Is it time to retire the Ute name?

[MDUte]

With all of the recent push to root out racially insensitive mascots in College sports, is now the time to finally transition away from Utes to Red-tailed Hawks? Looks like Illinois is feeling the pressure: https://footballscoop.com/news/could-we-be-on-the-verge-of-a-big-ten-program-changing-their-mascot/

I realize we have the consent/support of the Ute tribe but wondering if that will continue to be enough. I’m curious…How does everyone feel about being called the Utah RedHawks or Utah Red-tailed Hawks or just Utah Hawks??

Even though, I was born and raised in SLC and have always loved being called the Utes, I have to admit I get tired of people outside of Utah always asking me, “What is a Ute?” Perhaps a change could be cool not to mention an opportunity for the Athletic Department to bring in a lot of revenue with a rebranding and new gear purchases??

[EagleMountainUte]

How I see it:

I will always call them the Utah Utes. And wear the appropriate colors and logo.

I will never buy anything or donate to the school again if they change the name. Other than my tax dollars of course. 

[MDUte]

Just playing devil’s advocate…the school has already changed their name before. We used to be the Utah Redskins before we moved to the Utah Utes. The school colors will always stay the same regardless of what name we go by. And we replaced the Warrior mascot back in 1996 to Swoop (red-tailed hawk) in preparation for a potential rebranding. 

I’m not saying I’m in favor of retiring the Ute name. Nobody likes change. But given the current social climate, I’m wondering if it’s inevitable. And if so, maybe it could be a positive. 

[EagleMountainUte]

We should rename rivers and lakes that have tribal names next. Really take it to the max eliminate it all. 

[Central Coast Ute]

Don’t forget, the Dakotas gotta go. Same with Utah and Oklahoma among others.

[User Suspended]

You must be saving tens of thousands of dollars boycotting things…. lol

[PhiladelphiaUte]

Big fat “NO” on the Redtail Hawks! However, if Utah MUST change our mascot, I believe the best possible mascots for us would be either the “Jutes” (pronounced “Utes”) — a medieval Germanic tribe originating from the Jutland peninsula who’d rivaled the Anglos and the Saxons of their day — which would permit us to continue with the phoenic alliteration, and we wouldn’t even have to rebrand the Drum & Feather…

…or the “Utah Raptor”, which WOULD require rebranding (although not the interlocking U), but would still be pretty badass, as it hailed from this part of world during back during the early Cretaceous period.

Utah shouldn’t even be using that hawk right now. It looks like an ugly chicken on steroids.

GO UTES!!!

(or “Jutes”, or “Utah Raptors”, or whatever we’ll be in the years to come)

[MDUte]

Cool idea of the Utah Raptors…that would be a pretty badass mascot!

 

 

[UteThunder]

I don’t know anyone who thinks the Toronto Raptors have a “badass” mascot.

[User Suspended]

Maybe the dumbest name and mascot ever ….. so dated.

It basically was picked the year Jurrassic park came out.

 

[MDUte]

Perhaps you need to get out more often. About every ranking website has Toronto Raptors in their top 5 team names:

https://fanjuicer.com/2018/07/every-nba-logo-ranked-by-over-5000-fans

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theringer.com/platform/amp/nba/2020/6/15/21276755/nba-team-names-nicknames-ranking

https://www.foxsports.com/nba/gallery/nba-mascots-best-worst-ranked-040817

Not suggesting we change our name to be the Raptors. But it is a cool name and the fact that Utah actually has ties to the dinosaurs makes it much better than for Toronto, which only jumped on the name because Jurassic Park was popular at the time.

[UteThunder]

FAKE NEWS

The ranking in your first link is a ranking for the LOGO which is not the mascot. It’s a basketball with claw marks on it.

Your other links are to rankings compiled by the reporters writing the article, not NBA fans. 

Here’s a link that has the Raptors ranked as the 26th best mascot in the NBA.

Raptors 26th “Best” mascot in NBA 

Similar to UAB’s Dragon mascot, the Raptor’s mascot is a joke.

[MDUte]

Hahaha Fake News! Is that you Donald? I thought you lived on Twitter, not UteHub. Oh well, you got me man….I’ll just have to agree to disagree. 

[UteThunder]

BREAKING: Joe Biden voices support for University of Utah mascot change from Aggies to Raptors.

[Tony (admin)]

If the PC police force us to change the Ute name, they’ll have to change the name of the STATE too. UTAH.  This discussion pops up every year and the Ute tribe agrees that they love the U honoring their name.  

[UteBacker]

Agreed, Tony.  As long as The University of Utah is using the name respectfully and as long as the Ute tribe is benefitting through exposure, scholarships and still feel like they are being honored with having their name used, then that should be the end of the story.  The second THEY tell us to stop using it, then it’s time to have a new school mascot contest.

[dystopiamembrane]

“Notably, the University does not have permission from the Southern Ute Indian Tribe/Reservation in Southwest Colorado or the Ute Mountain Tribe/Reservation.”
–Utes Nickname Project, FAQ

[Central Coast Ute]

Should the Minnesota Vikings change their name? I come from Danish decent and am not offended by it at all. I have yet to meet an Irish person that finds the Fighting Irish offensive. If anything that is more offensive by insinuating that Irish people are just drunks that like to start fights. What about the Celtics? 49ers? Buccaneers? I can keep going but it’s no use.

How is it racially insensitive to have the Ute name exactly?

[KJU]

It’s not your decision or the tribes decision what is racist. That is the job of lawyers back east wearing tight jeans and pointy shoes.

[UteBacker]

Haha….right. It’s up to those people that are offended on behalf of the Ute tribe.

[Central Coast Ute]

Good point KJU. I should have known better.

[SkinyUte]

“X doesn’t offend me, therefore Y shouldn’t offend anyone else” is a bit of an odd argument.

 

I tend to agree with others, that as long as the tribe is good with it, then I am too.  The moment they decide otherwise, then it should change.

[EagleMountainUte]

Where does it say your right to not be offended overrides my right to be offensive? Who determines what is offensive?  Certainly at least one Ute tribal member is offended. If you want to eliminate everything offensive you wouldn’t have free thought or liberalism of any kind. 

[Central Coast Ute]

Intent behind something is huge. People get offended over anything today in order to prove a point. Just because someone is offended doesn’t mean it’s offensive.

[User Suspended]

possibly the most racist mascot…. the fighting Irish.

 

you know, the drunkn, orange-haired mutton chopped mascot  

[Central Coast Ute]

Exactly. But you don’t hear any Irish people bitching. Let alone others who aren’t Irish bitching for them.

[Dwight89]

I think the biggest factor that people always forget is that “ute” isn’t a term white folks made up to identify native americans by. It is also not a derogatory slang meant to poke fun or offend a group of people. It is quite literally the name of one of the main native american tribes that settled and lived in what is no known as Utah. Nothing more. Nothing less. 

There literally isn’t anything to get offended about over the term “Ute”. it would be like someone from Manhattan being offended at being called a “New Yorker”. 

 

[Sanders]

I could live with the name, Utah Hellhounds.

[Brettski]

What is this crap?

[RiseasUtes]

No, it isn’t time.

[dystopiamembrane]

Anyone remember Hoyo?

[dystopiamembrane]

I hope everyone has a great day.

[GuileMike]

I understand the what is a UTE.

I went to FSU and people in some areas never heard of Seminoles or our nick name “Noles”

We have the same type of agreement with the Seminole nation which keeps the mascot around.

[GameForAnyFuss]

Rose Bowl is going on and we’re talking about this? JFC…

As long as we have tribe permission, we’re good and we should keep it.