One of the most overlooked, dumbfounding, and blatant examples of stereotypes still accepted in American today is the American Indian mascot. From the little league fields of suburbia to Major League Baseball stadiums - from Pop Warner to the hallowed grounds of FedEx Field, home of the National Football League’s Washington D.C. Redskins - for decades American Indians have been harmed and overlooked by the disregard of their culture by representing teams as nothing more than a mascot. The irrefutable disadvantageous effects on American Indians are outlined throughout the following literature review; however, these effects have far from halted the use of these mascots. There are droves of reasons for the justification of the use of American
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Davis (2002), delves into the stereotypes that resonate from a misunderstanding of American Indian culture. He states that there are two common stereotypes of Native Americans – the “warrior like savage” and the “noble savage”. In their depictions as mascots, the former is often most portrayed accompanied by spears, arrowheads, and a headdress to signify the team’s readiness to compete. With this stereotype come aggressive traits such as bravery and hostility - admired in athletic spheres. So much so, in fact, that other than animals, Native American mascots are the most widespread throughout sports. Is it not wrong that a culture is perceived in the same way as lions, tigers, and bears? These fallacious stereotypes have integrated themselves as a truth, rather than myth, and facilitate the misguided ways in which America has made a mascot out of its original people. Davis discusses this on a more granular level, stating how the mascots clump all Indian tribes together, diminishing the unique traditions and customs to each tribe. These tribes are scarcely represented to be able to fight back against this discrimination, especially considering most sport owners (such as Dan Snyder of the Redskins, who vehemently opposes any change to the team name) are old, rich, white men. Only about 1% of the United States population identifies as Native American. A further topic of importance with any debate on prejudice and discrimination is the intent behind the actions. Most, if not all, supporters of Native American mascots do not intend to be hurtful, but rather, view the mascots as being in the aforementioned “positive” or “celebratory” nature. Despite this, that does not give credence to the label. There are many examples in today’s world of well intentioned, yet hurtful, behavior, and the naming of American Indians as a sports mascot
Davis (2002), delves into the stereotypes that resonate from a misunderstanding of American Indian culture. He states that there are two common stereotypes of Native Americans – the “warrior like savage” and the “noble savage”. In their depictions as mascots, the former is often most portrayed accompanied by spears, arrowheads, and a headdress to signify the team’s readiness to compete. With this stereotype come aggressive traits such as bravery and hostility - admired in athletic spheres. So much so, in fact, that other than animals, Native American mascots are the most widespread throughout sports. Is it not wrong that a culture is perceived in the same way as lions, tigers, and bears? These fallacious stereotypes have integrated themselves as a truth, rather than myth, and facilitate the misguided ways in which America has made a mascot out of its original people. Davis discusses this on a more granular level, stating how the mascots clump all Indian tribes together, diminishing the unique traditions and customs to each tribe. These tribes are scarcely represented to be able to fight back against this discrimination, especially considering most sport owners (such as Dan Snyder of the Redskins, who vehemently opposes any change to the team name) are old, rich, white men. Only about 1% of the United States population identifies as Native American. A further topic of importance with any debate on prejudice and discrimination is the intent behind the actions. Most, if not all, supporters of Native American mascots do not intend to be hurtful, but rather, view the mascots as being in the aforementioned “positive” or “celebratory” nature. Despite this, that does not give credence to the label. There are many examples in today’s world of well intentioned, yet hurtful, behavior, and the naming of American Indians as a sports mascot