Controversial Use of Native American Mascots

Controversial Use of Native American Mascots in Professional Sports

Ask any typical American what their favorite pastime is, and many, if not most, will say organized sports. American professional sports are a multibillion dollar industry and touches almost every facet of the country’s culture. Spectators pay copious amounts of money for season tickets to football, baseball, basketball, and any other sport one can think of. Professional sports organizations promote their teams with merchandise screaming with their team’s colors and logos. Fans are always willing, and eager to pay for expensive memorabilia to show support for their beloved team. However, what happens when the organization has a logo or mascot that is racially controversial to a particular people or community? In the twenty-first century, people are increasingly sensitive to the issue of politically correctness. The question of racial logos and mascots is a hotly debated topic that is many faceted. One must examine the American history of such logos and mascots, how the Native American communities see and feel about the usage, and how the fans view the subject. Furthermore, and most importantly for sports franchises, what the potential financial impacts would be if such racial stereotype logos and mascots were removed from existing athletic clubs. For the purposes of this essay, the only team under examination is the Washington Redskins and will be used to represent the much broader issue that contains well over three thousand five hundred schools and sports teams using Natives as a mascot or imagery associated with them.

History of the Term “Redskin”

The origin of the term redskin is heavily debated and difficult to pin down. The oldest authenticated use of the term is from a meeting between President James Madison and a delegation of chiefs from western tribes in 1812. However, this meeting was not transcribed until 2004, thus confirming it was not the originating source from which the word...