I found this amusing. We need to recruit better to get to number 1.
Notre Dame's Fighting Irish leprechaun is the fourth-most offensive college football mascot in the nation, according to a new survey. The top three most offensive mascots, the survey says, wear face paint, headdresses and are culturally insensitive to Native Americans.
When presented with the survey results by IndyStar, Notre Dame emailed a response that included a written statement defending the leprechaun and highlighting its history.
"It is worth noting ... that there is no comparison between Notre Dame’s nickname and mascot and the Indian and warrior names (and) mascots used by other institutions such as the NFL team formerly known as the Redskins," the statement read. "None of these institutions were founded or named by Native Americans who sought to highlight their heritage by using names and symbols associated with their people."
At Notre Dame, the university said, the Irish have been an integral part of the school since its beginning and played a key role in adopting the name.
"Our symbols stand as celebratory representations of a genuine Irish heritage at Notre Dame," the university said, "a heritage that we regard with respect, loyalty and affection."
The Fighting Irish mascot came under fire in 2018 when ESPN’s Max Kellerman called on Notre Dame to do away with the leprechaun as Cleveland's major league baseball team did with its mascot, Chief Wahoo.
“Many Irish-Americans are not offended, but many are,” Kellerman said in a Wall Street Journal article. “Should that also change? The answer is yes. Unequivocally yes. Pernicious, negative stereotypes of marginalized people that offend, even some among them, should be changed.”
The mascot survey was conducted by Quality Logo Products, an Illinois company that prints logos on T-shirts, water bottles and other items.
As the college football season approached, the company identified 128 Division 1 football team mascots and asked people to score them based on different categories, ranging from best and worst mascots to creepiest and most offensive.
Notre Dame's leprechaun was named fourth-most offensive, behind Osceola and Renegade of Florida State, the Aztec Warrior of San Diego State and Vili the Warrior of the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nc...253603002/