Valpo drops "Crusaders"

[ZiggysFryBoy]

Valpo is now "The Beacons."  https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/2021/08/10/valparaiso-university-mascot-change-crusaders-now-beacons/5554060001/

I hope nobody complains that a Beacon/Lighthouse may have been used to guide ships carrying slaves into port and they have to drop it as a school in Oregon did with an evergreen tree:  https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/503434-403207-portland-school-fears-evergreens-mascot-tied-to-lynching-

Phallic symbol represents toxic masculinity.

[The Sultan]

Not sure what Valpo has to do with a lighthouse but whatever.

[tower912]

I would guess it has something to do with Beacons for the rest of the world.   Role models.

[lawdog77]

I misread it, and thought they changed their name to the Bacons.

[Pakuni]

I misread it, and thought they changed their name to the Bacons.

That would be way better.

[JWags85]

The name is ehhh, the logo is horrible generic schlock.  Looks like clip art.

I personally think they should have went with "Worms" and got real deep and cheeky with their roots.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

I misread it, and thought they changed their name to the Bacons.

Valpo can fry their opponents.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

Valpo is now "The Beacons."  https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/2021/08/10/valparaiso-university-mascot-change-crusaders-now-beacons/5554060001/

I hope nobody complains that a Beacon/Lighthouse may have been used to guide ships carrying slaves into port and they have to drop it as a school in Oregon did with an evergreen tree:  https://pamplinmedia.com/pt/9-news/503434-403207-portland-school-fears-evergreens-mascot-tied-to-lynching-

Some context. The schools namesake is Ida Wells, a Black activist/journalist whose most famous work surrounded exposing the practice of lynching in the south. Speculation on my part,  but the perceived connection to lynching probably doesn't get made if Wells wasn't the namesake. The article also mentioned that Wells' descendants shared the concern. I feel like it's reasonable to take into account the perspective of your namesakes family when making a decision like this.

Personally I think it's a stretch,  but I don't see the harm in listening to the family. After all, we're not talking anything important here.  It's a high school mascot. It's not even changing the name of a current mascot where you can at least argue emotional connection and history.  They are choosing between 5 possible new names. What harm is there if they go with the second choice instead of the first?

[tower912]

The university was tired of hate groups using and co-opting 'Crusaders.'

University motto "In thy light we see light."    Beacons tracks with that.

[vogue65]

Why mascots?
Why nick names?

"The Marquette University mens basketball team won a close game last night 88 to 86 against XYZ University at pick a city."

"The Marquette ( Hilltoppers, Warriors, Golden Eagles, Gold, Jebbies ) mens basketball team won a close game last night 88 to 86 against the  XYZ University ( Snakes, Leprechauns, Mountainmen, River Rats) at the ( Pick a food, insurance company, computer company, airline, whatever) arena.

Just the facts mam, just the facts.

[HouWarrior]

Milw Lutheran High (on grantosa next to the round greek church by frank lloyd wright) are the Red Knights...a mounted knight decked out as a crusader.

As I recall we lutherans in the 60s had no problem with the crusades, including as they taught us a positive spin history of them in our lutheran grade school. Onward Christian Soldiers was a popular lutheran Hymn I was told was about Crusaders.

Back then we had not heard of Jihad , except as a punchline to some ethnic joke, like: "Boy Jihad a couple biguns dontcha no."

A grade school friend Tom Horne, ended up as head football coach for 10 years at Valpo.  Jim Tressel was a friend to Tom and he'd get referrals of guys that weren't good enough for OSU. I think Tom is now at Tosa East.

Valpo is a nice school ( the law school always was a bit of a reach, tho). Like most lutheran schools I knew of in my youth,  Valpo is likely strapped. Lots have closed.

[muwarrior69]

Sigh.

Brave is a generic term for a Native American Warrior.

Crusader is specific terms for a group of Christian Warriors whose sole purpose was to take land from and kill non-Christians. And yes, the first Crusade was born out of an alliance between Byzantium and the Pope but the tactics used to recruit for the crusades was to bastardize the Christian faith and demonize people of other religions and subsequent crusades had nothing to do with an alliance with Byzantium.

It's not about violence. It's not about finding a profession that has never had a member do something bad (they don't exist). It's about not honoring a profession that was created out of hatred for and for the purpose of killing people of other religions.

The name Braves is more comparable to Knights, which no reasonable person has an issue with. Many braves and knights did terrible things but it was not the one thing they were known for. Crusaders would be more akin to a Native American serving institution naming themselves after a specific group of Native American warriors who was specifically trained to kill white settlers (I'm not sure if there was a named group like this).

The Crusades is not something Christians should take pride in. It was a low point in the history of our faith. That is indisputable.

So the Atlanta baseball team can keep Braves, but somehow Indians is a pejorative in Cleveland?

[WarriorFan]

This whole issue is getting annoying.  Offense is the choice of the offended.  You can also ignore, or just not care. 

If this goes much further, schools will just have to switch to a numbering system.

"School Wisconsin 1 defeated School Illinois 13 by a score of 86-85 in a thriller last night"

[TSmith34, Inc.]

This whole issue is getting annoying.  Offense is the choice of the offended.  You can also ignore, or just not care. 

If this goes much further, schools will just have to switch to a numbering system.

"School Wisconsin 1 defeated School Illinois 13 by a score of 86-85 in a thriller last night"

Yeah, not really, no.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

So the Atlanta baseball team can keep Braves, but somehow Indians is a pejorative in Cleveland?

Go back and read the post I was responding to (it was one of yours).

I believe both Cleveland and Atlanta should change their mascots. 1 down,  1 to go.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

This whole issue is getting annoying.  Offense is the choice of the offended.  You can also ignore, or just not care. 

If this goes much further, schools will just have to switch to a numbering system.

"School Wisconsin 1 defeated School Illinois 13 by a score of 86-85 in a thriller last night"

Being offended is not a choice. What to do with that feeling (ignoring, saying something,  etc) is a choice.

Slippery slope is a logical fallacy. There are literally thousands of mascots that no reasonable person would have an issue with.

[The Sultan]

Milw Lutheran High (on grantosa next to the round greek church by frank lloyd wright) are the Red Knights...a mounted knight decked out as a crusader.

As I recall we lutherans in the 60s had no problem with the crusades, including as they taught us a positive spin history of them in our lutheran grade school. Onward Christian Soldiers was a popular lutheran Hymn I was told was about Crusaders.

Back then we had not heard of Jihad , except as a punchline to some ethnic joke, like: "Boy Jihad a couple biguns dontcha no."

A grade school friend Tom Horne, ended up as head football coach for 10 years at Valpo.  Jim Tressel was a friend to Tom and he'd get referrals of guys that weren't good enough for OSU. I think Tom is now at Tosa East.

Valpo is a nice school ( the law school always was a bit of a reach, tho). Like most lutheran schools I knew of in my youth,  Valpo is likely strapped. Lots have closed.

Valpo tried to sell their law school to Middle Tennessee a couple years ago. Yeah they aren't doing well.

[muwarrior69]

I guess it was going to happen at some point.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/notre-dame-defense-leprechaun-mascot-offensive

[Galway Eagle]

I guess it was going to happen at some point.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/notre-dame-defense-leprechaun-mascot-offensive

Yes! Get rid of that stupid character!

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I guess it was going to happen at some point.

https://www.foxnews.com/sports/notre-dame-defense-leprechaun-mascot-offensive

As much as I hate to agree with Notre Dame, I do. They were a traditional Irish-serving institution back when that was significant. That is very different from a university that serves and has always served primarily White students naming themselves after Native Americans.

[Dr. Blackheart]

As much as I hate to agree with Notre Dame, I do. They were a traditional Irish-serving institution back when that was significant. That is very different from a university that serves and has always served primarily White students naming themselves after Native Americans.

I think the mad drunk (fighting, red face) stereotype is offensive. Just because it's a white Northern European doesn't make it right. While ND has tried to modernize things, I am hard pressed to think of any major college or sports team with a nickname or image named after an ethnic group than those cited.

Thankfully, the Coachella HS Arabs just changed their name.

https://www.masonreport.com/sports/2017/8/29/top-5-worst-hs-mascots

[Galway Eagle]

As much as I hate to agree with Notre Dame, I do. They were a traditional Irish-serving institution back when that was significant. That is very different from a university that serves and has always served primarily White students naming themselves after Native Americans.

While you are correct about some of this Notre Dames main defense has always been "we've turned these offensive symbols around on our oppressors" but that defense only works if everyone who's offended by these symbols cheers for Notre Dame. Otherwise, you have an institution that no longer primarily serves an Irish education outlet (they don't even support a GAA club) that is using an offensive mascot to those that aren't affiliated with the university.

[TAMU, Knower of Ball]

I think the mad drunk (fighting, red face) stereotype is offensive. Just because it's a white Northern European doesn't make it right. While ND has tried to modernize things, I am hard pressed to think of any major college or sports team with a nickname or image named after an ethnic group than those cited.

Thankfully, the Coachella HS Arabs just changed their name.

https://www.masonreport.com/sports/2017/8/29/top-5-worst-hs-mascots

It has nothing to do with it being White Northern European. I would also support a native serving institution naming themselves redskins or using some other stereotypical imagery.

[The Sultan]

It has nothing to do with it being White Northern European. I would also support a native serving institution naming themselves redskins or using some other stereotypical imagery.

I would not.  Such nicknames and imagery can offend more people than simply those attending that school.

[lawdog77]

It has nothing to do with it being White Northern European. I would also support a native serving institution naming themselves redskins or using some other stereotypical imagery.

What about a HBCU college naming themselves the N word?