Mascots Stereotypes

When people talk about mascots being named after Indian cultures they think that the Indians being recognized should feel honored. However, when that team plays their rival the other fans are taught to hate those people causing them to hear hateful and degrading comments throughout their lives. “If it’s the team’s tradition, then it’s a legacy of bigotry.” (Wulf). People don’t show respect for Native Americans they use them to create a profit.

Why Some Sports Teams May Have to Change Their Name Have you ever been offended by a name that someone has called you? More likely than not, the answer to this question is yes. This is the stand that some Indian tribes and the government are taking on the use of Indian names and mascots in sports. This controversial topic has been discussed and argued over for at least the last decade, if not longer.

Do you think the name Redskins has a positive or negative impact? The Washington Redskins has had its football team name for 81 years. There’s a disagreement going on with the name because people say that this name is very racist towards Native Americans. Native Americans are rarely recognized these days but since they have been aligned with the NFL, there are many schools, groups, and organizations named after this team. Washington Redskins fans, including many Native Americans are okay with the football team name “Redskins”.

Goodbye to Racial Mascots: California Bans the Use of “Redskins” in Public Schools Oct. 11 marks the victory of a statewide movement to prevent a racial slur from public use. On that day, California Governor Jerry Brown signed into law the ban on using “Redskins” as team names or mascots in public schools. The bill was well received by the majority, and many expected that this would set a good example for other states and the next generation. Without a doubt, the term in question — referring to the brutal crimes that British colonizers had done to Native Americans — is a racial slur that many Native Americans have long found offensive. However, when it comes to something as prestigious as the Washington football team or as intimate as a tradition of Amherst College.

For the past years, different groups and organizations have wanted to change the mascot. To these groups and organizations, they felt that the mascot was offensive and disrespectful to them. Some Native Americans states that use of their imagery under the name “Indians” is offensive viewing Indians as warriors like in the back in the wild west. Here are some reasons why we need to keep the mascot 1) it is a symbol of our school that we take pride in.

Teams at any level of competition, in every sport, have a mascot. The mascot is essentially what represents the competitive spirt and identifies the team, motivating both fans, coaches, and players. Although, the symbol chosen as a mascot does not have an impact on number of wins nor loses. The choice of a Native American mascot continues to initiate debate and controversy among fans, alumni, and athletes today. More specifically, the debate over the controversy surround the Washington Redskin football team.

Is it offencive for sport teams to use Native American names and mascots? Is it really that bad to have a Native American name for a sports teams? Do you think that it is racist? Having a team with a Native American name is not a bad thing. If you have a teams named after specific Nationality group, like the Indians, then that would be splendid because the Indians were feared people, it’s an honor for the Indians, and it would help the Americans remember the Native Americans.

a. What happened? Sarah Adams-Cornell and Jacqueline Holder, Chair Person of Parental Invovolment of Oklahoma City Schools, addressed McLoud to change their mascot name due to the negative effect it might have on their Native American Students. Mcloud acknowledged the issue and after seeing support from the local community and a local native american tribe, it was decided that would keep the name the Redskins. b. What was the ruling/decesion?

The author talks about how Indian mascots and logos perpetuate racism in schools. This relates to the Big Picture Question as those Indian logos and mascots put a stereotype on the people that go to that school. They may be called names that are specifically called to natives only. This all would go towards racism being implemented towards those kids and them being treated as different. I would answer the question the same way that the author did.

In 1947 the Cleveland Indians introduced the Chief Wahoo logo for their uniforms. In the beginning of the logos days, it was seen as very offensive due to its yellow face and large nose. Many Native Americans were upset with the baseball teams decision to create such a disrespectful logo to represent the Cleveland Indians. Eventually the organization realized its fault and recreated the Chief Wahoo logo. They made the nose smaller and revealed the red faced caricature we have today.

Native Americans have been depicted as primitives and salvages since they were discovered by of non-natives in the Americas. These stereotypes were created through oral tradition by explorers and settlers and remained to in the present through books, radio, television, and film. This prejudice has caused Native Americans to suffer this backlash throughout their life. They have been coined noble savages or murderous heathens, especially in western movies, films, and television shows. Native American men were considered a good Indian brave, the villainous warrior, or mystic nature priest.

Stereotypes, or the oversimplified notions that one may have regarding certain groups of individuals is embedded in American culture. One of the main contributors of these ideas has been the media. This has become quite evident specially in sports. The idea that black men are naturally better athletes than white men, or conversely speaking, that white men are smarter and more disciplined athletes than black men is a perfect example of a stereotype that exists in American sports.

I chose to compile a collage of various images to represent the stereotypes that are often associated with cheerleaders versus the reality of the individuals. When first looking at the collage, the viewer has two options to focus their eyes on. They can either see the images that surround the silhouette, as they are more visible and easier to view, or they can look a little harder and see what is within. This choice of perspective correlates to the dilemma that Pickering suggests is involved in stereotyping, “to resort to one-sided representations in the interests of order, security, and dominance, or to allow for a more complex vision, a more open attitude, a more flexible way of thinking” (Pickering 3-4). As it is easier to simply use one-sided representations that apply