Leading off today: A bit of news the other day reminded me that I had been keeping a list but allowing it to accumulate dust.
The story in question was about Liverpool's school board approving a change of the school's nickname from Warriors to Legends, effective after the current school year. The action was in response to the New York State Department of Education order in the spring of 2023 requiring all public schools to end the use of nicknames, mascots and logos that depict Native American culture.
As best I can tell, Liverpool is the second school to flip to the Legends moniker since the NYSED dictate was handed down, witch Letchworth earlier switching from its Indians mascot. However, I think the Legends name may have originated in New York with the emotionally charged decision by Lancaster in 2015 to drop is Redskins nickname.
Lancaster Legends. Letchworth Legends. Liverpool Legends. Notice how they all roll off the tongue?
By my count, more than 65 schools across the state have announced name changes since the NYSED decision. About two-thirds of them have switched away from Indians (31) or Warriors (13).
Interestingly, Hawks seem to be the new mascots of choice, with 10 districts opting for forms of Red Hawks or River Hawks, whether as one word or two. Among them are Iroquois and Nyack, whose connections to Native American history are obvious -- as are Hawks. Some tribes are said to regard hawks as guardian spirits and signs of good fortune.
Also popular in recent conversions: Eagles and variations of Wolves, including Timberwolves and Wolfpack.
There are still at least three districts that have not yet settled upon new names, and I believe there are still some unresolved legal challenges. I'll try to post the definitive list of changes in the near future.
Rough start to the season in Washington
With the new season barely underway, a Washington school district has been forced to
cancel multiple girls basketball games due to a shortage of referees and threats made against one of the schools.
The Edmonds School District rescheduled games set to take place on Wednesday involving the teams from three schools. One game, Kamiak vs. Meadowdale, was called off due to threats of violence made against Kamiak earlier in the day.
The district's AD is hoping for a quick solution to the combination of officials being stretched thin on game coverage and assignors not being able to get available referees to the right games.
Just when you thought you'd heard it all
A former Oklahoma coach is under investigation over allegations that he made "sexual deals" with the moms of his high school football for more playing time,
KNWA-TV reported.
Greg Werner resigned as head coach at Poteau High School, 200 miles east of Oklahoma City, four days before the first game of the 2024 season. The report said the Oklahoma State Board of Education had been collecting files and audio and video recordings related to Werner.
A subpoena served upon the Poteau Independent School District referenced allegations from a current or former player that Werner had sent chat messages detailing "sexual activities he wants to do with the player's mom and was bragging about how many other women/players mothers he had been with.”
The player's statement asserted Werner "has made sexual deals with player moms which was resulting in playing time for their sons."
The Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee the Pirates to the Class 4A state championship in 2019 and was in his second stint with Poteau.
