Should high schools use Indian names for their sports teams? Hundreds of school teams have Indian names. Some say it's offensive to root for the "Redskins." Others say lighten up, no harm intended.

• Position: Opinion

YES LeBron James, the nation's most celebrated high school basketball player, and his team, the St. Vincent-St. Mary Fighting Irish of Akron, Ohio, recently played in Los Angeles. Roughly 13 percent of California's population is Irish-American, but there were no protests because the Irish-American community saw nothing particularly offensive about the Akron high school's team name.

That's why it's hard to understand the crusade to outlaw the use of Indian-related team names and mascots by public schools. Last year, a California legislator proposed banning the use of Redskins, Indians, Braves, Chiefs, Apaches, Comanches, or any other American Indian tribal name. A similar measure has been proposed in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Had the California law been enacted, the state's 60 or more public schools and colleges that boast Indian team names would have been forced to abandon those monikers. But the bill was based on the dubious notion that Indian team names make life unbearable for American Indians. It assumes that most American Indians find such team names and mascots racially offensive.

But that's not true, according to a poll last year, conducted for Sports Illustrated. "Although most Native American activists and tribal leaders consider Indian team names and mascots offensive, neither Native Americans in general, nor a cross-section of U.S. sports fans agree," says Andrea Woo of Sports Illustrated. In fact, four of five American Indians said that professional teams (like the Washington Redskins) should not stop using Indian names. Asked whether the use of Indian nicknames contributes to discrimination against them, the vast majority said it does not.

Actually, Indian team names foment goodwill toward American Indians. They are positive symbols in the minds of students. Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Braves are the pride of their cities.

When it comes to team names and team mascots, intent is what matters. Are they meant to disparage a group of people? Or do they represent inspirational symbols around which fans of all backgrounds can rally? Most American Indians understand the distinction. Too bad those who presume to speak for them do not.

JOSEPH PERKINS Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune NO The overwhelming majority of Native Americans despise "Indian" sports references and want all schools to put an end to this tradition...