Social media has been in an uproar all day after a recent survey from the Quality Logo Products Blog revealed that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish leprechaun mascot was voted the fourth most offensive mascot in the U.S. — coming in behind only Hawaii’s Vili the Warrior, San Diego State’s Aztec Warrior and Florida State’s Osceola and Renegade.
The full list:
| 1. Osceola and Renegade | Florida State University |
| 2. Aztec Warrior | San Diego State University |
| 3. Vili the Warrior | University of Hawaii at Manoa |
| 4. Leprechaun | University of Notre Dame |
| 5. Pistol Pete | Oklahoma State University |
| 6. West Virginia Mountaineer | West Virginia University |
| 7. Hey Reb! | University of Nevada, Las Vegas |
| 8. Sparky the Sun Devil | Arizona State University |
| 9. Pistol Pete | New Mexico State University |
| 10. Cavalier | University of Virginia |
Since those results were revealed, the university has fired back and argued that their name and mascot comes from a genuine heritage within the organization.
“It is worth noting … that there is no comparison between Notre Dame’s nickname and mascot and the Indian and warrior names (and) mascots used by other institutions such as the NFL team formerly known as the Redskins,” the school said in a statement on Monday, per the Indy Star. “None of these institutions were founded or named by Native Americans who sought to highlight their heritage by using names and symbols associated with their people.
“Our symbols stand as celebratory representations of a genuine Irish heritage at Notre Dame a heritage that we regard with respect, loyalty and affection.”
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The Notre Dame community adopted the name as a term of endearment in the late 1800s. The nickname was officially changed in 1927.
