Native American Team Names

I never really thought about how Native Americans really felt about people using their Chiefs or Tribes names as College, Universities and professional sports team names and Mascots. This Topic is dividing the Native American community with 90% of the Native community saying that they really don’t get offended about the Mascot and Football team names. The resting 10% of the Native community find it offensive. Saying that it is racist, that the names reinforce and promote bullying towards Native American Students in some schools that have native names or mascots as stated in the article “Oregon Bans Native American Mascots in schools.” I would say I agree that sports teams shouldn’t have their names connected to Native American history or culture,

but I also disagree because they had, had these names for so long, what they should do is just prohibit any more teams to have these type of names.
A reason why I agree is that some of the Native Americans feel that the American community doesn’t see them as human beings and there is no acceptance for their misconduct behavior against the Native Americans.

Like in the article “What’s Offensive? Opinions Differ Even With Native Americans,” Doug Poe executive director of the American Indian Center of Indiana said, “The Native community feels that after all these years that the general population still does not want to accept them as individuals and get acknowledgement for all the wrongdoings.” Another reason why I would agree is that these names are harmful for young Native Americans. In the article “Obstacles Slow Growing National Push to Ban Indian Team Names, in the section No Names Benign” it states that Goldberg a ex professional football player said “American Indian team names are hurtful because American Indian children and teenagers sometimes face the effects of racism when they go to school football and basketball games and hear the crowd yelling, ‘Kill the Chiefs.’” These football team names being from Native American tribes and chiefs, like the “RedSkins” are bring negativism towards Native Americans at schools were the children are supposed to be safe to the stadium where those teams play. These are two of the reasons that I agree that they should change the team's name if it has to do with Native American

culture.
On the other hand I disagree because some schools say that by keeping their names they get a chance to talk to the students about family, tradition and loyalties. They say it is also a source of pride, as stated in the article “Oregon Bans Native American Mascots” "It's a chance for us to talk about family and tradition and loyalty," said Jim Smith who is principal at a school in oregon. Also in the article “What’s Offensive? Opinions Differ Even with Native Americans” LeRoy Mann a reenactor, who has heritage from the Delaware or Lenpan Indians from his mother side said “So many things in this country have been named after either native people, villages, native words for towns and everything else, now all of a sudden you want to change them?” What he is saying is that other things in the United states have been named after Native Americans besides sports team, and then we all just want to tell the sports teams that they have to change their names because it’s offensive. These are the reasons on why I also disagree
Some of the things people are doing to try to change the names of the sports team are protest, filing demands against teams that have Native American names here are some examples. In January 1992 about 3,000 people gathered outside the Metrodome Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota to protest against the Redskins name in that stadium the 26th annual Super Bowl was being held where the Washingtons played against the Buffalo Bills. In October 2013 President Obama said “If I were the owner of the team and I knew that there was a name of my team--even if it had a storied history--that was offending a sizable group of people, I'd think about changing it,” What President Obama said is that If he were the owner of a team that had a name that was offending a group of people he would change it and that is something that the team owners aren’t thinking about. They aren’t thinking about how the Native Americans feel. Some other things that have happened that go in favor of the teams are that in 2009 a Native American named Harjo lost a petition to appeal because the Judge said the Harjo had waited to long after becoming an adult to claim that these names were offensive. Also in May 2013 RedSkins owner Daniel Snyder said "We'll never change the name, It's that simple. NEVER--you can use caps." while he was in an interview with USA Today.
This is why I agree and also disagree about this topic. These names are trying to be changed by some people with protest during important games. Also with some people saying that these names should be changed because it's racist and supporting bullying and racial slurs toward Native people. However other people say that having sport teams with native names aren’t disrespectful but a positive attribute to the Native Americans. This is why I agree but also disagree.