Old habits die hard when it comes to new names

In a scene from the Eddie Murphy film "Coming to America," a bunch of old men are sitting around a barbershop debating who was the greatest boxer of all time.

When one starts talking about Cassius Clay, another attempts to correct him. "His name is Mohammed Ali," he says.

The first old-timer retorts: "His mamma named him Clay. I'm gonna call him Clay."

I hold the same stubborn position concerning the new nickname for Southeast Missouri State University's sports teams.

Mamma named them Indians. I'm gonna call them Indians.

The action by the Southeast Board of Regents to adopt the moniker of Redhawks for the teams was motivated by good intentions. But by and large, I refuse to acknowledge name changes.

For example, I still attend St. Louis Blues hockey games at the Kiel Center, even though for some years the signs on the building have said Savvis Center. (The official transformation of the St. Louis Rams' home stadium from the TWA Dome into the Edward Jones Dome was less bothersome to me. I have always called it either the Taxpayer Dome or, when I'm particularly cranky about public subsidies for billionaires, the Extortion Dome and continue to do so.)

I'm not alone in adhering to tradition. I'll bet most folks in the Cape Girardeau area still do their shopping at West Park Mall and not whatever it is that the mall's current owners for years have tried to call it.

I'd further wager that if another tavern opens in the location that until recently housed the Pladium, many patrons will call it by that legendary name no matter what the sign out front says.

I'm not unsympathetic to the sensibilities of those who find naming sports teams after Indians offensive. Not only should no team ever adopt such names in the future, but it might not be a bad idea for some that exist to, where possible, remove the Indian context. Hockey's Chicago Blackhawks could replace its Indian logo with a black hawk or even a Blackhawk attack helicopter. The Golden State Warriors of the NBA could depict any variety of different warrior imagery.

Admittedly, however, the Washington Redskins of the NFL are beyond any sort of politically correct repair.

Years ago in this space, I suggested that Jackson High School's use of the Indian mascot was inappropriate since the city is named after President Andrew Jackson, a man who did his best to wipe out the indigenous population east of the Mississippi River. Tongue planted firmly in cheek, I argued that to establish compatibility the city should be renamed after a less controversial 19th century president -- Millard Fillmore? -- or at least that Old Hickory's image be dropped from signs around town and a different Jackson, such as baseball slugger Reggie or actress Kate of "Charlie's Angels" fame, be depicted in his place.

Boy, did I get hate mail on that one. People don't take kindly to messing with tradition, even in jest.

The regents and other name-change proponents say that new traditions can be forged with the Redhawks mascot. That point has merit.

The change has been a long time coming and was inevitable. But for some of us who graduated as SEMO Indians, the Southeast Redhawks just doesn't feel right.

No matter what the university says, mamma named them Indians. I'm gonna call them Indians.

Marc Powers, a former Southeast Missourian sports writer, is currently the paper's state Capitol correspondent.