April 21

Blog #119 – Indian mascots – insult, honor, or something else?

In the February 2012 article, “Insult or Honor?”, the author examines reasons surrounding the controversy of using Indian names and tribes as mascots for athletic teams.  But first, a little history:

The Boston Red Stockings changed their team name to the Boston Braves in 1912 (which would then move to Atlanta to play baseball there), and the Cleveland baseball team changed their mascot name to the Indians in 1914, purportedly because one of their players was a Native American.  College teams had had Indian mascots for decades, but Stanford University became one of the first universities to change their name voluntarily in 1972 from the Indians to the Cardinal.  In the 1990s, the NCAA ordered all teams with Indian mascots to change their nicknames and logos unless the university got permission from the tribe associated with that school.  Only a few schools were able to keep their mascots: Florida State, University of Illinois, University of Utah were a few.  In 2005, the NCAA put 19 colleges on notice that their names were “hostile or abusive” to Native Americans, and apparently all of the schools have changed except for Alcorn State University in Mississippi.  The high school mentioned in the article, Mukwonago, was ordered by the Wisconsin legislature to change its name (Warriors) to something else.  The case ended up in court, and the state courts allowed the school to keep its mascot and nickname in 2015, but they haven’t decided to change it back to the Warriors.

Arguments for keeping the Indian mascots include tradition and honor to those tribes involved.  Another argument for keeping the mascots revolve around financial means.  Those schools affected would need to buy all new sports uniforms, change gym floors and paint over murals at stadiums and gyms.  The article estimated that there are 6,500 schools of all levels that use an Indian mascot.  As for pro teams like the Washington R____, Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Blackhawks, and Cleveland Indians, they have argued that it would be too expensive to change their gear.  The Cleveland baseball team recently dropped its Chief Wahoo mascot and now just goes with a bright red C.

The primary arguments against using Indian mascots and names primarily rest with the thought that these are insults to Native peoples and engage in harmful and hurtful stereotypes.  Chief Wahoo can be found at the Ferris State Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorabilia because it represents the “Red Sambo” character in Jim Crow iconography.  Stereotypes like this have been used to justify racist behavior and discriminatory laws.  An additional argument can be that when white fans of these teams dress as Indians, they are appropriating the Indian culture and making a mockery of it (kinda like when people dress like hippies for 60s day during Spirit Week).  The most egregious / extreme use of the Indian nickname that causes hurt is the NFL franchise found in Washington D.C.  In 2013, the owner of the team, Daniel Snyder, has said, “We’ll never change the name. … It’s that simple. NEVER—you can use caps.”  In 2014, 50 U.S. Senators (48 Democrats and 2 independents) sent a letter to NFL Commissioner, Roger Goddell, asking that the NFL not support racism and bigotry.  Supposedly, the name was chosen in 1933 to honor all Native Americans.  However, if this were done with any other group of people, including whites (The Detroit Blacks, for instance, or the Pittsburgh Whites – all made up names), many people might have an issue with that.  However, in a 2017 case that went before the U.S. Supreme Court, a band known as the Slants (made up of Asian Americans) won a case against the U.S. trademark office because by the government refusing a trademark for the Slants, that would be a violation of their free speech.  Snyder sees this victory for free speech as a victory for his team since the Trademark Office had recently voted to cancel his team’s trademark in 2014.

Here’s a commercial put together by the National Congress of American Indians about the mascot issue:

So what’s your position on the use of Native American nicknames as mascots for schools and college and pro sports teams?  Do these names show what the predominantly white  attendees say they do – courage, spirit, honor, and respect?  Should a school get the local tribe’s permission in order to use its tribal name (like the University of North Dakota or Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan)?  Or is it time to retire these relics of a racist past to the trash bin of history?

Your answer is due Tuesday (4/23) by class.  300 words total.  

A video from Fox News debating the issue below:

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Posted April 21, 2019 by geoffwickersham in category Blogs

55 thoughts on “Blog #119 – Indian mascots – insult, honor, or something else?

  1. Sarah Johns

    I personally don’t see the harm in using Native American’s names as sports team’s names and mascots as long as it is not used in an offensive way. If a tribe has a problem with the name they should have the power to make them change it. The tribes just need to communicate with the teams and let them know if they are okay with it or not. It should be completely up to the Native American’s because it is their names and cultures that we are using. If the tribe has a problem with it there should be no argument or discussion over whether it should be changed, it should just happen. I think that politicians putting words into the Native American’s mouths and deciding what is offensive to them is disrespectful. It is taking away their right to voice their opinion. I don’t believe that any of these teams are trying to offend anyone or use these names in a bad way. I think they are using it more in a way to show toughness and fierceness then trying to offend anyone. Today often the Native American tribes are neglected and so their name is being used on something that everyone can enjoy. I believe that the people who named these teams wanted to express the spirit and enthusiasm for the culture that these people had, they were not trying to offend them. I do agree with Ben Shapiro in the second video, however, that there are bigger problems with the Native Americans, such as the fact that they are neglected and need other aid, over the names of sports teams. I feel like their health and quality of life should be improved and the government is using the sports team names as a way to stall this needed help.

  2. Sydney Green

    I believe that any college, high school and professional teams of any sport should be required to change their mascot and or team name, since it can be offensive towards Native American Tribes. Even though I’m sure that their goal is not to be racist, it still comes off as racist and it is not being culturally appropriate. It can also come off as rude and offensive to the Native Americans. There is also no connection between the name and the tribe, the mascot and or name should be representing something for pride and the history of the Native Americans which there is none of. Native Americans are already a minority in America and they have been treated poorly for years by white Americans. I believe this could also be the same issue if you ever did this to a different minority group because no one would want their legacy to be represented like that. Personally, I don’t think that these schools that are mostly white students should not be trying to present themselves as someone they are not. Personally, I think that they would need permission to be able to use these tribe names and or images in their names and mascots. Ultimately, it is representing Native Americans under a stereotype and it is also showing them in a negative way. I think that they would need to ask the tribe and if they feel offended by it then they shouldn’t use it. On the other hand, if the tribe doesn’t care then it should be okay to use these names. When schools use these names and mascots, they could easily be lying about them being able to use the names and mascots simply to just get away with. I think as a country we need to be thinking about how we’d can not let problems like this continue to happen.

  3. Lily Abraam

    I personally believe that the schools should be allowed to use the Indian tribes for mascots because it is causing no harm to their name and if anything it brings more recognition to the tribes and allows people to look deeper into what the mascot really is. Although, if the school is using the Indian mascots name disrespectfully, I believe that the tribe should be able to sue the school or take away the mascot in some way. If the sports teams were to ask the school to see if they can use their mascot and if the tribe says no, the school should respectively accept their answer and not make a big deal out of their privacy. I believe that after all the situations that the Indians and their tribes have gone to, people who are fans of the sports need to recognize that these mascots need to be respected and taken seriously. I also believe that the school needs to receive permission from the tribes first in order to use their tribe’s names because without asking that is taking from their rights and how they want their mascot to be portrayed. All the schools such as Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan had the right idea of asking for permission because they knew that they had to respect the tribes and their privacy. Overall, I believe that colleges should be allowed to use Indian tribes as their mascots because if they use it in the right way, it will allow more people to understand Indian tribes history and what they did for the country. The only circumstances in which the college should not be allowed to use the Indian Tribes mascot is if they do not ask the tribes for permission or they have used the mascot in an inappropriate way in the past.

  4. Elle Layman

    I think High Schools, Colleges and pro sports teams should be allowed to use Native American nicknames and/or mascots as long as they have the permission from the Native American tribe they have chosen to represent their school. If the team or organization is using a Native American name as a mascot or name without the permission from the Native American tribe it is very offensive and very insensitive. The horrible acts committed by the white man against Native Americans in our country were so terrible that now when many pro sports teams are owned by rich white men they should consider the people they are using as a brand. If the Native American tribe doesn’t allow the team or organization to use the name as a mascot then the team should be forced to change their mascot. Schools such as the Florida State Seminoles and the Central Michigan Chippewas are allowed to keep their names because they both have permission from Native American tribes and generously contribute to the tribes. Central Michigan makes sure to honor the Chippewa tribe in Mt Pleasant, Michigan and has permission to use Chippewa as their school mascot and the same with Florida State and the Seminole tribe. Now in the case with the NFL team, the Washington Redskins that have had many Native Americans speak out against their team mascot should be made to change it to something less offensive and less insensitive. The MLB team the Cleveland Indians had a problem with their mascot name a few years back but have since changed their offensive logo and have started to contribute more to Native American tribes. If a school or organization has permission from a Native American tribe to use their name as their mascot or nickname then they are allowed to as long as they contribute someway to the tribe but if the school or organization does not obtain permission from a tribe they shouldn’t be allowed to use the Native American name.

  5. Nicholas Skinner

    When it comes to the usage of potentially offensive or racist symbols for mascots america has a long history of it, especially when it comes to native Americans. Meny activists and native Americans believe there usage is offensive, disrespectful and creates a hostile environment for those of native american background that attend said schools.On the other side we have many athletes, students and sport fans that believe it is a tradition and that it honors the natives and should be maintained. While i understand it may not be cost effective to change the mascots, i believe the schools should change with the time unless they have made a deal with the tribe they are using for their symbol. I also believe it comes down to a case by case basis, for example Florida state university struck a deal with the tribe their team was named after and were allowed to keep it. If both parties can come to an agreement and allow it to stay i see no reason to get rid of it, but if the tribe does not give consent for the use of their image i believe the government should enforce the tribes decision and have the school/team change their mascot. Another possible agreement, more so for the professional teams, is that in order to keep their mascot they would surrender a portion of their profits to aid impoverished natives and help supply education, food and clean water to not so well off native children. Of course these deals would not work out for teams with broader names like the “redskins” or the “Indians” as it would be nearly impossible to get permission from all natives within the us.
    In conclusion unless a deal is made allowing that team to keep it, colleges, high schools, and professional teams should get with the time and update their mascots to make for a more tolerant and united country.

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