Editorial: What's in a mascot?

For some reason, Sally Santora’s story about the York Golden Knight project really captured my imagination.

Interim Superintendent David Deloria, who was never shy about dressing up and putting on a show in his years at Livonia Central School, has taken the York school mascot “The Golden Knights” and soaked it in educational significance. Deloria has taken the school’s focus on character education and melded it with the concept of medieval chivalry — a code of honor that knights lived by in the time of castles and fairytale princesses. At the York homecoming game, a student even used a sword to “dub” him Sir Deloria.

A quick check of wikipedia.org teaches us a lot about “chivalry.” The term has come to mean today a courteous attitude toward women — but between the 11th and 15th century, it also meant religious piety, prowess and fairness in war, athletic dexterity, concern for the less fortunate, and a love of learning.

During the Renaissance, this code of behavior was published in “Courtesy Books” and sold to wealthy merchants to guide their principles.

The link seems obvious, but is seldom made. Children grow up beneath icons they identify with and fight for on the athletic field — but are not asked to consider what it means to be a “knight” or a “brave.”

Some mascots are better suited to these interdisciplinary lessons than others. Knights are easy — as are variations on Indians, despite racial undertones. These mascots suggest ancient cultures whose principles gave birth to modern law.

Unlike some, I’ve never been particularly worried about Native American imagery in school logos — especially if the schools take care to relate their mascots to actual Native cultures. In the Genesee Valley, students who call themselves Indians and Braves should be studying the Seneca and the Treaty of the Big Tree.

Animal mascots — like Bulldogs, Cougars and Mustangs — suggest innate characteristics like loyalty, fierceness and independence. It’s a small stretch to put these beasts into historical context.

I’m not sure how Geneseo and Mount Morris would handle their “Devils.” We’re generally taught to hate and fear devils, but some imaginative soul could probably tease out the positive aspects of these demonic mascots.

Mascots and school colors are like ancient coats of arms, immediately identifying a local “tribe” and setting them apart from their neighbors. They’re a throwback to a time before wires and roads linked our communities together and we had to band together for survival.

This love of tribal totems carries on into adulthood. We have American eagles, Republican elephants, and Democratic donkeys. Geneseo has its Bear Fountain. My hometown of Wise, Va. had its Owl.

Marketers call this phenomenon “latent brand identification.” When children see colorful characters in fast food restaurants and on their cereal, they associate those products with happy feelings. Later on, as adults, we still buy those products because we want to subconsiously recapture those feelings.

Why not use latent identification to instill a sense of principle and cultural awareness? A knight can be more than a costumed cheerleader. It can be a window into the past and a key to understanding how to live well.