Utah school district gets rid of cougar mascot because it's offensive to women

Students in Utah may have voted to urge on their sports teams with the battle cry ‘Go Cougars!’

But the school district has overruled the popular choice because it claims it would be insensitive to women.



The students were asked what they wanted to be the mascot for the new Corner Canyon High School, which is scheduled to open in Draper, Utah, next year.

Offense: A school in Utah has rejected their students' decision for a cougar mascot after worry it could be too insensitive to women

While cougars – the large mountain cats - are prevalent in Utah, the principal Mary Bailey worried people would also be reminded of the popular culture use of the word to describe sexually aggressive middle-aged women who attract younger men.



Some parents and patrons emailed and called board members, saying they were uncomfortable with the idea that their daughters on the drill team and as cheerleading squad would be called Cougars.



Misuse: The school decided that while the large mountain cats are prevalent in Utah, some may instead think of the word used to describe sexually aggressive middle-aged women who attract younger men

The Canyons Board of Education, which consisted of six men and one woman, agreed with the principal and decided to impose the name ‘Charger’ for the mascot.



Although ‘Charger’ was on the ballot, it didn’t get close to as many votes as ‘Cougars.’



Ballots were sent out to 4,300 kindergarten through eighth grade students in Draper communities that will feed into the school. Two hundred seventy-three wanted Cougars, 180 wanted Diamondback, 171 wanted Falcons and 141 wanted Raptors.

Chosen: Charger, a horse used in battle, was chosen for the school's mascot though it had received less votes, as seen from the recent Steven Spielberg movie War Horse

The decision came even though Brigham Young University, considered one of the country’s most straight-laced colleges, uses the cougar for its mascot.



Ms. Bailey said the name ‘Charger’ gave the school an opportunity to have a unique mascot in Utah.



‘The board said this is a brand new school and we want to unite the community. And if there's something out there that could divide it, let's not go there,’ said district spokeswoman Jennifer Toomer-Cook to KSL.com.

