Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

This is a poll question that is a follow up to the discussion in this thread: http://www.chiefdelphi.com/forums/sh...hreadid=131460

A large percentage of athletic/sports teams are named and logo'd using a symbol that represents a fierce animal/competitor capable of vanquishing its opponent-- Lions, Tigers, Bears, Warriors, etc. Given FIRST's principles of Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition, is the use of such names and logos showing a fierce animal or similar instance contrary to FIRSTs mission?

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

"GP" means different things to different people.

Different grandmas have different opinions.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

What does it mean to you ? Looking for some discussion here.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

I think that the name does not reflect the team so it should not matter all that much. I think that the behavior of the team matters more and if they are overly aggressive, then it would not be very gracious at all. i know that gracious professionalism is something we should all follow it closely but this is also a competition and fierce names just sort of come with the sport.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

How you embody gracious professionalism as a person, and your attitudes towards your worthy opponents, matters a whole lot more than a name or logo.

But to me, professionalism means that striving to be anything other than your best is unacceptable. Names that reinforce this idea are just fine.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

Some (very, very few) high school mascots or nicknames are inappropriate for high schools. Those ones should be avoided. (Redskins, for instance). Otherwise, what's the problem?

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

You can practice GP and still have an animal mascot. You absolutely can be GP and embrace competition and victory. You can even still have GP and "vanquish" (in the sense of "defeat thoroughly") your opponents.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

Most FRC teams with this type of name are simply following suit with their school. I find that using the school's established mascot or a variation on it is a great way to get the rest of the school to treat the robotics team like any other team at the school, and not "those nerds that are always in the shop". I consider my team's decision to use a different name (before I was on it) from the school mascot as a mistake.

Regarding the names themselves, there shouldn't be a problem with a team calling themselves the Bears or the Velociraptors or the Raiders or anything they chose that isn't intentionally offensive to any group. I'm not going to judge a team based on their name, I'm going to judge them on their actions. I don't care if they're called the Fluffy Bunny Friends or the Velociraptor Bears. Also, I don't think this has anything to do with Gracious Professionalism, which is about doing your best work while being respectful to others, as I understand it.

EDIT: I read the thread you linked at the beginning, and this issue didn't come up.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

The poll choices are somewhat misleading. Lions and Tigers are do not have an inherent meaning to "conquer an opponent."

They have characteristics that a high school would like to have in their athletics and spirit - to be fierce, and have pride in the school, but nothing that says they have to "conquer their opponents."

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

There is nothing wrong with wanting to win the competition. It is NOT somehow ungracious or professional to do your best on the field in order to win.

GP has to do with helping teams do their best on the field. It does not mean that any team should somehow NOT want to win. It also does not mean that a team would somehow sacrifice their own alliance to help another alliance win.

Gracious Professionalism is primarily about what happens OFF the field. On rare occasions it spills over to the field.

If we didn't want winners we wouldn't keep score and give trophies for winning.

I guess I don't understand how any school name (like lions or conquerors or whatever) would have any connotation that would not be GP..

I do think that some school names MIGHT be politically incorrect (as mentioned above "Redskins" is a good example")

Unless your school mascot is something like:

"The selfish whiners who never help anyone and are only here to see themselves do well without regard to other teams...." hmmm not sure what this mascot would look like but I could make a guess...

I think most mascots/names that are in good taste would be fine and fun.

My high school mascot was a Caveman....

I guess if there were still any of them around it might be politically incorrect in these days... (remember the ads a few years back?)

We never thought about clubbing other teams we played against into submission....

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

I don't know what part of being GP says we can't play hard and play to win and have that mentality reflect in a logo or mascot.

Quick little edit:
If you are on my team and you are reading this just cause you play hard doesn't mean you can't shake your opponents hand afterwords keep it on the field or it will be addressed

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

I really don't believe that most mascot names are in any way inherently ungracious. Our team encompasses three high schools, so we consciously chose to avoid the color scheme and mascot names of any of them. Which was probably necessary, but definitely has also inhibited development of school spirit somewhat. We have been around long enough now that students not on the team generally recognize our black and yellow shirts, but I still get questions about why don't wear green (Three high schools, three different shades of green) or call ourselves the Shamrocks or Rocks (the other two high schools we represent are the Irish and the Celtics). If we were a single high school team I would have pushed for a Rocks-related name as a way to build team spirit within the broader school community.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

GP doesn't exclude competition. GP is all about *healthy* competition. So unless lions, tigers, and bears like to kick their opponents when they're down, it's probably fine.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

There will always be a losers in competitions and in the real world, and that is a valuable lesson to learn. Striving to "beat opponents" is, I think, a very valid motivator in FIRST.
The way I see it we should aim to vanquish and destroy our opponents, but first ensure that those opponents are performing at their best.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

There are plenty of FRC teams who have the concept of dominating in their names ("Cockadoodle Dominators," one of my favorite teams from our regionals, comes to mind.)

Just remember that the way your team acts has a far greater influence on your perception in the FIRST community than any label you place on yourself.

*whistles innocently*

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

In 2013 we struggled with the idea of changing our team name to something a bit more tame, but we decided to stick with and not enforce the idea of our team name. We don't know exactly where the name came from because no one, even our alumni can remember how we got it.

So I think that what truly matters is how your team presents itself. However if you have a name like "my robot is better than yours" you might wanna consider changing that.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

As they say, a rose by any other name smells as sweet. If a team chooses to utilize their school's name/mascot to maintain a close identity with them, it doesn't reflect on their attitude our actions.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

The "C" in FRC is "competition". There's nothing wrong with wanting to win.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

I'm sorry but saying teams shouldn't have a "fierce animal/competitor capable of vanquishing its opponent" is utterly ridiculous. Gracious Professionalism and Coopertition are about working together not some crazy PC idea.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

I don't think even PC people (like me) give a rip if schools have tigers as mascots.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

Scott you probably just think that because goats are such fearsome creatures, talk about bias :) haha ...

Jokes aside what does the C in FRC stand for... Its okay to have a competitive spirit and want to win. Isn't only natural that a mascot personifies that teams drive for excellence? We always want to win against the best and will be one of the first teams helping you if your down. I don't think our mascot scares people away from our pit...

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

Like just about every school with the VIKING as a mascot there has been talk among the staff that having a mascot that represents murderous hordes who raped and pillaged isn't a great idea. But it isn't going anywhere.

I think teams should find their own identity. Right now we're "Viking Robotics" and I think its boring more than anything (I mean, there are about 200 Viking related teams out there, all based on school mascots). Teams like Exploding Bacon, or the Cheesy Poofs, have fun and original names that represented the spirit of the team when they formed.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

This.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

My High School team were the Indians. The local tribe never complained about our use of the name when I asked a few members.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

So long as your mascot wasn't Chief Wahoo, I think it's probably fine.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

Well if you look at the negative aspects yeah vikings did some, stuff...
But all things have bad sides vikings were incredible navigators. At the end of the day someone or something has pissed someone off, there is no mascot that won't have some negative aspect. I think the line is crossed when something is used with malicious intent.
Also if the team name is something sensitive don't make a big deal out of it. You are less likely to bother someone with your name if you don't bother them at all.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

I think the mascot for D^3 might be a blue cube costume; does that have a negative aspect?

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

I'm sure someone somewhere is saying yes and coming up with a stupid example. I imagine a fear of boxes and the blue man group might be found in someone but I'm not about to go looking.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

I see it as a simple question. Does your name promote yourself? Or does it flat out lash out at opponents. Most teams use their home school/ sponsoring organizations' mascot and that is fine but somethings could be done better. A team promoting competition is fine as long as they don't use it as an excuse to bring their opponents down or not be nice to them (aka gracious professionalism). It depends on how /you/ view your own name not how others. Our team name (Technical difficulties) came from our first year /always/ having technical difficulties 24/7. Soo just make your name personable and make it fun! Because being fun is most important in FIRST

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

Is there a team somewhere that chose a name that lashes out at opponents? Team We Hate You All? Team You Suck?

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

Yuma High School here in Arizona has one of the more unique high school mascots in the country that could be considered inappropriate to some, the Yuma Criminals. But when you actually read into the history of the name I'd have a hard time saying that would be a problem if their robotics team wanted to use the name (I for one think it's pretty awesome). Most team names are in good fun and no one has the intention of actually destroying another team's pit, school bus, etc.

Yuma High school is home to FRC team 3785, but they are the Gila Monsters as a re-incarnation of team 64 after the GM Proving Grounds moved from Phoenix down to Yuma.

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

There are lots of school team names that can easily give offense. (Although the "Criminals" is a new one to me.)

Consider:

Crusaders: "We kill people based on their religion."

Fighting Irish: "Well, see... we used to be called the 'Drinking Irish', but thought that was a racial slur"

even my former team's school mascot, the "Trojan", which we were unfortunately never able to fully monetize with a sponsorship.

Sometimes the best thing to do is be glad you're not on this list:

http://www.totalprosports.com/2012/0...ol-team-names/

(Criminals... you're on the list!)

Jason

Re: Are some HS Team names inappropriate for FRC teams?
 

Waste of material - a sphere would get you more volume :)