Kansas City Chiefs Research Paper

In the past few years, the controversy over Native American and other racial sport names or mascots have become an uproar. The main sport teams that are being targeted due to controversial mascots are programs having names dealing with Native Americans. Many teams are well known programs such as the Atlanta Braves, Cleveland Indians, and the Washington Redskins. The Redskins are receiving the most heat from racial groups. According to Erik Brady of USA Today “The volatility surrounding such names has amped up in the year since Daniel Snyder, owner of Washington's NFL club, told USA TODAY Sports that he'd never change his team's name: ‘NEVER — you can use caps.’” (3). However, professional teams are not the only teams receiving negative remarks,

there are well known colleges that are also receiving huge blows. One college in particular is the University of Mississippi due to the many racial symbols and names that are used during athletic events. While many teams with racial names or symbols are receiving animosity, there are a few teams that are not receiving any negativity. The main two teams that flying under the radar are the Chicago Blackhawks and the Kansas City Chiefs. According to an article written by Ictmn Staff, he explains how the Blackhawk name comes from a division of the US Military that never saw action (9). Although many people may be offended by the controversial names, sport teams should not have to change their names because the mascots and symbols are meant to show pride and honor.
Originally the Boston Braves, the Washington Redskins changed their name in 1933 to “honor the team’s newly appointed Indian coach, William Lone Star Dietz” (Hylton). The Indian mascot was designed originally to resemble tribute to Native Americans and not to be a racial symbol. In spite of this, many citizens judge the sport team’s name because they feel like the name represents the color of Native American’s skin. Nevertheless, many fans, including Native Americans consider that neither the name nor the mascot is degrading. In a poll of Washington Redskins’ fans, “77 percent reject changing the name” while in another poll “71 percent of NFL fans did not find the Redskins name offensive” (Lingebach). If Native Americans and most of the NFL fans feel that the name is not derogatory, then the Redskins name should not have to change their name.
The Kansas City Chiefs have been sneaking through the recent debate over sport teams with controversial names or symbols.

Joel Thorman of Arrowhead Pride states, “There’s really no argument that the name Chiefs is offensive. The same goes for Braves and even Indians (Thorman).” The main difference between the name ‘Chiefs’ and ‘Redskins’ is that ‘Chiefs’ is not considered to be slang directed towards Native Americans, while ‘Redskins’ is considered a racial term. Plus, the Chiefs have been silent on the issue and probably will stay silent till the the whole debate dies down. Even if the Chiefs do make a stand against groups wanting franchises to change their names, the team will have support from almost the entire organization’s fans. Therefore, athletic teams with controversial mascots and symbols should not have to change their names.
The University of Mississippi’s mascot was the Colonel Reb, named and dressed after old plantation owners of the south during the Civil War. The university used several symbols that were meant to represent heritage, but are now considered racial towards African Americans. The use of these racial symbols caused and is still causing a huge controversy between the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the African American athletes and fans of the university. According to an article written in The New York Times Robbie Brown

states:
“School administrators say they want to balance tolerance with tradition at Ole Miss (itself a nickname for a slave owner’s wife). The school has discouraged Confederate battle flags at football games, discontinued ‘Dixie’ as the unofficial fight song and raised enrollment of black students to 14 percent, from 5.8 percent in 1995” (Brown).
The University of Mississippi and the NCAA announced in October of 2010 that the famous plantation owner mascot was going to be replaced by the new mascot The Rebel Black Bear. However, Colonel Reb’s fans will not be ceding. The leaders of the Colonel Reb Foundation have announced that they will be dressing up like Colonel Reb and will be touring around the state (Brown). Like the founders of the Colonel Reb Foundation, many fans of Ole Miss do not consider the Rebel Black Bear to be their mascot but still root for Colonel Reb.
The Atlanta Braves have not yet been urged profoundly to change their name to something different that does not condescend Native Americans. The Atlanta baseball club did not start out as Braves but as the Red Stockings and changed between the Beaneaters, Doves, and the Rustlers until in 1912 when the club was named the Braves. The Braves team name was changed to the Bees from 1936 to 1940 but then was changed back to the Braves. Jesse Spector explains how the best team name for the Atlanta Braves will be the ‘Bees’ because it can be seen as a condensing of Braves (Spector). Consequently, the Atlanta Braves will eventually have to change their name because of how politically correct the world’s society is becoming.
Most fans of teams with controversial names and mascots do not look down on their team as having offensive symbols, but they see their team’s names as positive and supporting towards their school or organization. I feel like growing up in Mississippi and always cheering on the Rebels every Saturday and wanting to go to school there: that the school has no intent of showing racist or derogatory feelings towards any African American. Also, if any professional sport teams were forced to change their name it would be ineffective and will have a huge negative impact on commercial products. According to Lingebach that if the Redskins were to change their name that the team’s fans would not purchase any of the new team merchandise (Lingebach). The purpose of using controversial names for sport names or mascots is to represent the culture of different people and states positively. Furthermore, eliminating any of Native American or other racial influenced mascots will be unproductive because whatever name or mascot is chosen as the new one; fans will still consider themselves as the original name.