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Persuasive Essay On African American Mascots

1577 Words7 Pages

Americans seem to have a deep love for professional sports. Fans from every team form a deep attachment to the name and mascot of their favorite teams. Whether it’s hometown pride or another reason altogether, it’s easy to see this deep attachment. However deep this love may be, some teams have adopted names and mascots that are racist to their very core. For teams like the Washington Redskins, the Cleveland Indians, the Atlanta Braves, and the Chicago Blackhawks, their names, mascots and imagery promotes very prominent racism and a gross stereotype of Native Americans. The ongoing debate of whether these mascots are racist has reached a crucial point where activists and other indigenous peoples are feeling a very large and very negative ripple effect, which some fans just don’t seem to understand. “Imagine the outrage if a sports team, college or professional, decided to have a mascot that lampooned African …show more content…

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). 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

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The NCAA, National Collegiate Athletic Association, declared 10 years ago that using native imagery to promote sports teams is hostile and offensive and put 18 schools on a notice that a change would be required to participate in the NCAA. The Washington Redskins also face several protests, political stress, and legal involvement over their logo but the Chicago Blackhawks are unbothered. There is no doubt that the Chicago Blackhawks logo is one of the most recognizable logos in America. It is unfair that other organizations have had to change their logos or are under the process of changing their logos and the Blackhawks have not. However, some people need to realize how costly it would be to change the logo.

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Stretten uses this example with the Washington Redskins. "The team's owner, Dan Snyder, refuses to change the team's name despite the obvious offensive nature of the imagery and name itself." (Stretten 524-25) Appropriately, she also talks about the fans who, some of which, go to football games arrayed in offensive Indian-looking garb, and wear war paint on their faces while they attempt to impersonate a stereotypical Indian. And although some claim that it shows respect, she retorts that she doesn't, "understand how face paint purchased from a drug store and a faux headdress made of brown construction paper and dyed arts and crafts feathers was respect."

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The Owner Daniel Snyder has vowed to never change the name and insists that it pays respect and honors Native Americans. Many supports state that the reference to Native Americans is a compliment attributing to their reputations as “tough warriors.” The fans even have a trademark song that they have chanted for decades, “Hail to the Redskins” (“Monday”). How can that be perceived as something

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They do not view this as honorable, it is seen as their name being worn as a costume. The cultural appropriation that comes along with these mascots lead to the stereotypes being seen as a reality. So many Native Americans are now fighting for this, they have created a twitter campaign to spread awareness to this. The term “redskins” comes off as racist; it is basing them off of their skin tone and color. Many people who argue that the team name should remain are the same ones who say they do not see your “color of skin”.

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Calling redskin on telling on television or shouting out loud on field can make native american mad. We know that from your perctive it doesn't mean anything bad to native indian, but from their percitive it is disparaging to them. We know that from your point of view it would sound crazy, but by saying that name can make them mad and it can lead to a fight and if that happen it going to be wost for the both side. So changing team name seem to be the best idea. And knowing that the name is disrespect to native american you should change you name to something else

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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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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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