Our good friend Peter Wood, whose book Diversity: The Invention of a Concept is a delight to read, has contributed a splendid essay to NRO Online in which he connects with a series of jabs to the chin of the NCAA’s committee that proclaimed taboo all team names that might offend any “native American.” (I think of myself as a native American, but some natives are more native than others.)
If you looked for a while, I bet you could find some people around here who are offended by such names as “Wolfpack,” “Tar Heels,” and “Blue Devils.” Besides that, some schools might come up with snazzier names than others, even if not offensive to some multicultural diversity celebrant. That could make some fans feel bad. Let’s just mandate generic terms, such as “the football team from North Carolina State” and cut the Gordian Knot.