The Native American Mascot: Tribute or Stereotype?
2 things I want to improve on:
-Citations for quotes
-Good introduction for the whole idea
2 things I did well:
-Good argument
-Using supporting details and quotes
In 2013, the National Congress of American Indians cited the Blackhawks as one of the sports teams that “continue to profit from harmful stereotypes originated during a time when white superiority and segregation were commonplace” (“From Indians to Eskimos: A brief history…”, 2017, The Globe and Mail). The club acquired its name when it was founded in 1926 Frederic Mclaughlin, a former army major who had served in the 86th Infantry Division. The military unit was nicknamed the Black Hawk Division because many of its soldiers were originally from Illinois, a territory once inhabited by Sauk natives led by Chief Black Hawk.
Although the Blackhawks face less controversy, and have argued that their team name is not a generic racial stereotype, and honours a real person, Black Hawk, I do not agree with the aboriginal background and the underlying racial issues of the team’s name and the mascot associated with the team. Through the years, society has raised awareness towards racial issues, and has been more accepting to others, so why can’t hockey teams be the same? Many might say it’s just a sport and the name should not matter, however, if we see racism like this regularly, is that really saying that society is being progressive and has been more accepting? Since society has come so far, changing the name of not only just the Chicago Blackhawks, but other sports teams as well such as the Cleveland Indians, Edmonton Eskimos, and Washington Redskins should not be an issue if people truly understood the background information towards the names and how society has been culturally appropriating them. A large part of the problem with these large corporate sports teams is that they are playing to the “masses,” and if the masses are okay with those mascots and logos (i.e. they keep buying them), then there is little incentive for change.
Sports teams who use Native Americans as their name or mascot often state their intention to honour Native Americans be referring to positive traits, such as fighting spirit or being aggressive, brave, dedicated, and proud, while the opposing side sees these traits as being based upon stereotypes of Aboriginal people as savages. In general, society should recognize that all stereotypes, whether positive or negative, are harmful because they promote false or misleading associations between a group and an attribute.
Works Cited:
Bogart, Nicole. “Should the Cleveland Indians change their name? A history of protest over Chief Wahoo.” Global News, Global News, 12 Oct. 2016, globalnews.ca/news/2998193/should-the-cleveland-indians-change-their-name-a-history-of-protest-over-chief-wahoo/.
News, CBC. “Should the sports world ban indigenous team names and logos?” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 12 Mar. 2016, www.cbc.ca/news/indigenous/forum-indigenous-sports-teams-1.3486135
RedskinsFacts. “Redskins is a Powerful Name.” YouTube, YouTube, 13 Aug. 2014, www.youtube.com/watch?v=40SFqadRTQ0.
Story: Noella Chye Twitter: TCSNewspaper. “Do stereotypes actually influence our identities?” The Cambridge Student, The Cambridge Student, 16 Feb. 2017, www.tcs.cam.ac.uk/features/0036773-do-stereotypes-actually-influence-our-identities.html.