Change Should Be Made

Native American mascots have been the topic of controversy ever since the 1960s. Numerous people argue that the use of native names and symbols by non-native teams to be derogatory and a harmful form of ethnic stereotyping and thus should be eliminated from every sports team. I believe that native names and symbols by non-native teams should be eliminated from sports team because this type of stereotype diminishes the Native culture and is hurtful to many Native people.

In a country where stereotyping is a big issue, why do we allow this form of stereotyping to still exist? Why are Native people the only race of people that are permitted to be used as mascots? If we want to use race as team names and mascots, then why don’t we have teams such as The Asians, The Jews, or The Christians and have mascots according to their cultures? We can’t do this because it would be disrespectful to these different ethnic groups just like its disrespectful to the Native people. Teams use mascots because it represents them and their state/country. Take for instance the Memphis Grizzlies, an NBA team. Their mascot is a Grizzly bear. Why? Because when they were originally located in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Grizzly Bear was Native to the land, which is why they made their mascot a bear, and that followed when they transferred their team to Memphis. The bear represents where they originally came from and is part of the culture and I’m pretty sure we aren’t offending any Grizzly Bears by using them as mascots. If we are, then God Bless all of us. But what does the Washington Redskins or the Florida State Seminoles have to do anything with Native Americans? Did the natives find these sports team or have any part in them? Even if they did, we should still change it because tribes such as the Oneida Indian Tribe in upstate New York and others around the country find them as a form of racial slur. If they find it disrespectful, then we should simply change it to honor their culture and heritage. There are many sports that have changed their mascots because of these controversies. For example, the Atlanta Braves came under fire for their “screaming Indian head” for its 2013 batting practice caps. The Braves responded by removing the Indian from its caps and ultimately opting for a safer, script “A” logo instead.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) have avoided controversies by changing any Native American resemblance from their teams in the past. The most controversy the NBA had to deal with was the most recent name change of the New Orleans Hornets to the Pelicans. The reason for this controversy is basically, who wants to play against the Pelicans? It’s not even a frightening bird and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be afraid to play against “The Pelicans.” However, the name works because it’s the state bird of New Orleans. Overtime, people will become used to the name and hopefully other NBA teams will be afraid to play against “The Pelicans.” If these teams have taken a stance and changed any resemblance their team had with the Native culture, then why can’t other teams do the same? A team represents the state its from and thus should use names and symbols to represents its state, not something that is disrespectful to another race because they deserve to be treated with as much respect as everyone else in this country.