ipl-logo

Native American Logos

983 Words4 Pages

I decided to start a conversation about the use of Native Americans as logos for sports teams. I have always had strong opinions on this topic because, even as I child, I could see that this practice was offensive. My first memory of this topic was in middle school when another team in our area used American Indians as their mascot, and my sister and I thought it was weird that they’d use people instead of animals. As I have come to read more and more about this topic, I find it hard to believe some people would actually be okay with using an entire culture for the purpose of making a joke of them. I started the conversation on Facebook by posting an ESPN article about the subject as well as the header: “I am doing a paper in my sociology …show more content…

She focused more on the cultural offenses of using Native Americans as mascots. She commented, “I think it is offensive to their culture to use them as a mascot.” I was glad someone mentioned the cultural aspect, but there is a deep religious significance to the “props” that people wear to the games. In his book Fair and Foul, Stanley Eitzen discusses how using this is harmful: “The word Indian isn’t offensive . . . but it’s the behavior that accompanies all of this that’s offensive. The rubber tomahawks. The chicken feather headdresses. People wearing war paint and making these ridiculous whoops with a tomahawk in one hand and a beer in the other. All these things have significant meaning for us” (39). Both Eitzen and my friend Angela realize that these uses of culturally and religiously important objects and practices are highly offensive and demeaning to the American …show more content…

There would have been many eye rolls from Angela, a raised voice from Janet, and a very eloquent but condescending argument from Bob. The first two commentators are still young and tend to show a lot of anger and frustration, which makes an argument seem more opinion and emotion based. Bob is someone who spends a very long time planning out his arguments and makes sure that they are as eloquent-sounding as possible. Even though Angela and Janet understand the obvious racism that fuels the use of Native American mascots, their strong tones of voice would have made their arguments invalid to Bob, and he would probably not listen to anything they would have to

Show More
Related
598 Words | 3 Pages

In this excerpt from a work of satire, Dr. Rayna Green proposes the establishment of a “Museum of the Plains White Person” and goes on to explain how, where, and why it should be built and what the museum will include. Dr. Green wrote this speech so that white people could experience the disrespect the Native Americans receive when they are talked about. Dr. Green effectively satirizes the beliefs of white people about Native American through the use of an insensitive and ignorant tone which is emphasized by assumptious diction and syntax. The location of the museum is over an “abandoned ceremonial ball court” which is extremely disrespectful to the ceremonies held on it and to those who performed them. Dr. Green ignores the fact that it is ceremonial ground that holds importance to other people.

Read More
644 Words | 3 Pages

Pocahontas Assignment 1. Why does Pewewardy believe that misrepresentation of American Indians in films can be harmful to this community? Pewewardy stresses the damaging effects that stereotypes Native Americans face in films pose to the children of Native American communities. These children see themselves as less than human not only thanks to films, but also because of the image of the Native American being used as mascots and logos.

Read More
1624 Words | 7 Pages

Thirdly, discriminatory behaviour by surrounding communities and the effects it has on First Nation children. There are many voices in this world that appreciate being heard upon their opinions, but some individuals use their voices as weapons to bring down other people. In Richard Wagamese’s Indian Horse, the audience in a hockey game perceive a hockey team full of Indigenous peoples as a source of negative energy for the game in general, and that can be interpreted as racial discrimination. “As we skated onto the ice for our game against the North Bay Nuggets, the crowd booed us. When our line us was introduced, they knew exactly where to direct their energy” (Wagamese

Read More
878 Words | 4 Pages

In Ilya Shapiro's article "Loss for the Redskins, loss for free speech," published in USA Today on July 10, 2015, he address the use of Native American slurs in Washington, DC's NFL team name and trademark. Throughout the paper there are sound and logical arguments that appeal to the audience who may also be informed. Shapiro appears to be knowledgeable about the law including the First Amendment and how free speech should apply to the protection of names and logos used for team sports. USA Today is a nationally distributed newspaper whose intended audience are middle class citizens. While Shapiro's arguments may have an effect on like-minded readers sharing his opinion, most consumers of this publication may not pursue any further ventures into this topic after reading this article.

Read More
1043 Words | 5 Pages

We have since adopted the phrase “Native American,” as a more appropriate (and yet still all encompassing) term. However, another antiquated expression has recently gathered a lot of media attention. The National League Football team for the Washington D.C. Metropolitan area plays under the name “The Washington Redskins.”

Read More
1171 Words | 5 Pages

The Redskins have come under very intense pressure in recent months to change their name, which many Native American leaders have denounced as a racial slur. So, why all the controversy?   The argument to whether Native American mascots

Read More
1398 Words | 6 Pages

Native American mascots reduce the indigenous people to a mere cartoon, ignoring the diversity and richness of their cultures, and the many practices and rituals they have. These mascots treat indigenous cultures as if they are relics of the horrid past, ignoring the fact that indigenous people continue to exist and thrive in modern societies. Using Native American mascots trivialize the serious issues the indigenous community face, such as discrimination, racism, poverty, and

Read More
1435 Words | 6 Pages

Deloria pleads, “Not even Indians can relate themselves to this type of creature who, to the anthropologists, is the ‘real’ Indian […]” (Dennison, 8). It is easy to ignore how much these misconceptions limit the people subject to them. These harmful misconstructions are seen everyday, in settings like sports, particularly the football team the Washington Redskins. Finally we see a major figure, in this case, FedEx, publicly reject the identity. This is a step towards unlocking American Indian potential, which affects the United States in just as many ways.

Read More
235 Words | 1 Pages

The Author explores this cultural irregularity in an attempt to shed light on how stereotypes and true Indian experiences have constantly competed for dominance in the aftermath of the military subjugation of Native America

Read More
177 Words | 1 Pages

The author talks about how Indian mascots and logos perpetuate racism in schools. This relates to the Big Picture Question as those Indian logos and mascots put a stereotype on the people that go to that school. They may be called names that are specifically called to natives only. This all would go towards racism being implemented towards those kids and them being treated as different. I would answer the question the same way that the author did.

Read More
1577 Words | 7 Pages

Amanda Blackhorse, who is a member of the Navajo people, a social worker, and an activist against the Washington Redskins name, has received responses such as the one above. The effects that these mascots and terms have had on the Native and non-Native people of the United States are very clear. The response that Amanda Blackhorse received supports the findings of The American Psychological Association and of Wendy Quinton, and proves that exposure to Native American mascots and terms has a detrimental impact on

Read More
511 Words | 3 Pages

There is no reason as to why would she be offended, instead of talking about how the team did, who the coach is, who they are playing, we get to look on the news about people being upset over a picture on the side of their helmets. Why aren 't we complaining about the “Cowboys”, or the “Steelers” or maybe the “Yankees”, the only reason why this is a big deal for the Redskins, is because it’s a Native American, and we have to feel bad for them. The Redskins is a big deal because we took their land, they are poor, they were here first, we missed treated them, they don 't look like that, and we have to feel bad for everyone that is worse off than us. We have always seen an Indian with a Tomahawk, paint, and Tepees, even in children books, so why aren 't we offended by those books? When I see a Native American, I see people who have “overcame adversity, they are persevering people” (Anderson).

Read More
1269 Words | 6 Pages

The Indian mascot was originally designed to render tribute to Native Americans, not as a racial symbol. In the past forty years, changing the name backfired, and citizens began taking offense to the name because they felt like the name represented the color of Native American’s skin. Nevertheless, many fans, including Native Americans, do not consider the name or the mascot to be degrading or racial. Fans of the Washington Redskins participated in a poll that reveals, “77 percent reject changing the name” while in another poll “71 percent of NFL fans did not find the Redskins name offensive” (Lingebach 2). Clearly, from the results of the two polls, many fans would be unhappy if the Redskins’ name were to be changed.

Read More
739 Words | 3 Pages

The Native Indians were true fighters and warriors. Their history is inspiring. I can clearly understand why a ball team would want to try to be like them. This totally innocent word has become more an issue of political correctness than being derogatory. I don’t think the term is used in an offensive manner to describe Native Americans as being less than human.

Read More
1215 Words | 5 Pages

It just plays more into the oversexualization of Native Americans. The rate of aggravated assault among Native Americans and Alaska Natives is roughly twice that of the country as a whole, and studies show that one in three Native women will be raped during their lifetime, whereas for women as a whole the risk is less than one in five. Most Native American women do not report such crimes because of the belief that nothing will be done. This is why the oversexualization of Native women is a growing problem. The Native American headdress is a sacred item, only given to important people in the tribe.

Read More

More about Native American Logos

Open Document