Estherville-Lincoln Central was eliminated from the girl’s high school basketball tournament in the state of Iowa on Thursday. However, it was not the exhilarating result that caught my attention.
I am completely enthralled by one of the craziest mascots in sports. Period.
Estherville-Lincoln Central is best known as the Midgets and/or Midgettes. The school adopted its wildly controversial moniker almost 100 years ago and simply refuses to change the name despite multiple requests in very recent history. There is a lot of pride attached to the name.
In terms of location, Estherville-Lincoln Central is located in northernmost Iowa. It is just a few miles from the Minnesota state line, closer to Minneapolis than Des Moines. The entire school district enrolls less than 1,500 students.
Estherville-Lincoln Central earned the No. 5 seed in the Class 3A Iowa Girl’s High School Basketball Tournament and lost to No. 1 seed Mount Vernon by one point on Thursday. A valiant comeback effort came up just short during the second half.
Result aside, let’s talk about the mascot. The Midget is actually much bigger than its name would suggest. There is a large amount of irony attached to the size of the singlet-wearing man, who, by definition, is supposed to represent a person no taller than 4-foot-10.
In one of the more ironic moments of the @IGHSAU state basketball tournament, the Estherville-Lincoln Central “Midget” mascot is like 6’8…and terrifying. pic.twitter.com/NcH3jZK3Ht
— Andy Pollock (@knightsnclones) March 6, 2025
I was first made aware of the Midgets during the Midgettes’ loss on Wednesday. I genuinely cannot believe they exist because of the offensive undertones but Estherville-Lincoln Central simply refuses to be canceled. It will not even consider a name change.
Three members of the Mascots Matter Campaign wrote to the school district at some point in 2024. They asked Estherville-Lincoln Central to drop the Midget mascot because it is an offensive term to people with dwarfism. Co-founder Rachel Wherley led the charge.
She reached out to then-Superintendent Tara Paul to discuss the mascot. Not only is it derogatory, it could potentially violate federal laws that are designed to protect people with disabilities.
Paul and her eventual successor both explained that it is a term of endearment for the district.
For our students and community, there is a real sense of pride behind the Mighty Midget because of what we believe a mascot represents. It is a rally cry and what we as a school system and community get behind. We would not have a mascot that would demean our students and community, of which we do have a contingency of little people.
— Tara Paul in an email to Mascots Matter
The origin story dates back to 1927.
In 1927, the Estherville football team was extremely short. They played a team that was very tall and defeated them. When the newspaper printed the article for the paper, they referred to the Estherville team as ‘Midgets.’ The nickname has stayed with the team and has been adopted as the school mascot.
— Estherville-Lincoln Central High School
According to the Des Moines Register, Estherville-Lincoln Central has mostly ignored the Mascots Matter Campaign in the months since their initial correspondance. The school district will not budge.
They don’t answer our questions. They don’t talk to us, and we have been nothing but curious. There’s been no comments or conversation that I think could be anything more than just wanting to approach an educational institution and have a discussion, and they have completely cut us off and limited our access.
— Mascots Matter Campaign cofounder Rachel Wherley
Regardless of how you feel about the Midget mascot, it is so hard to believe that it still exists in today’s political climate that it almost becomes impressive. Estherville-Lincoln Central simply refuses to change!