In ongoing debate and aftermath of new state law that bans the Redskins nickname, one school has decided to become the first in the state to go without one while another will become the Reds. The other two are still deciding.
One of the four California high schools that is being forced by a new law to abandon its “Redskins” nickname has decided that instead of trying to come up with a new one will just go without.
Officials at Calaveras of San Andreas announced that decision earlier this week. And while it may be hard to get used to not using a nickname in stories about Calaveras High teams and athletes, by not having a mascot or nickname it seems that will also make it possible for the school to keep a lot of its imagery inside the gym and on signs and uniforms. It’s just the nickname that will have to be suspended.
It is believed that there is no other high school in the state that does not have a nickname/mascot. We have run across some newspapers in which no nicknames are used in conjunction with any high school sports teams.
One of the other schools in the state effected by the ban – Gustine – has decided to replace “Redskins” with “Reds.” According to the Merced Sun-Star, it was revealed by a local historian that Gustine went by the “Reds” for many years in the 1920s and 1930s but switched to “Redskins” in 1936 in the days when many Americans were fearful of communism.
Both Tulare and Chowchilla do not yet appear to have reached any definitive conclusions. Tulare may not switch until Jan. 1, 2017 when the new law officially goes into effect.
