The Pros And Cons Of Native American Mascots

For around 13,000 years, people have lived in North America, with Native American cultures forming long before the Europeans settled in present day United States. These are the first and true American people. However, around America their symbols are used as fighting mascots, prompting many to question if this is respecting them. Between polls and protests it is possible to view the first American's view on the subject. Many schools and professional teams’ nicknames have been recently scrutinized for their "offensive and abusive" nicknames, which has drawn in many that support and oppose changing these traditions.
Much has begun to change with Native American nicknames and mascots; however, some schools are still keeping their names. Many …show more content…
One point they argue is that many Native Americans are not bothered by these nicknames. A recent poll found that 9 out of 10 Native Americans say they take no offense in the Washington Redskins nickname and logo, 7 out of 10 Native Americans do not find the Redskins to be disrespectful to Native Americans, and that 8 out of 10 Native Americans said they would not be offended if called 'Redskin' by someone who was not an American Indian(Barry 2). This shows that although these nicknames have been criticized, Native Americans are not personally offended by them. Also, students at schools with Native American mascots are not bothered by these nicknames and mascots. Mckenzie Lameman, the student government president at Red Mesa, a school with a majority of students Native American and the nickname 'Redskins' states that, "It's not a racist slur if it originates from a Native American tribe.... It's always used in the context of sports(Shapira 3)." Her point of view is shared at her school with 88 percent of students and 71 percent of staff members in favor of keeping the Redskins name and mascot. This shows that Native American Students do not find these terms disrespectful, and are indeed in favor of keeping these nicknames. The second point critics argue is that Native Americans have more important problems to deal with, especially financially. Deswood Tome, a teacher in the Navajo Nation Reservation, stated that, "Changing a mascot's name is not going to produce on job on the Navajo Nation(Shapira 4)." Navajo Nation, the largest Reservation in the United States, currently has an unemployment rate at 60 percent(Shapira 4). Also, others have similar opinions. Steven Benally, a grandfather to a student in a Reservation School pointed out that, "We have far more important issues to expend our energy on than a