles.

...

In 1830, just a year after taking office, Jackson pushed a new piece of legislation called the "Indian Removal Act" through both houses of Congress. It gave the president power to negotiate removal treaties with Indian tribes living east of the Mississippi. Under these treaties, the Indians were to give up their lands east of the Mississippi in exchange for lands to the west. Those wishing to remain in the east would become citizens of their home state. This act affected not only the southeastern nations, but many others further north. The removal was supposed to be voluntary and peaceful, and it was that way for the tribes that agreed to the conditions. But the southeastern nations resisted, and Jackson forced them to leave.

...

For the next 28 years, the United States government struggled to force relocation of the southeastern nations. A small group of Seminoles was coerced into signing a removal treaty in 1833, but the majority of the tribe declared the treaty illegitimate and refused to leave. The resulting struggle was the Second Seminole War, which lasted from 1835 to 1842. As in the first war, fugitive slaves fought beside the Seminoles who had taken them in. Thousands of lives were lost in the war, which cost the Jackson administration approximately 40 to 60 million dollars -- ten times the amount it had allotted for Indian removal. In the end, most of the Seminoles moved to the new territory. The few who remained had to defend themselves in the Third Seminole War (1855-58), when the U.S. military attempted to drive them out. Finally, the United States paid the remaining Seminoles to move west.

BrooklynDodger wonders whether the "Seminole Tribe of Florida" derives any benefit from the use of their name by Florida State? Royalties from sale of tee-shirts? Tickets to games for tribal leaders? Set aside admissions?

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Another interesting note is that several of the institutions being forced to divest appear to be historically black colleges.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
NCAA Takes Hard Line On Mascots
It Wants to End Use Of Indian Images

By Eric Prisbell
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday,

August 6, 2005; Page E01

The NCAA will prohibit college athletic teams that use Native American images deemed "hostile or abusive" from hosting postseason events or displaying the symbols during championship competition.

The policy, announced yesterday, will affect at least 18 schools the NCAA said use derogatory references, including the Florida State Seminoles and the Illinois Fighting Illini, two schools whose programs consistently have competed in NCAA championship events.

The list of schools affected by the NCAA's decision Friday about Native American Indian mascots and nicknames:

Alcorn State University (Braves)
Central Michigan University (Chippewas)
Catawba College (Indians)
Florida State University (Seminoles)
Midwestern State University (Indians)
University of Utah (Utes)
Indiana University-Pennsylvania (Indians)
Carthage College (Redmen)
Bradley University (Braves)
Arkansas State University (Indians)
Chowan College (Braves)
University of Illinois (Illini)
University of Louisiana-Monroe (Indians)
McMurry University (Indians)
Mississippi College (Choctaws)
Newberry College (Indians)
University of North Dakota (Fighting Sioux)
Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Savages)
...

Florida State President T.K. Wetherell said in a statement that the university is "stunned at the complete lack of appreciation for cultural diversity shown by the" NCAA and that he intends to pursue "all legal avenues to ensure that this unacceptable decision is overturned."

...
The issue remains particularly controversial regarding Florida State, because the Seminole Tribe of Florida has expressed support for Florida State's use of its nickname and related symbols.

"That the NCAA would now label our close bond with the Seminole Tribe of Florida as culturally 'hostile and abusive' is both outrageous and insulting," Wetherell said. " . . . It is unconscionable that the Seminole Tribe of Florida has been ignored.
...
As NCAA officials point out, however, not all tribes support Florida State's use of its nickname and mascot, the horseback riding Chief Osceola. In fact, the Seminole Tribe of Oklahoma has expressed opposition to the school's use of symbols.

"It came to our attention that there are other Seminole tribes . . . that are not supportive," said Charlotte Westerhaus, the NCAA's vice president for diversity and inclusion. "So it is a very complex issue."

...
In November 2004, the NCAA requested that 33 schools submit a self-study to examine the use of Native American images on their campuses. Brand said yesterday that not every use of a Native American nickname proved to be derogatory and subject to postseason removal.