Recently in the drunk thread I posted how once again my boring city is making international headlines because of some "sport atrocity". This time, it's our new pro ball team, the London Rippers. The mascot's name as you guess it is "Jack", and here's the team's badass logo which I love: So, as soon as this hit the press we starting drowning in a sea of prudes: especially noisy feminists and not-so-bright soapboaxers calling this "misogyny". The owner says it has nothing to do with Jack The Ripper but that's bullshit. But also, who cares? He did what, killed five or six hookers twelve decades ago? I like the notoriety especially since the park they're playing in, Labatt Park, is the oldest and most immaculate ballpark on the planet (both fact). I've simply reached my boiling point because there always seems to be a fdew loud, ignorant people doing my thinking for me without consent. The "outraged" citzens have demanded the name to be change or they will picket the stadium, city hall and even road games. Yeeeeeeeeeeesh. Gravitas said it best: "Just because you name your team the Badgers doesn't mean you're insulting everything a badger kills." Focus: Discuss whether or not you agree with the protesters, or feel free to discuss other sectors of our society where you feel the Thought Police have dug their boney fingers too far.
Focus: If you don't like the name, don't attend games. Simple as that. This is all privately funded, right?
Considering that perhaps 5% of the Canadian population has ever heard of the league which this team is playing in, I'm sure it's a conspiracy to drum up public interest.
Finally some Canadians have taken on some American spirit, the perpetuation of violence sexual crimes and murder. I like it, it is original and it is a cool name and the logo looks cool. Not sure any team should be called the Sandusky's though.
Personally I find this offensive. You mother fuckers should be a little more sensitive in 2011. Come on. Why can't a team be nurturing and warm hearted, something that really speaks to the female population? Just because it's a "man's" sport doesn't mean it can't appeal to a wider variety of women from all walks, all interests. Instead of a vicious, caped rogue, why not images of crossed coat hangers and a third trimester aborted baby, possibly hovering over a bucket, as the logo? We can celebrate your love of abortions together as a community. The team's mascot could be an oven with googly eyes, or a big, friendly muffin carrying a Prada purse, or a bottle of cheap wine with a curly straw sticking out of the neck. To show fealty to the lesbian community, two women interlocked at the crotch, Scissoring if you will, would make a fantastic logo. Fuck it. Just have a free shoes night at the stadium. In a perfect world the teams from "Baseketball" would be real.
First of all, pretending that the name has nothing to do with Jack the Ripper and has to do with "ripping the ball" and the mascot is "Phantom of the Opera meets baseball" is stupid. You're not fooling anyone, and just making an ass out of yourself. While I can understand why the super politically correct groups could take offense to this, which kind of is glorifying a serial killer, I'm actually confused as to why this is being taken up as a particularly feminist cause. Yes, the guy targeted female prostitutes, and while there are definitely serial killers who have misogynistic motivations, I don't think a serial killer who targets women is automatically so much misogynistic as, say, completely insane. (Although I personally think that's really interesting to think about -I'm one of those people with a weird fascination with serial killers AND I get to discuss feminism?! SWEET - but I guess it would totally derail the thread and this probably isn't the best place to discuss it anyway.) As weird as it feels for me to say this, there are other reasons to target women, especially prostitutes, than solely a hatred for women. Yes, it's unfortunate that the announcement coincided with a campaign to promote awareness of violence against women, but I don't think that was the team's intent. If you want to make a ruckus, make a ruckus over the fact that a totally deranged murderer is being celebrated. I don't think it's the outlet for turning it into a feminist issue. Personally, I kind of dig the name.
Yes but Canadians are generally known as peace loving pacifist who are overly polite (at least in my geographic location), where as Americans love guns, murder, rape and violence. So the Canadians, by naming a teams the Rippers are taking on the American spirit of violence with a mass murderering mascot from the UK and before every Rippers game they will sing the song referencing the Queen and God saving her. My sincere apologies to Mr. Ripper if he thought I was inferring he was from the states.
When does the "too soon" statute expire on 9/11 mascots? I'm thinking The Joplin Jihadists or Baltimore Boxcutters.... Best thing, if they have a bad year, next years slogan writes itself- "We never forget...last year's losing record"
a coupla hookers? Pah. Let me know when you have the balls to name a sports team after a real tragedy, like the Chicago Fire or the New York Jets.
Up here in Da Nort we have the whole fiasco with North Dakota and the Fighting Sioux. For those of you living under a rock: the NCAA is requiring that the college change their mascot, despite the state government and the Sioux Nation both declaring that the mascot is NOT offensive.
Back when I was in high school our team names were The Crusaders. Which, defined means to fight for a cause. But, you know, crusading sends the wrong message? Either way, by my sophomore year we were known as the Redhawks. I just don't see the point in caring either way, it's a pretty catchy name. Sports aren't supposed to be cushy or any of that bull shit, people in these tiers are playing/fighting to win, right? Pretty soon even the major leagues will be handing out trophies to the loosing teams.
I swear to God some people would literally explode if they didn't have anything to be publicly outraged about. Meet the most hated man in Canada, from a while back: FUCK. YOU. That piece of shit has tried to sue SEVERAL different public outfits for "Insulting Service". He's simply a greedy fucking frog. Canada is 85% English. 9% French, yet somehow we're still "bilingual". That just stings with nastiness and snark, and that's all it is. Whatever easiness the english-french thing was in this country this fucking cuntbag drove a huge wedge between it. I'd like to open an umbrella inside his asshole.
EDIT: Ghetto told me the French in Canada is closer to 23%, if so I stand correct. Whatever. Fuck that guy regardless.
It's an awesome logo and the feminists who are screaming about misogyny are overreacting, but come on. Naming a sports team after a serial killer is just bad taste. What's next? The Waterloo Gacys? The Milwaukee Dahmers?
I am tired of people writing off obviously insensitive statements and incidents like this one as politically correct. Nobody has used that phrase with any support or sincerity since 1997. Can we retire this complaint please? No one should be surprised that naming your team after a man famous only for the murders he committed strikes the wrong chord with many people. That's just common sense. Look. Nobody cares about your po-dunk baseball team. But if you don't want people who'd never watch your team any way to hate you, then don't pull a stunt like this. And this is a stunt to garner attention, isn't it? How hard is it to come up with a mascot that is not massively offensive? Just don't go with the Hollywood Mansons or the New York Osama Victims.
It's obviously going to effect some people. The problem is, it's THOSE people who get heard, and you can bet the end result will be THOSE people bringing the hammer down and getting the team name changed. The problem in the end is that THOSE people are morons who are parked in the red zone, and should not be speaking for anybody except for the voices they hear inside their own pin heads. The team will fail as the last team we had did. Shitty logo, but I liked the name because I love Warren Zevon: The Werewolves. Utter franchise failure: they win the championship and go out of business. Are werewolves offensive? I mean, the only thing they do is tear humans of ALL discription to pieces in horror movies but YADDA YADDA PILE ON PILE ON..... Puppies.
Not to be a dick, but why is it massively offensive? I mean, if Jack the Ripper fall into the "too soon" category half a world away, we as a people might as well pack in our collective senses of humor. Why does every word uttered these days have to be a potential shit storm? If it really is so universally unacceptable then no one will go to their games. Problem solved.