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The mascots at Merryweather High School in Speak undergo several changes. Initially, they are the Trojans, then the Blue Devils, followed by the Tigers. After objections from the Ecology Club, the ...
- What are the three mascots of Merryweather High and why were ...
The PTA started a petition to change the mascot again after...
- What are the three mascots of Merryweather High and why were ...
Jan 18, 2024 · Mascots have become central to a school’s identity, embodying its values, ethos, and community spirit. This evolution reflects a shift from symbols of athletic prowess to emblems of a school’s overall character and vision. For instance, consider a school that once had a warrior as its mascot, signifying strength and combativeness.
- Brand Strategist
- Spellbrand Inc.
The PTA started a petition to change the mascot again after hearing the cheer, "We are the hornets, the horny, horny hornets" (pg 141). This final time, however, the mascot doesn't change. Instead ...
Jul 14, 2020 · Change The Mascot's Ray Halbritter on the campaign and the circumstances that forced Washington's NFL team to drop its racist "Redskins" name. In 2013, students at Cooperstown Central High School in New York persuaded the local school board to change the team’s mascot, which the student body argued denigrated and stereotyped Native Americans ...
- Travis Waldron
- Overview
- Background
- Activism and progress
- Ongoing efforts
Native American mascot controversy, conflict arising from the use of Native American-themed logos, mascots, and names by sports teams. Native-themed team names and mascots have been widely used throughout sports, from elementary schools to professional franchises. These names may refer to tribal nations (such as Sioux or Huron) or categories of people (braves, warriors, or chiefs). The most common names are the general terms Indians or warriors.
The mascots connected to these names are often racist caricatures. A large body of research has shown that Native-themed mascots perpetuate stereotypes and have negative effects on Native youth and how they view themselves and their communities. The American Psychological Association called for the retirement of all Native-themed mascots in 2005.
With the growth of professional sports leagues in the United States in the early 20th century, it became common for teams to name themselves after Native peoples and to adopt Native-themed mascots and logos. A significant number of those names and images remain in use today. These teams and some of their fans have claimed that their Native themes a...
In 1968 the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) began a campaign against the use of Native stereotypes in popular culture, including sports. Other Native rights groups—including the American Indian Movement (AIM)—also took up the cause. For many years the NCAI focused mainly on lobbying professional sports teams to discontinue their use of Native-themed names and symbols. Activists held protests, filed lawsuits, and pressured corporations to end their support of teams with offensive names and symbols. However, strong resistance from team owners and fans delayed change for decades.
Meanwhile, schools at the university and lower levels made progress in changing Native-themed team names and mascots. The University of Oklahoma retired its Native mascot, known as “Little Red,” in 1970. Within the next few years Stanford University and Dartmouth College dropped the nickname Indians and their Native mascots. These schools set an example that many other universities, colleges, and high schools followed over the decades to come. In 2005 the National Collegiate Athletic Association banned teams that use Native-themed names, logos, and mascots from its championship tournaments.
State governments also took action to curb the use of Native mascots and logos. By 2022 more than 20 states had taken steps to address the use of Native-themed mascots in public high schools and elementary schools. In 2019 Maine became the first state to pass a full ban on the use of Native mascots in public schools. In 2023 New York state ruled that schools that did not retire their Native mascots by 2025 risked losing state funding.
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Continuing pressure finally helped bring about progress in professional sports beginning in the 2010s. One major success came in Cleveland. The city’s Major League Baseball (MLB) team was named the Cleveland Indians in 1915, and in the 1940s it adopted a logo known as Chief Wahoo. The logo was a red-faced cartoon figure that was widely criticized as a racist caricature of a Native man. Protests against Chief Wahoo began in the 1970s, but it was not until the 2010s that the team began phasing out the logo. It was officially retired in 2018. Before the 2022 season the team changed its name to the Cleveland Guardians.
The NCAI and other groups continue to pressure other professional teams to change their names, logos, and mascots. For example, the logo of the Atlanta Braves MLB team is a tomahawk, an ax historically used as a weapon by some Native Americans. Fans of the team perform what they call the “tomahawk chop”—an arm movement that is accompanied by a mock “war chant.” Both the team and the MLB have endorsed the continuation of the practice. Other teams have not moved to change their names but have taken small steps to try to be more sensitive to Native peoples. For instance, the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL and the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League no longer allow fans to wear Native headdresses to games. The Chiefs also banned face paint that references Native people or culture.
Activists continue their work at the local level as well. Although professional teams have received the most attention, owing to their massive audiences and extensive media reach, most Native-themed names and mascots are used in schools. The NCAI keeps a database of elementary, middle, and high schools with teams that have Native-themed mascots. In 2023 the database still included some 1,900 schools—mostly high schools—throughout the United States.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Dec 31, 2020 · More than a decade ago, Sundance, a member of the Muscogee tribe, led a successful effort to change the mascot of a high school from the Oberlin Indians to the Oberlin Phoenix.
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In Skowhegan, Maine, where the area high school sports team was named the "Indians", the Penobscot Nation and the ACLU of Maine urged that it be changed. In March 2019 the local School Board voted to eliminate the mascot at Skowhegan Area High School. This was the last school in the state to retire this name. [150]
