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Native American Mascots Research Paper

545 Words3 Pages

Should Sports Teams Stop Using Native Americans as a Mascot? For decades, sports teams have used Native Americans as mascots. Professional sports teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and Washington Redskins seem to be the most controversial when it comes to this topic. However, many Native Americans, myself included, find the use of our people as mascots offensive. It is a mockery of us as people and sports teams should stop using us to promote their teams. If you were to ask a Native American what they thought about the Washington Redskins, they would tell you that the word "redskin" makes them uncomfortable. The mascot depicts Native Americans as having red skin with a feather in his braided hair. It makes us seem cartoonish, and it makes people think it is okay to put war paint on and wear long black wigs. Since the definition for the word "redskin" is a "contemptuous …show more content…

Not all Native Americans wore headdresses or used tomahawks. Headdresses are worn only by chiefs or those who have earned it. By seeing this, ignorant fans think it is okay to wear these to games and paint their face red to represent a Native American. My last point is that mascots make light of what happened to us as people. Our people suffered a lot during the early years of colonization. Millions died of disease, and at one point, colonists were actually getting paid for killing Penobscot Natives. Mascots are doing us very little justice as Native Americans. Opposing views of this will say that it is honoring us. Teams like the Vikings and Celtics all have mascots who honor their heritage, and we should feel honored. While I agree that those teams do have mascots that honor a certain heritage, do we ever hear of people protesting for the change of the Vikings mascot or name? Native Americans have been protesting the use of Native American mascots for decades, yet only the NCAA has banned the use of

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The name Redskins is seen as a derogatory and racial term traced back to the 18th century. It is found to be demeaning and offensive towards the Native Americans due to the history of the word. Some sources state that the term is in reference to when the Native Americans would paint their faces red, but others proclaim it's related to the scalping incidents. During the mid-19th century, authorities offered bounties for the scalps of Indians and referred to them as redskins. This issue has resurfaced once again as a dispute between the Washington Redskins and the Native Americans over the name of this certain National Football League team.

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Jay Rosentein took a look at the long time practice of honoring Native American’s as mascots and team names in sports whether professional levels or college teams. He gives us insight that it is not only about using the natives as mascots but the issue at hand of racism, minority representation and stereotypes. This film is more than the practice of utilizing Indians as mascots, it is about culture identity and how we should all change to make a difference. In this documentary we follow Charlene Teters, the leader some have called her the Rosa Parks of Native Americans and her struggles to protect her identity and cultural symbols.

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But according to MascotDB, a database of sports team names and mascots, many hundreds of American teams retain Indian imagery, ranging from local high schools to major teams like the Washington Redskins.” The Native Americans want it all gone. There is only a handful of teams that have be accepted by the Native American communities. Those teams are either on Indian Reservations or are sponsored by the local tribe. A large percentage of teams that use Native American mascots and logos would have to change their name because there is no way that all the teams will be able to keep the Native American logo and/or

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Recently, the use of controversial words has become a heavily debated topic and has gained international attention as seemingly truthful statements to some, cause insult to others. The Times article "Why 'Redskins' Is a Bad Word", by acclaimed linguist and professor John McWhortor, was published around the time the use of the word Redskin was being debated. In the article, McWhortor aims to clarify the condemnation of the word Redskin, by suggesting that the offence does not stem from the literal definition of such words, but instead the negative and often derogatory connotations the words have. McWhorter begins by introducing the recent discussions surrounding the use of the word Redskins, especially the actions taken by Californian schools

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For years, there has been controversy over changing the name of the Washington Redskins. Many think that it is a derogatory name and an insult to the Native American community. My grandfather, Edward Bennett Williams, owned the team from the 1960s until 1985. He even had to deal with people demanding that the name be changed. He kept the name and vowed to never change it.

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They find it offensive because of how some schools and teams around the world operate. Natives feel that they are sending the wrong message to all students. The symbols, images and mascots teach non-Indian children that it's acceptable to participate in culturally abusive behavior and perpetuate inaccurate misconceptions about American Indian culture. Why do you think professional teams have resisted changing their mascots? I go to Oak Grove High School, and our mascot is a Warrior.

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Fans are so attached to the name and mascot of their favorite teams that they are unwilling to see things from another perspective. “all of the Indians in my city are perfectly fine with the redskins and all other mascot. Cities like dc and Cleveland and atlanta are all huge cities that love their mascot. . . . WASHINGTON REDSKINS FOR LIFE YOU STUPID SQUAW. GO BACK TO THE RESERVATION” (Fenelon, 2017, page 78).

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Native Americans are the victims of racism since the early years and it needs to change. Native American names for sports teams are now being changed, but some team names are not changing. The Washington Redskins team name at first glance would not seem to be offensive in any way but if you know the meaning of the word Redskin it would be. The word Redskin was invented by the people who would torture and skin Native Americans to use their skin as clothing items and because their skin was red and bloody the name redskins stuck. In addition mascot names are also causing Native Americans trouble.

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There are many sports team names and mascots whose names reference Native Americans; this has become a public controversy due to the sports team names being interpreted as a racially offensive pursue. Most people do not take into consideration that these teams have an important meaning behind them, and how they contribute to the insightful history of Native Americans themselves. It would be a catastrophe having to lose all the history. Many claims toward this idea of "racism" are due to NFL and college team names such as the Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs, and the Florida State Seminoles are just a few.

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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.

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