Hank writes:
 
>                  Minnesota won't play home games vs. non-league
>schools with the Indian mascots. Wisconsin won't play
>non-conference home or road except against rival Marquette
>(Warriors).
>
>  Does this impact the hockey program?
 
As I recall, it does not.  Minnesota and Wisconsin will still be playing the
North Dakota Fighting Sioux four times a year, because North Dakota is a
league opponent.  In theory, the Gophers and Badgers won't be scheduling
games against non-league opponents which have Native American nicknames, but
since WCHA teams generally have very few non-league games anyway, that won't
have much of an impact.
 
Mike writes:
 
>I just thought of this...can anyone explain why Wisconsin's own
>tournament, the Badger Showdown, will include this season a team
>with a Native American nickname - Alaska-Fairbanks?  Is it a case of
>"Nanooks" not being considered offensive, or is this policy slated to
>take effect *after* the upcoming season (possibly because schedules had
>already been agreed upon)?
 
The policy is supposed to take effect "after current contracts expire."  So
apparently it's OK for games that have previously been scheduled to take
place (which I suppose is fair).  As for whether "Nanooks" would fall under
this new culturally-aware policy, I've no idea.
--
Bill Fenwick
Cornell '86 and probably '94
LET'S GO RED!!
"If Casey Stengel were alive today, he'd be spinning in his grave."
-- Ralph Kiner, WWOR baseball announcer, during a Mets game some years ago