If Indian Names Are Bad for Sports Teams, What About Penn's Quakers?
When the NCAA passed new rules regulating the use of Native American mascots in collegiate championship events this past summer, there was a mild outcry over whether other ethnic or religious groups should be similarly considered. For now, though, the Quaker has been spared as the subject of any such debate.
Representatives of the Penn athletic department, the American Friends Service Committee and the NCAA all said that Penn's mascot has not caused any controversy as a result of its use of the term "Quaker."
Penn Director of Athletic Communications Mike Mahoney said that the athletic department has not "had any feedback pertaining to the Quaker mascot being offensive or anything like that, and certainly not since the NCAA mandate came down."