NHL to Seattle Volume XIV - Seattle sells 26,000 season ticket deposits in 2 hours

[gstommylee]

Well, if they want, they will find a way to say it affectes them and their ancestors. One of the claims could be that ''Totems'' as an object and as a name is not used by anyone else but First Nations. Just a thought tho, obviously I don't see the negative side of any of those names, being the Totems, the Redskins or the Indians.

Neither do I. But there are always going to be someone who is bothered by it.

 

[Seattle Totems]

I think the only people bothered by the name are those that want to call them the Kraken and most of them only live on the internet.

 

[superdeluxe]

First nations people seem to have a problem when sports teams named after them/affiliated with them. So why would Seattle go down that road?

You guys got First Nation involvement/endorsement in the making of the Orca designs/drums etc.

 

[superdeluxe]

And this is my main issue with the name. I think it would be a good name, but these concerns give me a little pause, especially when you consider that this region is very liberal politically and may not take too well to this type of nickname. That said, if the governor, who is very friendly with a lot of those interests down here, seems to be behind it, then perhaps there may be ways to make it so that it's culturally sensitive. It should be noted by the way that a lot of potential sponsors for this new team would be Native American casinos.....Emerald Queen, Muckleshoot, Snoqualmie, Tulalip and Angel of the Winds casinos all have some form of sponsorship arrangments now with WHL or other pro sports teams locally. The Muckleshoots even own the local horse racing facility, Emerald Downs.

It would be a sight to see when Tribal elders of the Quileute or Duwamish or any of the other local tribes are on that platform to announce a partnership with OVG in creating a series of works including the name, and you have mainly white people shout about cultural appropriation in Seattle.

 

[superdeluxe]

I agree I am not sure what the negatives are with this name. Not my first choice but it seems to fit.

There is an angle that the 'stereotypical' totems that you see in Seattle were ripped away from the Tlingit/Haida/Tsimshian of Alaska/British Columbia

But what people fail to understand is that our local tribes, the Coastal salish, also created wood carvings or 'totems' to be placed inside and outside their residences.

 

[edog37]

Esports is Huge. The NHL just did something recently

NHL takes esports on ice with gaming tournament

ESPN covers Esports now.

and that DOTA tournament is HUGE. the guy who owns Valve is a multi-billonare.

the only thing more annoying than fantasy league are those claiming playing video games is a sport....

 

[superdeluxe]

the only thing more annoying than fantasy league are those claiming playing video games is a sport....

I know many people like to poo poo it, but more sporting publications/media are covering it.

 

[edog37]

I know many people like to poo poo it, but more sporting publications/media are covering it.

Which is ridiculous. We are talking about kids playing video games....another reason why ESPN is ridiculous....

 

[superdeluxe]

Which is ridiculous. We are talking about kids playing video games....another reason why ESPN is ridiculous....

It might be ridiculous, but if people weren't watching or reading the information, they would not be covering it.

 

[powerstuck]

the only thing more annoying than fantasy league are those claiming playing video games is a sport....

It's a bit OT in this thread but eSports are eSports not because they are ''sporting'' events but because they are ''competition'' events.

It's like every sport channel shows poker on TV. It's a sports channel showing poker...where there is no ''sport'' involved. But it's a competition.

Arlington TX (Houston) is building an E-Sports only arena. They estimate it will be paid for in less than 5 years. And the e-sports industry is probably going to be a 1.5 to 2 billion entreprise by 2020...that's not that much behind NHL.

 

[LadyStanley]

This week started seeing electronic billboards around Las Vegas for new esports arena at Luxor.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

You guys got First Nation involvement/endorsement in the making of the Orca designs/drums etc.

The Orca isn’t a racial caricature though.

 

[Fugu]

The Orca isn’t a racial caricature though.

You're confusing me. Aren't all their drawings/totems etc. part of their culture?

 

[Yukon Joe]

The word "totem" itself is not unique to first nations spirituality. According to Google the definition of a totem is "a natural object or animal believed by a particular society to have spiritual significance and adopted by it as an emblem.". Although the word itself comes from an ojibway word, many cultures have totems.

If Seattle wanted to use just the word, but no obvious first nations symbols, they should be on solid ground. For example, the Edmonton Eskimos don't use any Inuit symbols whatsoever in their logos and branding.

Or yes, as @superdeluxe mentioned, you could certainly partner with several local first nations, get them involved in the design process, and get their buy-in from the beginning. For example the Florida Seminoles use a ton of native symbols, but they've gotten the Seminole Tribe to sign off on it all.

 

[superdeluxe]

The Orca isn’t a racial caricature though.

Neither is a totem?

If people have fears that we are going to have another Chief Wahoo situation on our hands here, they are going to be mistaken. IF OVG decides to go in this direction I am 100% confident they will have buy in from local indigenous tribes, I would expect a partnership between the groups. And in the End, that is all matters to me.

 

[BattleBorn]

It's still a little early, but it looks like the potential (going to happen) Seattle team will select 30 players in the expansion draft instead of 31 due to Vegas (Foley) not getting part of the expansion money.

NHL GM meetings wrap: Vegas to be spared from a Seattle draft - Sportsnet.ca

 

[gstommylee]

It's still a little early, but it looks like the potential (going to happen) Seattle team will select 30 players in the expansion draft instead of 31 due to Vegas (Foley) not getting part of the expansion money.

NHL GM meetings wrap: Vegas to be spared from a Seattle draft - Sportsnet.ca

It make sense since Vegas isn't taking any share of the 650m that they should be exempt from the draft.

 

[CokenoPepsi]

Why wouldnt Vegas get expansion money?

 

[BattleBorn]

Why wouldnt Vegas get expansion money?

I've got a feeling they agreed that Vegas wouldn't get any expansion money from #32 when they deferred QC to a later date. When QC turned into Seattle, I'm guessing the agreement still applied.

 

[Thrive]

Which is ridiculous. We are talking about kids playing video games....another reason why ESPN is ridiculous....

It’s not ridiculous when you see the numbers they consistently draw. The scene is international and its base is all over the world — this isn’t just a North American phenomenon.

 

[Seattle Totems]

Vegas got first dibs on 30 teams which enabled them to build a formidable franchise. It seems more than a little unfair that they don't have to sweat or lose anything during expansion 2 to 3 years after they join the league. Straight up bs if you ask me.

 

[mouser]

Why wouldnt Vegas get expansion money?

Not unusual for new teams/expansions in all sorts of sports to not get a “full share” of central revenue for some initial period of time after joining.

 

[Howie Hodge]

Vegas got first dibs on 30 teams which enabled them to build a formidable franchise. It seems more than a little unfair that they don't have to sweat or lose anything during expansion 2 to 3 years after they join the league. Straight up bs if you ask me.

Perhaps; but obviously the other 30 owners preferred to take more money and give Vegas a pass on the next expansion draft.

 

[SCBlueLiner]

I don't think Totems wouldn't present a problem with the native Americans not like the controversies with the NFL redskins or the MLB Indians.

Listening to a local radio station (Minnesota) the other day and they were talking about the governor using the name Totems. The first reaction by the radio people was, ehh, maybe they should think about a different name in this day and age of political correctness. Didn't have an axe to grind against the name but the first reaction was it could be a problem because of its Native American connection.

Bottom line is that no matter what the meaning is behind the name, no matter if it is embraced by the local NA population, no matter how stupid the majority of normal people think it is to get upset over a nickname, it simply does not matter. Somebody somewhere is going to be offended, either now or some day in the future, and it just isn't worth dealing with that controversy when there is a fresh slate to pick any name you want.

 

[snovalleyhockeyfan]

Listening to a local radio station (Minnesota) the other day and they were talking about the governor using the name Totems. The first reaction by the radio people was, ehh, maybe they should think about a different name in this day and age of political correctness. Didn't have an axe to grind against the name but the first reaction was it could be a problem because of its Native American connection.

Bottom line is that no matter what the meaning is behind the name, no matter if it is embraced by the local NA population, no matter how stupid the majority of normal people think it is to get upset over a nickname, it simply does not matter. Somebody somewhere is going to be offended, either now or some day in the future, and it just isn't worth dealing with that controversy when there is a fresh slate to pick any name you want.

And that's the crux of the issue here as I've already noted. And it's interesting that a station in MN of all places figured this out. You remember which show/station this was on, SC?