Negative Connotation Leads Utah School District to Veto ‘Cougar’ Mascot Name
- Posted on January 21, 2012 at 3:00pm by
Christopher Santarelli
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Courtney Cox on ABC's Cougar Town (ABC Video)
(AP) A Utah school district has decided against using “Cougars” as a mascot for a new high school in part because of the negative connotation of the word in popular culture.
Canyons School District Superintendent David S. Doty says the selection of “Chargers” as mascot was driven by the desire for originality, despite a poll of some future students that showed 26 percent in favor of using the cougar.
At least three Utah schools, including Brigham Young University, use cougar as a mascot.
Doty says public comments reflect a desire to be different, but he also notes that some see the word cougar as carrying a “negative double entendre.”
The term cougar in popular culture can refer to women in their 40s who have sex with younger men.
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Comments (47)
teddrunk
Posted on January 22, 2012 at 11:06amWill they have sequential turn indicators on the back of their helmets? “The Sign Of The Cat”. A few years later and Farrah Fawcett would of loved it.
Report Post »grannyrecipe
Posted on January 22, 2012 at 7:50amAnd finally after many days of debating a new name that wouldn’t offend anyone they came up with the name “The Rocks”
Report Post »gb2
Posted on January 22, 2012 at 4:11amwhat idiot thought that the general public would assume the mascot is a divorced, usually alcoholic, mildly attractive, slut out looking to get sex from young naive gentlemen.
Report Post »IIIcorp
Posted on January 23, 2012 at 1:21pmWhat’s the new mascot? A woman with a Mastercard?
Report Post »USAMEDIC3008
Posted on January 22, 2012 at 1:25amScrotum
Report Post »if someday they get some balls,they will have
something to keep them in.
KangarooJack
Posted on January 22, 2012 at 12:18amI read the headline, thought “what”??? Then, I saw the picture.
REALLY???? REALLY????
Apparently, somebody needs to watch Animal Planet vs. {whatever those shows are that apparently, I don’t watch} or read a book!!
Report Post »pavepaws
Posted on January 22, 2012 at 1:37amThere go the Fighting Minx also.
Report Post »lukerw
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 11:29pmIn Ancient Indian… “Utah” meant PERVERT!
Spead this around… and see if the PC Police desire to change the State Name!
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on January 22, 2012 at 1:43amA better parallel might be if there was some offensive and arcane “urban dictionary” definition of “Utah” — kinda like what the perverts did with Rick Santorum’s name.
Report Post »georgiavietvet
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 9:47pmthis pc crap is way out of control. this liberal stupid school board should be voted out and people put in who are concerned about giving kids a good solid education, without any political leaning, either left or right………………………………..
Report Post »vtxphantom
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 9:34pmThey should go with the name Puma’s.
Report Post »Utahcatholic
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 9:51pmI was thinking they should call themselves MILFS.
Report Post »Carolina Infidel
Posted on January 22, 2012 at 5:25amUTAHCATHOLIC
“I was thinking they should call themselves MILFS”
No because then someone may call them Cougars.
Report Post »Liberalismsamentaldisorder
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 8:43pmpolitical correctness will be the death of freedom
Report Post »proantisocialist
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 9:29pmmaybe they would be happy with the name black panthers,im sure no one would care then. or would they,the plot thickens…
Report Post »TDOM
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 8:31pmPolitical correctness is Offensive
Report Post »Chuck Stein
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 7:29pmI bet it has more to do with “Ute” fans in the district and ill will towards BYU — the “new” definition of “cougar” was just used as a tactic.
Report Post »InformedbyBlaze
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 9:53pmChuck is right!
I live in the District and people are either fans of the University of Utah (Red Colors) ‘Utes’ or Brigham Young University (Blue Colors) ‘Cougars’. Every time either team plays, and especially when they would play each other, half the neighborhood puts out red flags and the other half blue. This has to do with a new high school, with blue uniforms, taking on the same mascot as BYU and everyone wanting them to not be connected to BYU. I‘m sure had that happened there would be a story and comments about ’Mormons’ forcing their religion on everyone else.
Someone, jokingly, told the news it was because of the older woman connection, and the news ran it.
Report Post »sundell1951
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 7:06pmSame ridiculuous PC that made the Washington Bullets change their name.As a child I watched Sonny Jergenson play at old Griffith stadium in D.C. with my dad. After the Bullets fiasco I was sure the Redskins would be next. I know…. ancient history. PC stupidity never changes!
Report Post »TXPilot
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 7:19pmI heard they were going to call themselves the “Middle aged women who like to have sex with younger guys”, but it couldn’t all be fit on the back of the jerseys……..I hope all the idiots out there, that get into a snit fit over meaningless stuff like this will be happy, when our country goes up in flames because of all this politically correct idiocy..
Report Post »let us prey
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 7:24pmTxpilot
Report Post »It is truly pathetic.
let us prey
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 7:28pmYou can not force empathy and “kindness” from people with pc garbage. Sort of like milking a bull, it can’t be done.
Report Post »Indymaverick
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 6:19pmIve always wondered,if a older woman is a cougar.Is a much older woman called a sabor tooth?
Report Post »Mrs. Bowers
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 7:24pmGood one!
Report Post »Rayblue
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 10:35pmOne who runs around on you is called a “Cheetah”.
Report Post »gmoneytx
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 6:07pmI had a cougar from Utah once, she was PUUUURRRfect!
Report Post »gmoneytx
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 6:06pmA Utah school district has decided against using “Cougars” as a mascot for a new high school in part because of the negative connotation of the word in popular culture.
So, I guess we know where the minds are that decided against the name, RIGHT?
Report Post »LTinUT
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 5:54pmHow about the warm and fuzzy HAMSTERS as a masoct? Oh wait, with ‘ham’ in the name, it might offend Muslims and Jews.
Report Post »db321
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 6:36pmCall them “The Stupid Moran’s” – because they are Moran’s for putting up with this Crap!
Report Post »drattastic
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 6:49pmWhat is a “moran”?
Report Post »valarie
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 7:27pmDB, moran? That would be spelled MORON.
Report Post »DD313
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 8:41pmMoran is a flaming liberal congressman embarassment from Northern Virginia.
Report Post »Rayblue
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 5:54pmI love to ride my cougar. She squeals and has curves right where I like ‘em.
Report Post »She’s white. Plenty of power in the rear. Love to rub her leather. She sings Beach Boy songs like a surfing banshee. And she never says maybe.
And she’s only 14.
gmoneytx
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 6:03pmLet me back you up on that for people freaking out, HE MEANS HIS CAR!
Report Post »randy
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 5:48pmIn my world, this is a cougar
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-4eC-pzkEK3Q/TV-MkXJk40I/AAAAAAAAA10/amYiqH6y6ks/s1600/cougar5.jpg
The grace and power of the cougar have been widely admired in the cultures of the indigenous peoples of the Americas. The Inca city of Cusco is reported to have been designed in the shape of a cougar, and the animal also gave its name to both Inca regions and people. The Moche people represented the puma often in their ceramics. The sky and thunder god of the Inca, Viracocha, has been associated with the animal. In North America, mythological descriptions of the cougar have appeared in the stories of the Hocąk language (”Ho-Chunk“ or ”Winnebago”) of Wisconsin and Illinois[98] and the Cheyenne, amongst others. To the Apache and Walapai of Arizona, the wail of the cougar was a harbinger of death.
Sounds like a great Mascot to me….
Report Post »Sicko liberals!
NC
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 5:48pmJust think of all the innocent minds that have been corrupted because of this story in Utah.
“Mommy, what is wrong with an older lady liking a younger man? Don‘t you like daddy’s younger brother? Are you a cougar too?”
Explain that…..
NC (a grouchy old man that doesn’t care for kids – can’t shoot them, can’t beat them, can’t eat them….)
Report Post »Abraham Young
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 5:34pmThe hypnosis and indoctrination continue. Free your mind, children, question everything. Parents, where are you? Set them straight.
Report Post »AJAYW
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 5:29pmI bet if they called them the ***** Cats it would be PC
Report Post »gmoneytx
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 6:04pmand the Blaze would censor you for it LOL
Report Post »rockstone
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 5:28pmThey should all be ashamed of themselves. They are kowtowing to the lowest element of society.
Report Post »AmeriCat
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 5:24pmThe Blaze is perpetuating the “idea”….
Report Post »I don’t see any picture of a cougar here….Why not?
AmeriCat
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 5:23pmRidiculous ….way to ruin the name of a beautiful animal.
This decision actually reveals the minds of those who see “cougar” as a negative word.
Report Post »Their mouths should be washed out with soap….
and let the school mascot remain as….Cougars!
hauschild
Posted on January 21, 2012 at 5:20pmSimple, progressive minds creating the latest phenomenon – revisionist grammar. It’s all the rage brought to you from the same common minds that brought you revisionist history.
Report Post »