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发帖数: 29846 | 1 California governor bans Redskins name at public schools
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Four California high schools will be forced to change
mascots after Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation barring public schools
from using the Redskins name for sports teams.
It was one of three sports-related bills approved by Brown in the last week.
He also signed a measure that bans players and coaches from using smokeless
tobacco at professional baseball parks and another that recognizes
competitive cheerleading as a high school sport.
The mascot legislation signed Sunday will prevent public schools from using
a term that American Indians regard as offensive and goes into effect in
2017.
Only four public schools still use the name, including Tulare Union High
south of Fresno. Dr. Sarah Koligian, superintendent of Tulare Joint Union
High School District, said officials were "disappointed" by Brown's decision
but will change their team name.
"We will adhere to the law as it is written," Koligian said in a statement
Monday. "Together with our Board of Trustees, school community and our
Tulare community we will seek their input to determine our new mascot."
American Indian groups have protested the name's continued use amid their
court fight with the NFL's Washington Redskins. A federal panel ruled last
year that the team's trademark should be canceled, but the team is
challenging that decision in court. Washington owner Dan Snyder is facing
unprecedented opposition from those who consider his team's name a racial
slur.
"This landmark legislation eliminating the R-word in California schools
clearly demonstrates that this issue is not going away, and that opposition
to the Washington team on this issue is only intensifying," said Evan
Nierman, founder of the group Change The Mascot, which supported the bill. "
The NFL should act immediately to press the team to change the name."
California schools Gustine High in Merced County, Calaveras High in
Calaveras County and Chowchilla Union High in Madera County also use the
name. Messages seeking comment from school officials were not immediately
returned Monday, a federal holiday.
The measure Brown approved Sunday that bars players and coaches from using
— or even having — smokeless tobacco on the playing field at ballparks
expands on local bans passed by San Francisco and Los Angeles. It wasn't
immediately clear how the statewide ban would be enforced.
Public health officials who backed the proposal cited the prevalence of
youths using smokeless tobacco, even while cigarette use drops. They say
smokeless products contribute to oral, pancreatic and esophageal cancers as
well as other diseases.
Major League Baseball said it supported banning smokeless tobacco when the
proposal was introduced earlier this year, but the league didn't immediately
comment on the statewide prohibition. Chewing tobacco, known as dipping, is
already prohibited in minor leagues.
The Los Angeles Dodgers issued a statement of support after city officials
approved a tobacco ban last month.
The push for the ban comes after the death last June of former San Diego
Padres All-Star Tony Gwynn, who believed his oral cancer was linked to
longtime use of chewing tobacco.
The governor also approved a bill last week that requires the California
Interscholastic Federation to oversee competitive cheerleading as it does
other high school sports by 2017-18.
The formal recognition will give cheerleading the respect and safety
standards that athletes deserve, said Democratic Assemblywoman Lorena
Gonzalez of San Diego, who introduced the bill. At least eight other states
treat competitive cheerleading as a sport, said Gonzalez, a former high
school and college cheerleader.
___
This story has been corrected to show the bills were approved recently, not
all on Sunday.
Source URL: http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/california-governor-bans-redskins-name-public-schools |
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