Sometimes, I can’t believe just how vulgar some college athletic departments can be.

I mean the discriminating and ignorant nicknames that some schools in the NCAA come up with are just ridiculous and we can see it right in our own backyard.

How could the students, faculty and administration at a college in my home state be so insensitive to the feelings of others?

When you get right down to Southern Illinois should just be disqualified from postseason play until they change their nickname.

That’s right, forget the Fighting Illini, the Salukis are the real criminals. I mean what monster would support the abuse of Salukis.

Last week the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals confronted Jacksonville State (the Gamecocks) and the NCAA about changing any colleges mascots or nicknames that have abusive or hostile descriptions of animals.

Of course in the case of Jacksonville State they are referring to the brutal and illegal sport of cockfighting.

But how does this relate to Southern Illinois? A saluki is an athletic dog that was bred in the Middle East for its speed and used for hunting and dog racing.

And the only thing more shocking than the horrors of sports like dog racing or cock fighting is that these monsters would condone that behavior.

I mean, just by using that name it’s obvious that in the back alleys of Jacksonville State they are having late-night cockfights to raise money for the university and at Southern they are having dog races on the track after hours.

When people started in against the NCAA about banning Native American nicknames, I thought it was a little ridiculous. After all I never heard anyone complain about the Fighting Irish.

But in the end I thought, “Well, if these people really think it portrays an unfair image of them, then OK. It’s a valid argument.”

But PETA trying to ride their coat tails to a banning is not only a joke, but it’s taking credibility away from the case of Native Americans.

Before you know it people will start calling for the banning of school colors. Red won’t work because it’s synonymous with the devil and no one should condone evil. Blue wouldn’t work because it reminds people of being sad and that’s cruel and silver won’t be used because bullets are that color and using it would condone shooting people.

I can just see it one day every team will be wearing neutral color uniforms, probably beige, and every team will be nicknamed the Good Guys. That way, we will make sure no group’s or no animal’s feelings are hurt.

Dan Renick is a senior journalism major. If you think his Gamecock should be banned tell him so at [email protected]