Analysis Of Indian Mascots You Re Out

The article “Indian Mascots- You’re Out”, was published in the Los Angeles Times and written by Jack Shakely (37f, 42a). In his article, Shakely mostly focuses on the stereotypes involving Native American mascots. Jack Shakely writes about how the Indian Mascots are made out to be unintelligent or savages on the sports field. The author, also existing as a Native American, feels that the mascots are insulting to his people. “Indian Mascots- You’re Out” is a very well organized and thought out article about the stereotyping of American Indians in sports.
As a child, Shakely supported the Cleveland Indians and even the buck tooth, big nose Indian mascot that accompanied them, but once he witnesses the effect that such support has on his mother, it quickly fades. The author describes the hurt his mother feels from seeing her own son wearing a stereotype of their heritage. In doing so, the author does a very good job of using pathos to make his readers feel sympathy for his mother. Shakely also talks about article written about this same topic and how they are treated as “tempests in a teacup”(Shakely 647). While having written multiple books about the struggle for Indians in the past and future, Shakely was also the chair of the Los Angeles Native American

His problem is not with the use of the name like Indian or Brave, but with the way that the mascot of the team will act or look. He uses the mascot Chief Noc-A-Homa as an example because the team has him run out doing war dances and act like “the village idiot”(Shakely 647). The team eventually retired these mascots because of all the criticism the team was receiving for it. Shakely also refers to another team that had to retire their old mascot, which was the University of Illinois fighting Illini. Once the stereotypical mascot was replaced, the connection with the team name even being Indian was