Video Honoring LSU’s ’58 Champs: Is It Racially Insensitive? [VIDEO]
A video paying tribute to the 1958 LSU national championship football team has been called into question by some who claim to have been "triggered" by what they call a 61-year-old racial insensitivity.
The team, led by head coach Paul Dietzel, took home the crown after an undefeated season and a thrilling 7 - 0 win over Clemson in the Sugar Bowl.
But it's the teams use of the term "Chinese Bandits" that has a sensitive few a little riled. Dietzel, you see, was one of the first big time coaches to employ a platoon system. A bit more detail from wikipedia.com:
"In 1958...Dietzel came up with a unique three-team platoon system. It consisted of three teams of 11 different players. Instead of replacing individual players during the game, Dietzel would bring in an entirely new set of players between plays and series. The three teams were called the White Team (the first-string offense and defense), the Gold (Go) Team (the second-string offense), and the Chinese Bandits (the second-string defense)."
Of course, in the late 1950s the term "Chinese Bandits" was embraced by the media as colorful, but a newer generation now claims it racially insensitive, even derogatory. And after seeing film of the Tigers players donning less-than-flattering Chinese masks, the offended might seem to have a bit of evidence on their side.
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