Putting the Moccasin on the Other Foot: A Media History of the “Fighting Whities”

Abstract

The use of American Indian mascots or symbols for professional and collegiate sports teams has stirred considerable controversy in recent years because Native Americans in North America maintain that such symbols and mascots are stereotypical and dehumanizing. In 2002, an intramural basketball team in Colorado decided to change its name to the “Fighting Whites” as a parody of the name “Fighting Reds,” used by a nearby high school. This article analyzes the rhetorical nature of the “Fighting Whites” (or, as they also were known, “Fighting Whities”) short but meteoric journey in both print and electronic media.