Indian Mascots (Sumblog 7)

A current issue that exists in today’s society is the issue of mascots. Sports teams are currently using racial factors as mascots in sports such as Indians. The question is, how does this affect members of our society and should it stop?

I was looking at an article online relating to this topic and according to a "Sports Illustrated" poll, the overall Native American population considers all of this a nonissue. When they were asked if school and college sports teams should stop using Indian mascots and nicknames, 81percent of those Native Americans responding said no. For professional sports teams, 83 percent of respondents stated taht teams should not stop using Indian characters, nicknames, mascots and symbols.

To some Native Americans this may not even affect them. They may even view it as empowering. But to others, it could be extremely offensive.

Some positive aspects of using Indian names and mascots for sports teams are a sense of rallying behind a symbol of athletic prowess and superiority. People may even say that using an Indian mascot that represents winning attributes is a positive thing. If a team wins, the mascot is elevated to become an asset to both fans and team members. Many regions, states, towns, cities and historical places are named after Native Americans in honor of the original inhabitants or Native Americans. There may be nothing wrong with continuing a tradition that most people do not consider to be offensive.

However, that does not mean there are not any negative aspects to it. The negative aspects of using an Indian mascot could include the possibility of offending the Native American minority who said they were offended by the mascots and viewed it as mocking their rituals and customs. It can also create a hostile environment for their people and promote racial stereotypes. People who support this view say that using Indian mascots only promotes disrespect and racist attitudes toward Native American’s

This argument could go many ways. However, I believe that if a sports team uses an Indian mascot, they should be using it to empower them and lift up that culture