Go Team!

by Brendan Smith
Weirs Times Editor

There has been a lot of attention over the past few years about the names of certain sports teams on both a local and national level.
These team names are considered by some to be derogatory reflections of a particular group’s heritage.
Unlike those who are against these names being used, I am not going to mention the names of theses teams endlessly to try and make my point. In fact, I never really thought about these team names until the people who are against them continued to say them over and over again bringing attention to them on a regular basis.
Whether or not I am for or against these names being used is not the point of this column. I merely want to suggest that if any of these teams decide to change their names to quell the uproar created by those offended who keep repeating the names, I hope they might consider using a name that represents a part of my own heritage, as well as the heritage of many others here in New Hampshire.
My suggestion is to call these teams “Flatlanders”.
The Washington Football team comes to mind first. Searching for a new name, I believe my idea would work well. The Washington Flatlanders. How cool would that be?
Washington D.C is actually full of “Flatlanders” in a sense. Of course, there is our own Senators Shaheen and Hassan from Missouri and Boston originally. Plus, other representatives from other states who are, in a way, flatlanders. Folks who were born elsewhere.
I’ll bet there are more than a few of you Flatlanders yourselves who are sitting there, open-mouthed and slack-jawed as you read this. After all. The term “Flatlander” is considered derogatory to many who have moved to New Hampshire from the big cities to settle into more rural areas.
At one time, this was true. It was a badge none of us liked to wear and I was no exception.
Still, over the years I have embraced the term “Flatlander” and have used it to my advantage, basically creating a whole cottage industry based on it.
It has been twenty-five years now since I first approached the subject of being a Flatlander on these very pages. I knew not everyone would be happy. There were some who berated me hoping that if it just wasn’t talked about it would all go away.
I knew that wasn’t about to happen. I knew that calling us “Flatlanders” was the only thing that natives (and those that think they are) had as ammunition against us. The only thing that they thought they could use to wear us down.
For many years they were successful until I decided to take over the fight.
Today the term “Flatlander” has, for the most part, lost its sting and is no longer a stigma. In fact, many today wear the designation proudly.
That is why I think it would be a great idea in helping dilute this once offensive term even further by seeing it become more widespread.
What better way than as the name of different sport teams?
I’m sure that thinking on a national level might be a bit of a stretch at the moment, but I’ve always been one to aim high.
There are a variety of high school teams in New Hampshire that are under a lot of pressure by people who keep saying their names to bring attention to them, to change them.
I feel “Flatlanders” would be a great choice. I imagine that more than a few players on the teams are Flatlanders themselves or, more likely, descended from Flatlander Heritage. So, it certainly wouldn’t be much of a stretch.
And for you transplants who are reading this in your silent rage (or noisy rage, if you are from New Jersey) think about how much fun it would be to go to a high school football game and hear a group of natives screaming” “Let’s Go Flatlanders.”
How about picking up a local paper and reading the headline: “Flatlanders Are State Champs.”
You know you would love it as much as I would. It would be a sweet victory in many ways.
I’m sure that the new debate would now focus on what the team logos should look like. Some might choose a man holding a roof rake. Others might go with a perplexed figure at the local dump for the first time. But, it won’t really matter. Symbols of Flatlanders would become ubiquitous throughout the state and the original, hurtful purpose of the name would become diminished and even something to be very proud of.
Over the years the Flatlander name might find its way to college teams or even pro sports. Nothing is impossible (except, of course, a balanced national budget). We might not live to see the day, but our grandkids just might.
Future generations might not even know the term “Flatlander” was once a bad thing.
I hope I have changed the minds of some who would be against such a thing. I hope you have come to see my point of view.
“LET’S GO FLATLANDERS!!”