Tribe Choose More Sensitive Athletic Logo: To appease the NCAA and satisfy its political correctness mandate, William and Mary is eliminating the two feathers in its athletics logo. Although the NCAA ruled that William and Mary’s Tribe nickname was acceptable, it decided that that the two feathers in the school’s logo were not. The NCAA’s findings were a result of a 2004 review of the use of American Indian mascots, nicknames and imagery that could be “hostile or abusive.” The university also an-nounced that a new logo will be developed before the start of the fall 2007 semester.
University President Gene Nichol was not happy with the ruling, saying “it is galling that a university with such a consistent and compelling record of doing intercollegiate athlet-ics the right way is threatened with punishment by an organization whose house, simply put, is not in order.” Despite his anger, Nichol, after consulting with the college’s Board of Visitors, decided that legal action to fight the ruling was not worth the monetary costs, time, effort and missed opportunities for student-athletes.
Failing to comply with the ruling would prevent William and Mary from hosting a game in postseason play or using the feathered logo during postseason play. The school also cited other ramifications of an appeals process that would not be consistent with the university’s mission.
[10/13/06]
