In a majority of cases, this view is even endorsed by the tribes themselves (Morrison). They argue that the restriction and ultimate elimination of the Native American mascot would also abolish the nation’s historic view of this cultural entity as characters of strength, determination, boldness, resourcefulness and courage. They contend that these same positive attributes are not only required by athletes, but are held expectations of the sporting community. The pursuant argument entails that there is an inherent oddity in the suggestion that naming a team after an Indian tribe is a calculated insult.
Many people do not consider themselves supporting Native American mascots that depict them in a bad manner. But when people walk around with a Atlanta Braves shirt on with a Indian with a tomahawk in his hand, it is degrading to the Indians. It is stereotyping them. School mascots and Sports team’s mascots are named after groups of people for no reason known. Notre Dame was founded by Irish Catholics, but their sports team was named the Fighting Irish. The name Fighting Irish has nothing to do with the Irish Catholics, it depicts them in a wrong way.(Price, 3). Team names can be changed to similar names that do not depict certain groups of people. Like the Redskins can be called the Red Hawks or the
Dating back several hundreds of years ago, Native Americans have been deprived, dehumanized, and demoralized ever since Christopher Columbus and his men came and seized the land from the Indigenous Peoples. There have been many tactics that have been used to strip the dignity of the Indigenous Peoples, but the use of an American Indian sports mascot is one tactic that has been in effect since 1932. There are some supporters of these various American Indian sports mascots such as Dan Snyder, the current team owner of the Washington Redskins, that do not feel that these sports mascots have any negative connotations. Dan Snyder may have had a few points when he wrote his letter, but he fails to realize that the American Indian Sports Mascots are
The majority culture defends use of the Native Americans symbols in sports and many are confused by the objections raised by Native Americans. “Team Names represent something positive to the fans, People don’t name teams after things they hate.” (40 What’s in a Team Name, Banks). For example, the University of Georgia selected the “The Georgia Bulldogs as their Mascot.”(What’s in a Team Name). Their attributes are “toughness...and integrity”(What’s in a Team Name) to their mascot. Teams also look
The Native American people have been apart of America ever since the “white man” came over from Europe. There traditions have been around for as long as they have been alive. They were the first people on the land we call home today. The Native American people have done more for this land than we have and we do not appreciate them at all for that. It is crazy how some people just blow them off like they are less than us and do not get anything special, but they do not also need to be disrespected in the public eye. Professional sports teams that have Native American mascots are used in a way that disrespects the people of Native American descent. It also happens at the high school level and gives the young adults with an biased outlook on the culture and history of these people. Any sports team name with an Native American mascot should have to change there name.
A common question about this topic is, “Insult or Honor?” Professional clubs aren’t the only ones with Native American names and mascots. Teams across our nation are preaching constantly it 's for honor not as an insult. The public views on
There has been many controversy with teams using Native American name for mascots and has become a major issue in today’s society. Many have viewed the Washington Redskins as honor for Native Americans, others see it racist, insensitive, and demeaning. Woods (2016) claims that “the complaint is that the use of stereotypical team names, mascots, and logos perpetuates an ideology that dehumanizes and demeans the cultures of Native Americans” (p. 298). Since the issue arise, many scholars, journalists and leaders have joined the battle to ensure that each team will eliminate the nicknames since it is considered abusive or hostile. It may take time but the trend is growing. More than 1,400 professional, collegiate,
The Native American people have a tenacious opinion on whether the Washington Redskins team should change their name due to its derogatory meaning. According to Merriam Webster’s Dictionary, the word “Redskin” is defined as Native American, but is specifically stated to be “Usually Offensive”(Merriam-Webster). The Native Americans deeply thought that the names, symbols, and mascots were completely disrespectful,
Have you thought about the name or mascot of your favorite sports team like the Chicago Blackhawks, the Washington Redskins, or even a college team like Florida State Seminoles? These teams and more have been accused of being racist towards Native Americans and their culture. However, many teams do not intentionally use their mascots to discriminate against Natives. Instead, they represent Native American Tribes and use names to respect the history of the tribal nation. Others would say that sports teams are just using those native titles to gain more fans. Also, natives would argue that professional sports teams are making fun of their tribes because of the decisions that the team has made about the way that the native cultures are portrayed. People would say that teams with native mascots have lack of respect towards Native Americans. However, many professional sports teams that are named after a native tribe are respectful towards the native heritage in ways such as having a partnership with the tribe, honoring a leader that the team was named after, and even helping out a tribe.
All sports teams have a mascot cherished by fans across the country. However teams like the Washington Redskins and the Atlanta braves have fallen under fire for their references to Native American culture.All sports teams names that reference native Americans should be allowed because they are just names and shouldn't be viewed as offensive, and some teams that change their name or logo may lose some of their fan base.
The controversy of Indian mascots is a widespread issue seen across the U.S.;is it racist , or is it justified? From different viewpoints from many people the answers vary from group to group.I believe it is not racist and believe that it is honoring. Natives should have the final say, but regular americans still step in and want a say in the whole issue. The Indian mascot has been used all across the U.S. ranging from elementary schools all the way to college and professional sports teams. “In fact Over 2,128 other teams use indian referenced team names not just professional”.(Munguia, Hayley)Ranging from many racial terms to regular tribe names. The main focus of the controversy is focused on the professional sports team the Washington Redskins.Many people see this team as racist and degrading to Indians. Some say it is similar to the racial slur n***** to African Americans. I believe the Redskins, may be politically incorrect representation of the Indians but not all indian mascots are racist or wrong. Indian mascots bring history, power, cultural, education and strong images of Indians to Native Americans and all American people. .
The article, “The 2,128 Native American Mascots People Aren 't Talking About” written by Hayley Munguia gives a massive overview of not only the Redskins, but the 2, 129 other teams representing the controversial Native American mascot references. Munguia begins the article by sharing that a little boy does not even realize the connection between the Redskins and the Native American innuendo. She that this is not just the issue of an NFL team, but about all the other teams in High School, College, Semi Pro, and Pro athletics, and how “8.2% of college have Native American team names. Munguia goes into an interview with a high school coach from the Estelline Redmen. He claims that the name is for the “color they
Almost everybody loves going to sporting events and seeing all the excited fans as well as the energized mascots. There has been quite a variety of mascots and logos seen in schools whether it be high schools or colleges and in professional leagues. According to a search done by an ESPN FiveThirtyEight reporter through a database known as MascotDB, out of the 42,624 teams in the database at the time there were 2,129 sports teams that have reference to Native Americans (Munguia). That’s about a five percent of all mascots while Native American only make up roughly two percent of the population of the United States in 2014 (US Census). There has been much debate and controversy around mascots and team names that reference Native American throughout the years and gaining more attention especially with the most public debate regarding National
Should Native Americans mascots and team names be banned because they are racist and dehumanize Indians, or is that action wrong place to focus energy. Native Americans should be allowed to better educate our society by changing offensive teams into something more historical and positively good. By having teams and mascots adopt more influential Native American names, there will be more positive cultural awareness regarding Native Americans. Although, some will say that the so called offensive team names and mascots are helpful and support Native Americans. Some will also say that is apart of their history and it should remain because of it.