Could Grizzly Fans Ever Cheer for the Hamsters?

Colleges change their schools' nicknames for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is political correctness.

As Montana Grizzly lovers, when your favorite college team is named after one of the most ferocious, bad-ass animals on the continent,  it can be easy to look down your snout at teams with animal nicknames a bit lower on the food chain. Like Hamsters.

But that is one of the favorites for the new nickname for Amherst College, which dropped the nickname "Lord Jeffs" when it was revealed that British General Jeffrey Amherst suggested giving smallpox-infected blankets to Native Americans back in the 1700s.

Of course if you scramble up  "Amherst" just right, you can spell hamster, so that gives it a teeny, tiny leg up. The school received almost 600 suggestions, which they have narrowed down to a final vote in March. Besides Hamsters, Moose, Aces, Dinosaurs, Irradients, Fighting Poets and Mammoths are being viewed as strong contenders.

I say we Griz fans make the Hamster our spirit animal and cheer for Amherst!

DB