I have had a subscription to The NCAA News for many years even though I have no official affiliation with any NCAA member college or university. I have enjoyed many of the features, statistics and the Record section -- who has gone where from where and into what position.

However, the topic I cannot understand is the fetish the NCAA as an organization has about Native American mascots. Of course, I am not a Native American, but generally a mascot is someone or something that is admired. In the case of Native Americans, I always admired them for their determination and their loyalty to one another and to their cause, whether it be remaining true to their values, true to their families or true to their traditions, even if it required a fight to the death. Native Americans were, and continue to be, brave and would fight to the death to defend their territory and family. These are noble assets to which most people would aspire.

I have difficulty separating Native American mascots from others that have a racial or religious undertone, such as the Fighting Irish, the Fighting Scots, the Quakers, the Britons, the Bishops -- or the greatest oxymoron of them all: the Demon Deacons.

No one seems to complain about silly looking leprechauns or daffy deacons running around football fields and basketball arenas. I'm not hearing outrage from those folks, or from Texans, cowboys, lumberjacks, toreros or Nanooks. Maybe all of those should come under scrutiny.

Most of this is about admiration of tenacity and toughness. I'm Irish and Scotch. I take such things in good humor. Possibly some other groups should be more accepting and stop looking for the bad in everything. The NCAA has more than its share of problems with drugs, tobacco, gambling and sexual abuse.

Pay attention to the real problems.

Terry Moore
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina