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Back in 2005 the NCAA went after 19 colleges and universities who had what they considered "hostile and abusive" logos and mascots "demeaning" to American Indians. Most schools jumped on the PC bandwagon without a fight, but a few like the Florida State Seminoles were able to get tribal approval and keep their nickname. The Univ. of North Dakota has been using the Fighting Sioux moniker since 1930 when it replaced the "Flickertails", whatever a flickertail is. In 1969 the Sioux tribes of ND had no problem with the school's logo in an agreement providing educational benefits for native Sioux in the state.
In 2009, the NCAA threatened to bar UND from hosting tournament play unless they once again garnered support from the Sioux. For a school that has won seven Div I NCAA Hockey titles and placed 2nd five times, along with three NCAA Womens Basketball titles, that kinda sucks and could potentially cost a lot of money. Matters got worse when one of the two tribal councils refused to honor their 1969 agreement - the leaders of the dissenting council had their own agenda and wouldn't even put it up for a vote, knowing that it would pass. Bending to PC pressure that never really existed from the majority of Sioux, UND agreed to drop the name in 2010. But the fight wasn't over - less than a year later a pissed off state legislature passed a law requiring the nickname be retained. The law was repealed seven months later after pressure from the Board of Higher Education and just in time for the NCAA playoffs.
A petition to repeal the repeal of the state law was held this week and the citizens of ND, including many native Sioux, voted overwhelmingly to put the issue up for a statewide vote. Part of that vote stipulates that the law go back in effect while the state gears up for this crucial referendum that has cost millions of taxpayer money and wasted a tremendous amount of everyone's time. In response the NCAA reaffirmed its position that the school will not be able to host or display the Fighting Sioux logo at NCAA tournaments... so nothing has really changed in seven years. But it's good to see the public take a stand against ridiculous PC maneuvers by a couple of asshole institutions like the NCAA and the state Board of Higher Education. Go Fighting Sioux!
