Why are Mascots so Insensitive?

 

Written by: Samuel Maze

            The answer to this question may seem simple. But it really is not. There are multiple reasons for these being issues, each one being unique. Usually, it boils down to normalized racism. A good case of this is the recent name change of the “Washington Football Team”. They were literally named after a racial slur. This racism has been so normalized in American society that sometimes people do not ever recognize it for what it is.

            Since I was just talking about them, I will go into greater detail on Washington Football. When you look up the old team’s name, “R*dskins”, you will find several articles, videos, and websites outlining that the term is racially charged. Comments and depictions where one’s race are exaggerated is typically seen as racism and this should be no different. Naming an entire team after a racial slur is damaging enough, but it is also important to factor in the history of the man who named the team.

            According to the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), “This derogatory term was selected by team owner George Preston Marshall for use by the team in 1932 at a time when Native people were continuing to experience government and social policies to terminate tribes…” (NCAI, p. 15) And on top of that, Marshall was a known racist and segregationist. He was so bad, that when told he legally had to integrate his team, he said, “I am surprised that with the world on the brink of another war they are worried about whether or not a N*gro is going to play for the R*dskins.” (Andy Pollin, p. 9) Since he was willing to say things like that to the public, his racism towards Natives can be safely assumed.

            None of these answer the question. Why are mascots so insensitive? To answer that, we must look at what these native mascots are. The mascots typically have exaggerated color, facial features, and ceremonial headdresses called roaches. Typically, when one exaggerates color, they are called racist. Take the old depiction (Ralf Peter Reimann, 2016) of the Cleveland Indians baseball team for instance. I believe that “Chief Wahoo” fits the idea of being racist. Thankfully, like the last one, this was repealed in 2018 and no longer appears on any official merchedise, billboards, nor mascots.

            Since all these teams have changed their names, why talk about it then? The topic is obviously over with. Well dear reader, funny that I should put those words in your mouth for you. Because it is not over with. Teams have made it clear they are doing this more because they are losing money from sponsorships rather than because it is the moral thing to do. Once again, using Washington for example, they have faced pressure tochange their name for over 50 years. But, in 2020 they finally changed only once their three biggest sponsors, FedEx, Nike, and PepsiCo all threatened to pull funding. FedEx, owning the stadium was the first to threaten, then Nike actually did pull paraphanalia off the market, and PepsiCo followed soon after with their own threat to stop supplying ther products as well. This truly does speak volumes for the ideals of the teams owners.

            The other reason I do not believe that this is over is more personal. I have had several talks with many friends on their opinions on this subject, but not many seem to understand why. Usually I get met with something along the lines of, “Well, if it’s harmful to natives, it’s harmful to Irish people who get used in mascots as well.” And yes that is very true, but it is not the point. The point is that we as a society are turning a blind eye to literal racial slurs. And I do not feel that the public has quite understood either. When many of the name changes happened, I remember hearing people say it was stupid and pointless. The picture taken by Peter Pattakos in 2014 outside of Progressive Field sould speak for itself. Thankfully since then, the man depicted in red face has since sincerely apologized for his actions. But this certainly helps to paint a picture of ignorance.

            As though many of these situations are slowly improving, I do not believe that any of these will become fixed until the general public understands exactly why these stereotypical depictions are harmful to the native community.

Sources:

Halbritter, Ray. “A Change Will Come.” HuffPost, HuffPost, 16 Mar. 2015, www.huffpost.com/entry/a-change-will-come_b_6470966.

Indianz. “Tim Giago: No One Feels Honored by Racist and Offensive Mascots.” Indianz, IndianzWww.indianz.com/Z.png, 24 Oct. 2016, www.indianz.com/News/2016/10/24/tim-giago-no-one-feels-honored-by-racist.asp.

McDonald, Scott. “3 Washington Redskins Co-Owners Want out, but Majority Owner Daniel Snyder Remains All-In.” Newsweek, Newsweek, 6 July 2020, www.newsweek.com/3-washington-redskins-co-owners-want-out-daniel-snyder-remains-all-1515526.

Cheney-Rice, Zak. “Cleveland Indians Fan Apologizes to Native American Activist After Viral ‘Red Face’ Photo.” Mic, Mic, 6 Apr. 2016, www.mic.com/articles/140036/cleveland-indians-fan-apologizes-to-native-american-activist-after-viral-red-face-photo.

Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports copyright (c) Malcolm Emmons. Bobby Mitchell, Redskins First Black Player, Endured More than His Share of Discrimination, 12 Feb. 2019, www.radio.com/thefandc/bobby-mitchell-thrived-despite-racist-redskins-welcome.

“Ending the Era of Harmful ‘Indian’ Mascots.” NCAI, ncai.org/proudtobe