Native American Mascots: Respect or Ridicule? By: Brian Wulf

Introduction – Is it respect or ridicule? – Facts that support both sides of the issue – This issue isn’t as black and white as it seems – Native American Mascots are represented across every major sport – MLB: Cleveland Indians and Atlanta Braves – NFL: Washington Redskins – NHL: Chicago Blackhawks – NBA: Golden State Warriors

History – 1960’s were a time of social change for all ethnicities – In 1968 Vernon Bellecourt founded the American Indian Movement (AIM) – Goals: ensure civil rights to Native Americans and educate Native Americans on their culture and spiritual heritage – Protested outside of sports arenas and in some cases was arrested for doing so

Respect by the Numbers – Survey conducted by Sports Illustrated in 2002, asked Native Americans – “Does the use of Native American team names and mascots contribute to discrimination against Native Americans?” – 75% of Native Americans living on reservations believed it did NOT contribute – 81% of Native Americans living off reservations believed it did NOT contribute

Ridicule by the Numbers – In a study conducted by Shea Hart, she asked people about the Washington Redskins name – Is the name offensive? – 54% of the people believed it was racist

MLB – Cleveland Indians – Respect – Chief Wahoo is really based off Louis Sockalexis (the first actual player to break the color barrier) – Ridicule – Logo- RED Native American – Name- Indian is a derogatory term – Atlanta Braves – Respect – Logo- Native American Head was replaced in the 90’s – Ridicule – Tomahawk Chop- Has negative connotations of Native Americans

NFL – Washington Redskins – Respect – Myth: The Redskins, were actually named after a former coach, “Lone Star” Dietz – This myth was started by the organization to distract from the issue – Ridicule – Name- Derives from a bounty put on Native Americans, when the Europeans would scalp the Native Americans – City- Represents our Nations Capital – Study- A survey by Shea Hart concluded that 54% of the people she surveyed believed the name to be racist

NHL – Chicago Blackhawks – Respect – Origin of the Name- Frederic McLaughlin was a commander with the 333rd Machine Gun Battalion of the 86th Infantry Division during World War I – This Division was nicknamed the “Black Hawk” Division – Named the team after the men he served with during World War I – National Anthem- A member of the Blackhawk tribe is always present and honored prior to the National Anthem – Compensation- The Blackhawk tribe is compensated by the team, along with generous donations to the American Indian Center of Chicago – Ridicule – Logo- A stereotypical Native American Head – Mascot- Tommy Hawk= Tomahawk

NBA – Golden State Warriors – Respect – New Logo- Brings emphasis to California not Native Americans – Name Change- Are currently considering a name change – Ridicule – Old Logo- portrayed a negative stereotype

Conclusion – There are arguments for both sides, but it really comes down to morals – The use of these names and mascots have become institutionalized in society – Fans root for these teams, without knowing the history of the names.