Chiefs country no more

Last Tuesday I walked into the gymnasium of Oshawa Central Collegiate Institute where I play basketball with a great group of friends. We've been playing now for years but something about the gym was different on this night.

The floor was shining like a top for one thing. The custodians had buffed it to the point where you could almost see your reflection in it. But there was something else different -- the space on the wall above the bleachers was bare where once it boasted 'CHIEFS COUNTRY'. That's because Central's sports teams have always been called the Chiefs. At centre court there was also a school crest where once a Chiefs logo was painted.

Apparently Central is no longer Chiefs Country as the school has erased the Chiefs moniker. When I asked one of my colleagues, who's a teacher at the school, what the new name was for the school's sports teams he didn't know.

I realize in this era of political correctness some people might take offense to the term Chiefs. Others though see Chiefs as a powerful name, one of pride, leadership and courage.

Indeed, you don't have to look very far, even in Durham Region, to find aboriginal logos and names on sports jerseys. The Brooklin Redmen are one of the areas more popular lacrosse teams.

In the NFL there are the Washington Redskins, in Major League Baseball there are the Cleveland Indians and the Atlanta Braves and the NHL has the Chicago Blackhawks who sport the best uniforms in hockey as far as I'm concerned (I can admit this despite being a life-long Leaf fan!).

Many of the colleges in Ontario are named after aboriginal tribes such as Algonquin, Seneca and Mohawk. These names were chosen for their strength and a tribute to the founding people of this province. It would be a shame if they were ever changed due to political correctness.
By no means does any team or school adopt a native name or logo to insult aboriginal culture. I always liked the 'Chiefs Country' warning painted on the gymnasium wall at Central. It told opposing teams they better watch out because Central was going to put a beating on them. Over the years many of the school's teams have won LOSSA and OFFSA championships.

Did the school go too far erasing the name? Or was it time to head in a different direction? I'm a traditionalist and didn't think Chiefs was insulting to anyone native or otherwise. I'll be interested to see what Central sports teams are called  in the future.