A College Bonding over a Symbol

There is no I in Mascot:

A College Bonding Over a Symbol

Florida State University has always had a fighting Seminole as their mascot. It is one of the most well-known mascots in college sports. The NCAA or National Collegiate Athletic Association has recently enacted a new rule banning any mascot, nickname, or imagery that might be seen as offensive to Native American tribes. Florida State University is one of 18 institutions that have been cited for breaking this new rule. It is understandable what the NCAA is trying to accomplish by enforcing this rule, but the Florida State family has been collectively known as the fighting Seminoles and it is hard to think of them any other way. The idea of being part of something as large as the Florida State family is something that the students, faculty, and fans can bond over.

Joe LaPointe once wrote, "Not every university enjoys a harmonious relationship with Indians, but a sense of cooperation seems to permeate the Florida State campus" "Bonding over a Mascot" It is true that many fans of a team associate themselves with the same identity as the teams mascot. It is much more than just the fans that are part of the Seminole family at Florida State University. The students and faculty make up a large group that is proud to call themselves Seminoles. When the NCAA decided to ban them from using the Seminole mascot from sporting events, the Florida State President T.K. Wetherell went on the offensive. He went to the Native American Seminole Nation to receive permission to continue to use the Seminole mascot.

The Seminole tribe approved for many reasons, one of which being that the Florida State Campus is located in the capital. The tribe decided to use the mascot to their own advantage as a way of keeping the Seminole Nations name alive and popular so they could then use it as a marketing tool. Wetherell had once said the tribal leaders are great businessmen "Bonding over a Mascot" The tribe had recently purchased Hard Rock International-the music themed chain of casinos, hotels, and restaurants. With the new acquisition already turning over a large profit the tribe decided the Seminole name would help the company even more.

With the permission of the Seminole tribe, Florida State University along with four other schools has been granted the right to continue their use of their mascots by the NCAA. This was a sigh of relief for Toni Sanchez-a student at Florida State University. She has both Hispanic and Seminole ancestry and was against the NCAA's banning of the school's mascot. She said, "After all those years of diseases, occupation, and war, we're still here. I refuse to believe that a silly mascot will take us down" "Bonding over a Mascot". It is easy to see that to this student the sense of pride of her heritage is overwhelming compared