Sadly I’m not at all surprised SOME people are offended by the Notre Dame mascot and nickname.
Some people also have enough time on their hands to complain and moan about a mascot but don’t use any time to actually research said mascot or team nickname. They’d instead rather be upset and distraught than listening for a minute and perhaps learning a thing or two.
That’s not to take anything away from some of the egregious mockeries sports have made with names, logos and mascots over time. The Washington Football Team’s old nickname, Cleveland Indians former logo, and Marquette University’s appalling old mascot were all called out until changed and rightfully so. Each of those examples were done to make a mockery of a certain group of people and that can’t be denied.
The Notre Dame leprechaun mascot however?
Since it was just named the fourth most-offensive mascot in college sports let’s go over just a few things to see just how “offensive” the mascot and Fighting Irish names are.
*-please note that all bold type below is taken from Dana Hunsinger Benbow’s recent piece for the Indianapolis Star