These mascots are symbols meant to honor a culture or a tradition. But people In the United States people are going away from having Indians as mascots because of racism. People think It was said that it was against the First Amendment to refuse to change the nickname. More than 50% of people said it was not a bother and they did not find it racist or disrespectful. The long history of the mascot makes it especially hard to make a decision.
This article teams are not seeing any problems with their mascots. They believe they are honoring the history of their country. In the United States, people are going away from having Indians as mascots because of racism. In Europe, this trend is occurring more and more (Keh, 2018).
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This newspaper article this story is about the Washington Redskins and their mascot name. A very high percentage has no problem with it because they are honoring and representing U.S.'s past history. Then there is a very small percentage of people that make a huge deal about it because they don’t think it is honoring, they think it is racial and not ok to bring back the past (Allen, 2018). Allen (2018) said, “Seven years after the Cleveland Indians began de-emphasizing their Chief Wahoo logo, Major League Baseball announced Monday that the team will cease using the controversial caricature on its uniforms beginning in the 2019 season.”
Next, this article talks about switching Utah’s nickname. Even though it is just a nickname it is offending people and they don’t like it. When students get accepted to Utah University they're automatically called a Ute. “No longer does the name solely refer to an indigenous people who have their own rich personal history.” The meaning of the name was not meant to be racist or make anyone feel uncomfortable (Richards, 2016).
This now brings us to the article that is about High Schools changing their Logos/Mascots. A bunch of schools don’t want to get in trouble for their mascots so they play it safe and change it. Then there are also who believe there is a history behind the Native American mascot. There are many different opinions and explanations if the mascot is racist or has a history for the school. “The board, which also passed a similar resolution in 1993, was acting on research by the American Psychological Association that concluded some American Indian students were adversely affected by such mascots,” it said in American Indian Mascot Debate not easy to resolve (2012).
Following the North Dakota, Fighting Sioux were forced to switch their Mascot. The students at the college still consider themselves the old Mascot, a Native American, because they refuse to erase history. The hockey players are especially hurt by this because their mascot was more than just a face (Barrett, 2010).
After years of discrimination and racism for having an Indian mascot, two official reports were filed. A man in Sweden filed both of these to the Equality Ombudsman, a government agency that deals with discrimination problems. He accused them of spreading a stereotypical image of Native Americans. He wanted to show that no one is going to tolerate discrimination against Native Americans. Many interviews were requested and multiple questions were asked to the Chiefs, but they never interacted with the public. They did not want to engage in any articles on this subject. For two years straight they ignored the problem of the Native American mascot. As time went on the problem became bigger and bigger (Keh, 2018). Keh (2018) said, 'Americans, Canadians, they're working on this issue, talking about it, debating,' said Stephanie Pratt, a cultural ambassador for the Crow Creek South Dakota Sioux and longtime resident of Exeter, England.”
Leading to 1933 Synder promised to never change the nickname. It was said that it was against the First Amendment to refuse to change the nickname. Because of the racial tension over the Redskins nickname, it was forced to be changed (Allen, 2018).
The board had passed a somewhat similar problem in 1993. The current decisions have also been taken into consideration by the past decisions. Having an American Indian mascot is not a new occurring problem. There is a lot of consideration and research being taken into this difficult situation (American Indian Mascot Debate not easy to resolve, 2012).
The National Collegiate Athletic Association has been in contact with the board to help make a decision. It has been a multiple-year battle. In 2005 there was a ban on college logos and nicknames that were racist. This affected a lot of colleges and made a lot of people upset (Barrett, 2010).
A survey was taken and asked if the community of their mascot was disrespectful or bothered them at all. More than 50% of people said it was not a bother and they did not find it racist or disrespectful. There have been multiple surveys taken to see if the Redskins nickname offends people. It was proven that nine out of ten Native Americans had no problem with the name. There is much history behind the name and has a lot of meaning for multiple people. Dan and many others still believe in the name and his perspective is not going to change (Allen, 2018).
A governing body will drag out the mascot's ethics issue for a long time. They want to gather a lot of information from the public and the past before a decision is made. The more opinions gathered the better. That way when a decision is made hopefully the majority of the public is happy (American Indian Mascot Debate not easy to resolve, 2012).
In 2007 a deal with the NCAA was made. The schools had until Nov. 30 of this year to win approval for their nickname or mascot. Putting a time frame on the problem forced the schools to find a resolution. Many also have to get research why their school needs to keep the nickname or mascot. Since 2001 the University of North Dakota has been playing in the home of the Fighting Sioux. The arena seats nearly 11,600 people. The cost of the building is $104 million. They have predicted it to be one of the nicest hockey venues in the country (Barrett, 2010).
Small changes were made to the discrimination of the Native Americans. Buffalo’s Ben female companion Squaw Mel was changed to Buffalo Mel. A new page was added to the website explaining these changes. These were really the only changes that happened though. The team’s view of the logo and mascot was completely different from what the United States was interpreting (Keh, 2018).
After that many people, the student body, and athletic teams still consider themselves as the Utes. They still celebrate Swoop’s birthday in a positive way. They still consider the previous mascots as a part of their school and respect them even though they are not technically their current mascot. All the past mascots have been representations of their school, but they are considering a change. Students who find it appropriate to have the headdresses typically wear them to sporting events. The mascot is still with them, but just worn in the stands. Some still consider themselves Utes, but others are adapting to the new name. The students still expect culturally appropriate respect from others (Richards, 2016).
Allowing the students to mock the Native Americans it is showing racism. There are particular symbols and customs that the students do. There are mixed feelings about how the students show their support for the Native American mascot. Some are just supporting their school, but some don’t see it as support for their school (Richards, 2016). Richards (2016) said, “Over the years, people seem to have gotten more sensitive to and serious about specific team mascots and nicknames. Whether they represent educational institutions, sports teams, or both, people are standing up more than ever against political incorrectness and potentially offensive representations. They may just be symbols, but that doesn't mean they should be used in degrading or humorous ways.”
The NCAA has had multiple connections with professional sports leagues. There has been no easy answer if it should be changed or not. With such a diverse society there may never be a “fair” solution. The long history of the mascot makes it especially hard to make a decision (American Indian Mascot Debate not easy to resolve, 2012).
Barrett (2010) said, “The Fighting Sioux mascot will no longer be the face of the University of North Dakota, but the warrior's visage will still play a prominent role in the school's sports program.”
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