Shakespeare got it wrong.
‘Tis
the season to change names of professional teams, at least in the USA. Black
Lives Matter seems to have gone beyond its original remit. Now every group
wants more than merely asserting its identity, but go beyond, for the “others”,
those not belonging to the group, to recognize the unfairness of it all
throughout the history of the United States of America. Though I hate to admit
it, perhaps we do have something to thank Donald J. Trump, to his nonsensical
tweets, after all.
Even
the armed forces of the US seem to have gotten into this spirit. They do not
want their mailing address to carry the name of warriors on the losing side of the
American Civil War. Justifiably so.
I
have to give some examples for the above for my posts to carry any credibility
at all. Perhaps it started with Washington Redskins (denoting Native American,
Red Indians, and Injuns as Dennis the
Menace called them) and Native Americans have repeatedly taken cudgels against
this demeaning name, over the past few decades, but were repulsed by the owner.
But victory is much nearer than the horizon, as per a report
in the New York Times. The owner has been forced to eat crow, all because he
saw that the team’s bottom line would take a murderous hit (penalty of 15 yards
and a down).
Teams
down the line are Kansas City Chiefs (NFL), Atlanta Braves (MLB), Cleveland Indians
(MLB). But do not stop at the top level. Go down the hierarchy a bit and supposedly
we are seeing college teams (college sports is big money in the US, if you did
not know) and even high schools are changing their team names and mascots are
running away from Native American symbols. Still, some 2,200 high schools appear
to be immune to the pressure. That is entrenched racism for you.
Now
I wish to shift to India and take a sledge hammer to Mumbai IPL team’s nick
name: “Mumbai Indians”. No, we are not talking here about Native Americans or
even West Indies. We are talking about you and me, Indians, living in India,
Bharat. (I wonder why there is no uprising against the team owner Mukesh Ambani
to demand that the team name be changed to Bharatwasi! Equally obnoxious). But
my severe discomfort comes from the fact that any team playing against Mumbai
Indians has to be against Indians.
Is
this fair? How can Kolkata Knight Riders be against Indians? Something stinks
here.
Perhaps
it is not fair to single out Mumbai for the name of its IPL team. Let us take a
trip around the nation, counter clockwise from Punjab.
Kings
XI Punjab. Is this a name? Why not Kings XI Mohali? Oh, they sometimes play in
Dharamshala. Then it should be Kings XI Punjab and Himachal Pradesh – too unwieldy.
The team would better get its name changed, preferably losing affiliation to
any geographic name. They may see a change in their fortune, I am not an
astrologer though.
Delhi
Dare Devils is a name I would die for.
Rajasthan
Royals – not much pizzaz. The team kind of fell flat after winning the first
edition. A name change may help.
Earlier
it was Deccan Chargers and they won one season. Their team logo is impressive,
a charging bull, so apt to the name. But, think about it – Bull is also the
logo of the now defunct Merrill Lynch. No wonder Deccan Chargers were banned
from IPL and SUN (TV Network) gave the team a second life under the name
Sunrisers Hyderabad – Not bad.
Bangalore
Royal Challengers. I pity this team, playing the role of bridesmaid – three times
lost in the finals. Just don’t seem to get to the top. The company that owns
the team, United Spirits, is perhaps not too spirited. Blame the owner.
Now
to the worst named team. Drum roll please – Chennai Super Kings. Super Kings,
yuk, yuk, yuketty yuk. Why not Emperors, if you wanted to go one up on Kings XI?
And, it is very surprising that team despite the name has been very successful.
Yet, the name ... please change it.
The
name, Kolkata Knight Riders reminding me of outriders in old cars, is not fit
for a team that has won the IPL trophy thrice. Why not just Kolkata Knights or
Kolkata Shining Armours? Just something else, please
“The
name is always the hardest part,” Ed O’Hara, who has designed team names and
logos over thirty years, has said.
Take
that Shakespeare!
Raghuram
Ekambaram
No comments:
Post a Comment