Native American Stereotypes...
Native American Stereotypes in SportsEver since the beginning of professional organized sports in America, the "mascot" chosen to represent the team has been the main identifying mark of that organization. The mascot has a lot of symbolic and historical meaning for most teams, and even more for the fans who buy and wear the merchandise with the mascot's logo on it. Normally the mascot for a sport's team does not change over the years because of this loyalty, but this is also because of the fact that most of the team's mascots do not patronize a whole race of people who originally inhabited this country. Many sports teams (professional, local, and collegiate) have adopted mascot names such as, the 'Redskins', the 'Braves', the 'Indians', and the 'Chiefs.' Many Native Americans, as well as many organizations with no affiliations with Native Americans, consider these mascot names to be stereotypical terms that denigrate Native Americans. In recent years, the voices that have been battling to eliminate these mascot names have become louder, with varying degrees of success at the local and national levels. In the following paragraphs, I will explore what has been done to strip these numerous sports teams of their demeaning nick
(4) In 1999, the Atlanta Braves pledged $1 million to educate the public about Native American culture, deflecting criticism of their team name and their "Indian Chop" cheer, performed by their fans at home games. (2) These facts show that this is not a one-sided issue, and that many people think that the effort to change these mascot names is political correctness gone to the extreme. (4) The issue seemed to die down a little, as no other changes were made in collegiate mascots until 1979. (1) The team with what is probably the most offensive name, the Washington Redskins, has received the most criticism and penalties. Though it is nearly an understood fact that mascot names such as the "Redskins" and the "Chiefs" bring to mind negative Native American stereotypes, there are some (including some Native Americans) who believe otherwise. The creation of the "Fighting Whites" mascot by the Native American students on the University of Northern Colorado's basketball team in protest of Native American-themed mascots rightfully turns the tables on this stereotypical view. Being the only Native American who currently plays for a professional sports team with a Native American-themed mascot, one would think Blair Atcheynum of the Chicago Blackhawks would be opposed to this offensive team name. (4) Most of these changes came as a result of pressure on the school from their student body, and Native American organizations, such as the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI). Team names like the "Redskins", "the "Indians", and the "Savages" go to the extreme in reinforcing the stereotypical view of Native Americans, especially to children playing for schools with these kinds of team names. " (3) Various newspapers and radio stations have also pledged to not use the term "Redskins", including the Portland Oregonian and several Washington D. " (4) A year later, the Cleveland Indians minor league team, the Canton-Akron Indians changed their name to the "Aeros," subsequently boosting their merchandise sales from $60,000 to $1.
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Acceptance Essays
