The long march forward through offensive sports team nicknames continued Tuesday. Valparaiso, a private Lutheran university in Valparaiso, Ind., did away with its Crusaders nickname, seen by woke school officials as too violent and oppressive.
The Crusaders nickname made Valparaiso leaders and media think of violence and “aggressive religious oppression.” The school’s recent basketball foes certainly haven’t been feeling threatened by the Crusaders though. Valparaiso has had losing seasons in three of the past four years, including 10-18 this past winter. The program is best known for its stunning buzzer-beating victory as a No. 13 seed over No. 4 Mississippi in 1998.
The outgoing nickname also just wasn’t inclusive enough either. “The negative connotation and violence associated with the Crusader imagery are not reflective of Valpo’s mission and values, which promote a welcoming and inclusive community,” woke interim president Colette Irwin-Knott said, via The Associated Press. “This is the decision that best reflects our values and community.”
MSN Sports went back to the dark ages to further muddy the Indiana university’s nickname:
“The Crusades were a series of wars between Christians and Muslims in the 11th, 12th and 13th centuries used to secure control of holy sites and land in Europe and the Middle East. Various hate groups, including the Ku Klux Klan, have used crusaders symbols and words ever since.”
Valparaiso has adopted the new nickname of Beacons with an inclusive lighthouse logo. The Cleveland Indians baseball team recently announced a change in their nickname to Guardians, which is a bridge in the city. No one will ever have to worry about bridges and lighthouses attacking them or limiting inclusiveness.
Irwin-Knott announced last February that a change would be forthcoming because hate groups are associating with the word Crusaders. “Unfortunately, the Crusader and its symbols related to the Crusades have been embraced and displayed by hate groups. In fact, a newspaper of the K.K.K. carries the name The Crusader, and this is not something we want to be connected with Valparaiso University in any way.”
Joe Kinsey, a writer for Outkick, took exception to Irwin-Knott’s remarks.:
“Right, because the first thing people thought of when they heard of the Valparaiso Crusaders was a KKK newspaper. It’s sorta like people in Minnesota thinking the use of 'master bedroom' in a real estate listing is a huge trigger.”
Valparaiso University actually does have a historical connection with the KKK, but it has nothing to do with the Crusaders nickname. In 1923, it was faced with financial shortcomings and forced to sell. The KKK attempted to purchase the college, but lacked the financial resources to seal the deal. Two years later, a Lutheran group acquired the college.
Valparaiso’s mascot had long been a person adorned in a helmet and fake armor. This fearsome figure will no longer strike terror in the school's faculty and student senates because both groups passed resolutions demanding the safer, more inclusive mascot. The university's alumni board of directors rubber stamped the change, freeing the university of its warlike and oppressive imagery.
