New school can’t be Cougars because middle-aged women might be offended

[The Straight Story]

New school can’t be Cougars because middle-aged women might be offended

Students at a new Utah high school are facing disappointment after their choice for a new school mascot was rejected for one of the strangest reasons possible: Board members deemed it might be seen as offensive to middle-aged women.

As reported by Salt Lake City Fox affiliate KTSU, Draper (Utah) Corner Canyon High announced its new mascot and school colors on Wednesday, with Canyons School District officials proclaiming that the school's teams will be called the Chargers, using a blue and white color scheme.

That's all fine and good except for the fact that the school's future student body -- which was given the opportunity to select its own future mascot -- had chosen to be the Cougars. With some 23 percent of the student vote, the Cougar choice was far preferred to other options, which included the Chargers, Diamondbacks, Falcons, Raptors, Broncos, Bears and Cavaliers.

The reason why the future student body gravitated toward Cougars is pretty clear: Area collegiate power BYU uses the Cougar as its mascot and enjoys an enormous fan base of area residents and those who follow the Mormon faith (BYU is a Mormon institution).

Still, the Canyons School Board refused to accept the Cougar as a mascot out of fear that it might offend older women. In the current edition of the Webster Dictionary, the second definition for cougar sights a slang terminology that refers to "a middle-aged woman seeking a romantic relationship with a younger man."

http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/highschool-prep-rally/school-t-cougars-because-middle-aged-women-might-161402778.html

[freshwest]

1. Okay, how about catamounts? Some schools have that name. I detect feline discrimination here.

[bhikkhu]

2. I would question the whole story...

it sounds much more likely that they decided against "cougars" because the cougar is already the very recognizable BYU mascot. And I doubt that anyone in the area, as they cheer for the popular BYU Cougars, has ever worried that middle-aged women are being offended.

It sounds more like someone thought up a clever angle for a non-story.

[kestrel91316]

3. I'm a "cougar" and I'm not offended in the least. What a bunch of maroons.

[NBachers]

4. I like The Cadavers

[Lugnut]

5. Really?

The mascot of the local school district here is a cougar. Nobody cares.

[Fawke Em]

6. I'm more offended that middle aged women are called Cougars, to be honest.

I'm hot, but I don't prey on people. I'm human, for God's sake. My only "prey" are those pesky chin hairs.

[provis99]

7. Virginia Tech's teams are called the Hokies.

A hokie is a castrated tom turkey.

Surely being called the Cougars isn't as embarrassing as being called the Hokies.

[Sherman A1]

8. Absurd, but not surprising

It would be nice if the Student Body, simply said... "That was our choice, you didn't allow it, so, we will skip the mascot thing."

[malthaussen]

9. Sounds like some person on the school board

... exerted some serious influence for a personal hobby-horse. Whenever I see something like this, I assume that some one person or group with an axe to grind forced a decision out of a majority who really did not give a damn and wanted to go home.

-- Mal

[DeathToTheOil]

10. Conan O'Brien had the best suggestion:

The Fighting MILFs.