As Bedford Road Collegiate prepares to shed its controversial team name, the Saskatoon high school is also selling off anything that bears the Redmen name and Indian head logo –- it’s memorabilia that while considered offensive to some could be a keepsake to others.
A sale planned for next month will feature sports jersey and other articles of clothing, as well as things such as chairs used during basketball games and the wall mats that protect basketball players from crashing into the gym wall.
All of the sporting items that still have the name and or logo on them will be up for sale at the garage sale, said principal Cody Hanke.
Current students have already been able to shop, with several purchasing the jerseys they wore while playing school sports, all for just a few dollars. Hanke said there have also been inquiries about the sale from school alumni as well as people who live in the neighbourhood.
Public school board trustees voted last month end use of the “Redmen” team name and logo in response to calls that the name was racist and served to stereotype First Nations people. The name originally referred to the red uniforms athletes wore when the school opened in the 1920s. The logo first came into use during the 1960s and received alterations several times in recent decades.
Current students are being included in the search for a new team name and logo that will be in place in time for this fall. Students have been asked to post words on a wall that they associate with Bedford Road.
“Spirit is one . . . tradition happening frequently, pride is another one,” Hanke said.
