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Mikey Wynne
Jeff Bain-Conkin
11/18/14
Native American Mascots in Sports and Schools
There are hundreds of sports teams in the United States, both amateur and professional,
but those named after Native Americans are the only ones whose mascots can be classified as
belonging to an ethnic group. Is this a demonstration of pride, or one of prejudice? There are
arguments to support both sides. Those who argue against the use of Native American mascots,
such as the Washington Redskins, feel that the mascots are demeaning and promote negative
stereotypes of a culture. They cite the use of stereotypes in clothing and in behaviors at the
sporting events as evidence of a lack of respect. Those who support using Native American
mascots argue that the mascots can be used to honor the heritage of our continent. They help to
remember a culture that was part of this great country before the Europeans invaded and without
this honor, their heritage could be forgotten. Native Americans themselves feel that the mascots
representing their culture are demeaning and offensive to their past. Most of these mascots were
created in a time when racism of this sort was socially acceptable. Times have changed and
society has become more sensitive to this use of a racial caricature. Therefore, it is time to
completely eradicate mascots with racist, Native American representations from American sports
teams.
The biggest argument against using Native American personas or symbols as mascots,
are the racist, derogatory terms that are associated with them. Names such as Redskins,
Savages, Renegades, Indians, show up quite frequently, whether it is schools of any level,
or professional sports teams. Even if the mascot is for a grade school level where the racism may
go unnoticed, it sets a precedent for its young students to racially profile and objectify Native

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Americans. All of these mascots are hurtful to the proud group of people known as Native
Americans.
A professional sports team should have nothing to do with such racism, yet in our
nations capital there is a football team called The Redskins. In any way that you might look at
it, the word "Redskin" has no positive connotation attached to the word. "The term Redskin is a
term that is derived from a bygone era when government entities - including the U.S.
government - offered bounties for Indian scalps as a means to remove native peoples " (Goins 1).
Goins explanation demonstrates that the R-word, as many Native Americans call it, is derived
from a very nasty past; Native Americans do not want to revisit that past, that was the darkest
ages of their history and they want to avoid it all costs. Why would our nations capital have a
sports team that reminds Native Americans of how appallingly they were treated? It is the
equivalent to reminding an African American of slavery over and over again. The name
Redskin should be an embarrassment to the city of Washington and the entire nation.
There are many groups fighting against the use of the R-word; the main effort of both
of theses fights is to get the Washington Redskins and the r-word to be refereed to in an alternate
way. One Native American, Suzan Shown Harjo of Cheyenne and Hodulgee Muscogee, feels
that "The Redskins mascot is the most offensive of them all. Her feelings are even stronger
when she compares the word to that of African Americans regarding the N-Word. "I call
'Redskins' the R-Word because I cannot get myself to say it. It is just as offensive to Native
Americans as the N-Word is to African Americans" (Moni 1). Harjo is not alone in these
feelings, this is a common feeling within the Native American community, this is getting to be
ridiculously offensive to this community who has already been hurt by Americans in the past;
sensitivity is none existent.

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With the many steps toward getting references to Native American culture out of mascot
use, many of the Natives feel that getting Washington to change the name of the Redskins is a
start, and that when this goes, others will too. One huge step is coming from the legal level and
having lawmakers on your side. In March of 2014, lawmakers introduced a bill in Congress that
would amend the Trademark Act of 1946 to ban the term "Redskin, as well as other mascots
such as "savages" and "renegades. The word savage, according to USA Today, comes across as
"blood thirsty group of people."("Controversy Heightens..."). These mascots may not belong to
professional sports teams and so may not be as painful as the R-word, but they both have a very
similar effect. How would the public feel if there was a team called the black skins and had an
African American as their mascot? The outrage would be unimaginable. With all of the civil
rights that our country fought for, it is not right for the only race used as mascots to continue to
suffer over a name that could be changed very easily.
Although the fight against Native American mascots is far from over, the public and
supporters of the removal are getting much closer. One of the biggest challenges is making
people aware of the issue. Perhaps the biggest step that the case has taken recently is the support
of the most important person in the country. In an interview with the Washington post, President
Obama said "I would think about changing the name of the Redskins, especially if there was a
group of people mad at me for it"(Vargas 1). Obamas statement demonstrates support from
influential people such as political figures. Not only does this mean that one of the most
powerful people in the country is supporting the fight to change Native American mascots, but it
means that the word is getting out. The most important thing that could happen for the fight
against these mascots is for more people to hear of it. Through this, they may be able to educate
the public on why having a Native American mascot is a bad idea, in turn increasing the

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proponents for getting rid of these mascots. Once the public recognizes and acknowledges how
distasteful this name is, helping the effort to change the name is almost guaranteed.
Another huge step in this fight is journalists. Journalists, most of the time, are where you
get your information, and often propose what your first opinion on an issue may be. Many very
prominent journalists, especially in the sports industry, have taken a surprising, yet big step in
the perception of the word "Redskin. According to the Washington Post, many significant
journalists will "not use the correct Washington team name, instead replacing it with the RWord in all of their work"(Vargas 1). This goes to show how society has taken on the politically
correct terminology when referring to Native American, shouldnt our sports teams do the same?
When people begin to read the work of these journalists, they realize how bad of a word it is
when someone will refuse to say it. It is compared very easily to that of the N- Word with
African Americans. Not only is there a huge fight from the Native American community, but
also the people who we should listen to most are speaking out. "81% of respondents to a poll in
Indian Country Today, 500 Native organizations, hundreds of tribes and petitions with signatures
in the tens of thousands have called for the retirement of these mascots"("Understanding the
American..." 1). This is a very eye-opening statistic. This shows that the individuals who should
have the most say in the matter are not happy. These people have many reasons to dislike the
Native American mascots in the US. If Native Americans find it offensive, we should still
respect their wishes; they are people too.
In addition to these rather passive attacks, a take-action fight seems to be coming into its
own. Even though there has not been much "noise" about the issue, some school systems have
taken it into their own hands when it comes to banning these Native American mascots. They
can make a statement and turn heads with their decisions to ban these mascots from the school

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system. Oregon is one of the first states to take the issue into their own hands. According to
Michael Martinez, Oregon is making huge changes. In his article Martinez states that, "The
Oregon School Board of Education has banned the use of Native American mascots in their
school system"(1). As a result, 8 schools with mascots eluding to Native American heritage are
being required to be removed. Oregon is not the first state to take such action, other states, such
as Wisconsin, have banned the use of these mascots in their schools as well. A report by Shea
Hart has estimated the number of schools who have switched their mascot from any hint of
Native American culture. Hart states, "Roughly 600 schools nation-wide have made the decision
to change their mascots"(1). He feels that the United States is a copy-cat society, and feels that
the realization of 600 schools making the change is enormous. Essentially its the domino effect
and once a giant push is made, the rest will follow; if they dont, they will now be considered the
outcasts. Any school system that may be on the edge of decision whether or not to ban these
mascots can look to other schools decisions and be reassured that this eradication is sweeping
across the country. Essentially, this trend can move on from state to state, confirming it was the
right decision. If there was any doubt that people believed that this was not an issue in this
country, they can think again. With 600 schools changing nation wide, it will be a short time
before that statistic shoots up. One thing is certain. We are getting closer.
Although there is an extremely strong argument to ban the use of Native American
mascots in sports and schools, there is also an argument that Native American mascots can be
seen as an honor for the Native American culture. Although many of these mascots depict the
Native Americans in a bad light, many do not. In fact, many of them are very positive. In
Psychology Today, Sam Sommers uses an example of a positive Native American mascot in the
Atlanta Braves. Unlike many other sports mascots, this mascot shows positive emotions.

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Sommers states that "The Braves logo is a smiling Indian"(1). He feels that it depicts the Native
Americans in positive light and gives the culture a very good and positive reputation. With this
reputation, one can argue that these Native American Mascots can be very important in the other
side of the fight, and the argument should not be to ban all Native American mascots, but only
those that are negative, such as the Redskins. There are many mascots in schools and sports that
do not have a racist term affiliated with their mascot. Many of the mascots that are used, are
depicted through good qualities of the Native American culture, not racist terms that hurt Native
Americans. Although the Redskins name may be out of hand, many of the other mascots may
actually be beneficial to the Native Americans as a whole.
Another argument that the opposition has in favor of keeping the mascots is the Native
American people themselves. Although it has been shown that Native Americans feel that the
mascots are disrespectful, some may not. In the same article, Sam Sommers conducted a series of
studies to find whether Native Americans themselves felt that mascots depicting them were a
"Tribute or Stereotype" ("American Indian..."). In his studies he talked to high school students
on a particular Indian reservation in Arizona. In their answers Sommers found that most of the
high school students on this reservation, "...... used more positive words when asked to write
down their first thoughts that came to mind in describing Native Americans"(Sommers 1).
Sommers study shows that not all Native Americans feel that being associated with mascots
around the country is degrading or disrespectful. As a result, his findings support the group of
people who feel that the mascots do not put Native Americans in a bad light.
It is clear that many Native Americans find the use of the Native American mascots
disrespectful. If that is so, shouldnt the use of these mascots be banned? It can be demonstrated
that the Native American culture is stained by the use of negative, stereotypical mascots because

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for the most part, the use of the mascots in schools and sport franchises increase negative
stereotypes. Essentially the Native American people are dealing with racism every time they
want to watch a professional sports game or even the local high school game. Therefore, Native
American mascots prove to be demeaning to the only group of people who were not immigrants
to our country. Treating Natives in demeaning ways is a total disrespect to the proud culture to
which they hold themselves. Removing racist mascots such as the "Redskins" will go a long
way in giving our native people the respect they deserve. They have been treated horribly since
the beginning of Americas History and do not deserve to be ridiculed even more. By continuing
to fight, our country is moving forward, and eventually we may be able to get rid of this terrible
custom once and for all. If people will not listen to the majority of this country, they should at
least listen to the thousands of Native Americans who are screaming for their respect.

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Works Cited
"American Indian Sports Team Mascots." AISTM.org. 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
"Controversy Heightens about Washington Redskins. " USATODAY.COM. USA Today, 12 Oct.
2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
Goins, Dave. "Offensive Sports Mascots Draw Concern from Tribal Leaders - Idaho News Mobile Adv." Coeur D'Alene Press. N.p., Feb. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
Hart, Shae. "Native American Mascots: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Students
Acceptability Perceptions of Native Mascots Versus Theoretical Use of Other Ethnic
Groups Iconology by Sports Teams." Scholarworks.boisestate.edu. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Martinez, Michael. "A Slur or Term of 'honor'? Controversy Heightens about Washington
Redskins." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Moni, Basu. "Native American Mascots: Pride or Prejudice?" CNN. N.p., 4 Apr. 2013. Web. 15
Mar. 2014.
Sommers, Sam. "The Native American Mascot: Tribute or Stereotype?" Science of Small Talk.
Psychology Today, 25 May 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
"Understanding The American Indian Mascot Issue." STAR - Students and Teachers Against
Racism. N.p., 16 Feb. 2002. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
Vargas, Theresa, and Annys Shin. "President Obama Says, Id Think about Changing Name of
Washington Redskins." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 07 Oct. 2013. Web. 17 Mar.
2014.

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Bibliography

"American Indian Sports Team Mascots." AISTM.org. 2014. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Controversy Heightens about Washington Redskins. " USATODAY.COM. USA Today, 12 Oct.
2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
Crowe, Melissa. "Pro: Superintendents, Sports Fans Say Team Names Honor Tribes. "Victoria
Advocate. N.p., 20 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2014.
"Ending the Legacy of Racism in Sports and The Era of Harmful Indian Sports Mascots.
National Congress of American Indians, Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Mar. 2013.
Goins, Dave. "Offensive Sports Mascots Draw Concern from Tribal Leaders - Idaho News Mobile Adv." Coeur D'Alene Press. N.p., Feb. 2014. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
Guilliano, Jennifer. "The Fascination and Frustration with Native American Mascots."The
Society Pages RSS. N.p., 20 Aug. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Hart, Shae. "Native American Mascots: A Quantitative and Qualitative Study of Students
Acceptability Perceptions of Native Mascots Versus Theoretical Use of Other Ethnic
Groups Iconology by Sports Teams." Scholarworks.boisestate.edu. Web. 13 Mar. 2014.
Martinez, Michael. "A Slur or Term of 'honor'? Controversy Heightens about Washington
Redskins." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 15 Mar. 2014.
Moni, Basu. "Native American Mascots: Pride or Prejudice?" CNN. N.p., 4 Apr. 2013. Web. 15
Mar. 2014.
Sommers, Sam. "The Native American Mascot: Tribute or Stereotype?" Science of Small Talk.
Psychology Today, 25 May 2012. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.

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"Understanding The American Indian Mascot Issue." STAR - Students and Teachers Against
Racism. N.p., 16 Feb. 2002. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
Vargas, Theresa, and Annys Shin. "President Obama Says, Id Think about Changing Name of
Washington Redskins." Washington Post. The Washington Post, 07 Oct. 2013. Web. 17 Mar.
2014.