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Talking Points: Fighting Sioux vs. Fighting Irish

The Columbian
Published: March 1, 2012, 12:00am

1

University of North Dakota teams risk forfeiting any postseason games if their teams, cheerleaders or band wear or display the school’s Fighting Sioux nickname and American Indian head logo, an NCAA official said Wednesday.

Bernard Franklin, an NCAA executive vice president, said in a letter to university provost Paul LeBel that the university “must forfeit competition” if “it has not adhered to this requirement” in any postseason games that UND teams have been invited to play in.

The NCAA has long said the nickname and logo are “hostile and abusive” to American Indians and that the Grand Forks school’s teams may not wear uniforms that have the nickname or logo during post-season contests. But the Franklin letter’s mention of forfeiting games is a new development.

Talking Points applauds the NCAA for its show of high morality and hopes that it holds other universities with similar nicknames to the same principled standards like, for instance, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

2

It figures to be an exciting weekend for Clark County teams at the high school state basketball tournaments.

And if you believe one high school prognosticator, it could be a really exciting weekend for local teams at the Tacoma Dome.

Doug Pacey of the Tacoma News-Tribune is predicting that all three Clark County teams will be playing for a state championship on Saturday in Tacoma the Union boys and Skyview girls in Class 4A and the Prairie girls in Class 3A.

Additionally, Pacey predicts the Prairie girls to beat Kamiakin of Kennewick for the 3A state championship. No such title predictions for Union or Skyview, however.

Also, the Seattle Times predicts a 3A state championship for the Prairie girls. Union and Skyview did not fare as well in the Times’ predictions as both teams are picked to lose their quarterfinal games on Thursday.

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