Our mascot, the Toreador, is the face of Taft –our sports teams compete under its name, our buildings are covered in depictions of the fierce fighter, and we even refer to ourselves as toreadors. But is the toreador really something we should be proud of?
The toreador, the Spanish word for bullfighter, is often romanticized as elegant and brave, which is likely what the school had in mind when they adopted it as our mascot. However, times have changed, and many are seeing bullfighting as the cruel sport that it is, with the humane society condemning the practice as inflicting a “Cruel, long death.” Groups, such as the humane society, have pushed for bullfighting to be banned.
I feel we can all agree that animal cruelty is not something we should honor or celebrate, and the toreador as a mascot is indivisible from the bloody, dangerous, and cruel sport that is bullfighting.
Pointless slaughter of animals is not the only concerning aspect of our current mascot. Our logo, the double T for Taft Toreadors, is suspiciously similar to the Texas Tech logo, which predates our own by at least 34 years. Every line and angle is very near precisely the same, a mirror image of each other. The single and sole difference is the outlines, with Taft’s using red and gold and Texas Tech using red, black, and white. Such a close match is dubious in of itself, but it does not end there.
The logo is not the only foil between the two schools, as Texas Tech has a toreador of its own. Since 1925 the university has produced their very own paper, by the name of the Daily Toreador. While this does not directly mirror Taft, the toreador is not a common symbol, with the matador being more common (see: CSU Northridge). The similarity, though possibly coincidental, further shows how Taft does not appear to possess a unique identity in this way. Taft is an amazing school, and it deserves its own identity.
In the face of the need for a new mascot, here are some suggestions courtesy of the Taft Tribune staff.
