Sports Mascots Honor the Native American Indian

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The year is 1991. The Atlanta Braves had just completed their first trip to the Fall Classic in four decades, and the Washington Redskins were undefeated, well on their way to their third Super Bowl title. All across the eastern seaboard, sports fans were tasting success - while American Indians were in an uproar. This year witnessed the peak of the protests over the use of mascots with American Indian themes. With two of the major professional sports teams in question making front-page news across the country, many of us heard American Indians' complaints for the first time. Suddenly, thanks to the cries of thousands of demonstrators, the names of many Americans' favorite teams had become synonymous with "nigger." American Indians believe that the use of these mascots presents a slanderous stereotype of their society, and they demand immediate cessation of such usage. Are these demonstrators justified? According to the organizations in question, the choice of mascots based on American Indian themes was not intended to be derogatory and in most cases was instead intended to honor certain American Indian tribes or individuals. In stark contrast, "nigger" was intended from its inception as a derogatory term for African-Americans; it is purposefully used to belittle its victims. American Indians have made themselves victims here, choosing to be insulted where no insult was intended. Because the intentions behind them are not slanderous, the use of mascots with American Indian themes should be continued.

Since its birth, "Indian's" definition has never been derogatory. It dates back to the 15th century, when Christopher Columbus mistakenly applied the label to the natives of the ...

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Munson, Barbara. "Common Themes and Questions about the Use of 'Indian' Logos."

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