MetroWest Daily News
Friday, January 19, 2007

Town of champions

Some point to the fact that some teams retain Native American mascots. However, the goal of professional sports teams, e.g., the Washington Redskins, etc., is to entertain and make money.

The goal of schools is to educate.

The National Congress of American Indians "denounces the use of any American Indian name or artifice associated with Indian mascots" (See the Natick Tab and Bulletin article, Dec. 29, 2006).

The NCAA has taken a similar position. Many colleges have rid themselves of Indian logos. Native Americans are no more red than the Colonists were pale faced ("Where a Paleface comes a Red Red man cannot stay," James Fenimore Cooper, see World Book Dictionary).

Change is difficult. A change of the Natick High School mascot is, however, appropriate. It should be welcomed without, shall we say, reservations.

One possibility is the logo "Champions" — Natick is the home of Champions. This logo would also be a way of recognizing other departments of Natick High School who work hard and even excel and whose hard work and achievements are sometimes drowned out by the hoopla of athletics. Go Champs!

PATRICK DAVIS
Natick