INDIANAPOLIS - Bradley and North Dakota will be able to keep their American Indian nicknames during NCAA postseason play this season, but still might lose them in the future.
The NCAA's executive committee did not make a final decision regarding either school's appeal during a meeting Monday, allowing Bradley to remain the Braves and North Dakota to keep its Fighting Sioux nickname at least until the panel's next meeting April 27.
The ban on the postseason names, which was to take effect Feb. 1, also would have eliminated both schools from hosting postseason tournaments,
Bradley and North Dakota were among 18 schools deemed by the NCAA in August to have nicknames, mascots or logos that are "hostile or abusive" to American Indians, and both schools appealed.
An NCAA staff review committee rejected bids by both schools to be removed from the list, so they appealed to the executive committee.
"North Dakota will be held harmless through the April meeting, and the same approach will be taken to Bradley because there was an inability to complete the discussion and a decision wasn't reached," NCAA president Myles Brand said.
Good news, for now.
Meanwhile people here in North Dakota who are opposed to the nickname continue to try and make their point using crude and inappropriate signs made by UND students/fans. I think that's more than a little unfair.
The official university logo, visible here, is not offensive at all. Nor are any of the slogans ("Fighting Sioux," etc.) used by the university. Do some overly enthusiastic fans (both of UND and its rivals) get carried away and create tasteless and even racist merchandise and signs based on the Sioux nickname? You betcha. Should the University be held accountable for the actions of private citizens? Absolutely not.
Irish people do not get upset by the "Fighting Irish" logo used by Notre Dame. Nor do the descendents of homesteading farmers get upset at the "Cornhuskers" logo/nickname used by the University of Nebraska. As a descendent of Scandanavian immigrants I certainly am not upset by the "Vikings" logo/mascot used by Minnesota's NFL franchise.
As I've said before, mascots are a positive thing. There is nothing wrong with the Sioux logo. From this observers perspective, this controversy has more to do with politically correct zealots whipping up a bunch of faux outrage to justify their personal opinions.