Name:
Mini Inquiry Project
• How do stereotypes affect one’s perception of the First Nation’s/Inuit/Metis culture?
• What is the effect of stereotypes on a First Nation’s/Inuit/Metis cultural identity?
Focused Question: What effect do team logos have on the First Nation’s cultural identity? Should teams be allowed to use a culture for a team logo?
My opinion: What is your stand on using First Nation’s mascots for sports teams? Answer: First Nations logos are acceptable if it’s not negative towards the First Nations and if the team players/owners understand the history of why it’s there. If there is little to no harm done it should be acceptable but if it affects a mass majority the logos should be replaced.
What do I need to research before I can answer the questions? Answer:
First Nations opinions
The history of the name or logo
What does the owner think of the logo
What sources can I use to research the question? Answer
Internet
Articles for your team:
Source #1
Works Cited: Waldstein, David. “Cleveland Indians Will Abandon Chief Wahoo Logo Next Year.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/sports/baseball/cleveland-indians-chief-wahoo-logo.html. Paraphrased, point form notes:
this article is written by the New York Time. It is a majorly popular news company that is sure to be reliable.
The article states that:
• the Cleveland Indians will not have chief wahoo on any of their game jerseys
• Rob Manfred, commissioner of baseball (mlb) really pushed Paul Dolan (Cleveland chairman) to really get rid of chief wahoo
• Many First Nations groups have been trying to get rid of the logo for years but nothing has worked
• Paul Dolan and the Cleveland Indians organization agreed that the logo is no longer appropriate for on field use
• By the start of the 2019 season the logo will be gone on on field uniforms
• 2018 the logo will still be present so they have time to find a new one
• This is not the final step, the name is still dealt with controversy
-Is this source bias? And if so, how? Explain.
No this source is not bias because it is just facts
Source #2
Works cited: Tayler, Jon . “Finally, the Indians are removing the racist Chief Wahoo logo.” Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated , 30 Jan. 2018, www.si.com/mlb/2018/01/30/cleveland-indians-chief-wahoo-logo. Paraphrased, point form notes:
– Wahoo is racist, no question
– They just removed the logo for the money, all a business choice
– Able to host the all star game in 2019 now
– No direct appology to the natives, just seen as not appropriate anymore
– Very bland description in them taking it out
– “To defend wahoo reveals how bone deep the prejudice against native Americans in this country”
– Chief wahoo is outdated
– Most Americans or people that support the logo don’t know they history of the Native Americans bein opressed for 400 years
-What makes this source a reliable one?
Sports illustrated, major magazine and website company
-Is this source bias? And if so, how? Explain
Yes it is bias towards getting rid of the logo, says its racist and needs to go
Two articles from class that help answer the inquiry question:
Source #3 This is a source we have studied in class.
Works cited: Rising above Paraphrased, point form notes:
– Shows what people think fn should look like with the first three most common stereotypes
– The main guy then shows more negative stereotypes, alcoholics, drug addicts
– Then shows what the fn actually are or can be
-What makes this source a reliable one? It is a book written by a native that sees how people judge them
-Is it bias? If so, how? Yes it is bias because it is written by a fn that wants people to understand they are diverse and like regular people and not people with feathers or such
Source #4 This is a source we have studied in class.
Works cited: Knock off native Paraphrased, point form notes:
– Talks about how a drunk man stereotyped her as a “knock off pocohantis” – 1 way how she’s perceived
– Then she goes on to say that he could’ve insulted her better and gives some examples
– She is very angry at this drunk man for insulting her and goes off about the pain of being stereotyped, shes speaking for most natives –
– Gives good descriptions about the suffering they had to go through
–
-What makes this source a reliable one? It’s written first hand by a native
-Is it bias? If so, how? Yes it’s bias
Group conversation (What you learned from other people in your group that has affected your opinion) Answer: Some logos are acceptable while others are not, depends on the history of the logo and the First Nations opinion
Has your opinion changed after doing the research? Reflect on the changes, if any. Answer: no my opinion has stayed the same throughout my research
Using the information from this document, write a 500 word opinion piece answering the question: should teams be allowed to use a First Nation’s name or caricature as their logo? Why or why not?
Jacob Schaefer
Ms. Thomasen
English 11
March 6 2018
How Sports Teams are Masking First Nations History
Many professional sports teams are built upon native history, or so they say. There are teams such as the Chicago Blackhawks in the NHL, Washington Redskins in the NFL, and the Cleveland Indians in the MLB with their teams franchise based on Native names and caricatures. There has been controversy for years over all of these native team logos. Various Native groups have been attempting to get these teams to change their logos or names for years, but the teams keep using the same excuse to keep them; the logo is historic so we’re not going to change it. Is that really the case or are these logos just racist and outdated?
Look at the Cleveland Indians logo for example. “The logo has long been the source of anguish and frustration for those who consider it offensive, outdated and racist….” (David Waldstein page 1). The logo is a very clear depiction of a stereotypical Indian. For starters his name is Chief Wahoo. He has a big nose, red skin, a massive grin, and a feather in his hair. All of those adjectives clearly relate to Indians. So why should Chief Wahoo be acceptable on a very well known professional baseball team? It shouldn’t. The logo was created way back around the 1940s and appeared in many variations until it became finalized as it looks today. In the 1940s making fun of Indians or Native Americans was deemed acceptable. White people thought they ruled America and could make fun of other races for pure comedy, just like they did to the natives with this logo. Times have changed and fast forward to 2018. Somehow up until this point the logo has is still living on. Why is it still seen on game days? Because it’s “history”. Just now in 2018 was when the MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, finally pushed the Cleveland Indians chairman, Paul Dolan, to get his team to remove the logo from the league. Protests from native groups have been going on for years but no action has been taken by the team until now which is wrong.
No doubt the fans enjoy the logo and claim that it’s historic. Maybe the logos historic because it’s old, but the fans that say it’s historic probably do not know the meaning behind the logo or what was going on in the time it was created. “To defend Wahoo reveals how bone deep the prejudice against Native Americans is in this country. Supporting a caricature so hopelessly outdated proves how the average American either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care about a historically marginalized populace.” Stated Jon Taylor in a Sports illustrated article. I agree with Jon that people are uninformed about the logo and see it just as a cool picture for a logo that has no meaning to it other than that it’s old.
“Ultimately, Wahoo will fade”(Jon Taylor page 1), but that’s only half the battle for the natives. After all the team is still called the Indians, which can be seen as both racist or just a name. In the end, Chief Wahoo is very racist and it is definitely the right choice to remove him from the league. In this case if its because of a financial situation or not, removing him is the right thing to do for the native community.
Work cited
Tayler, Jon . “Finally, the Indians are removing the racist Chief Wahoo logo.” Sports Illustrated, Sports Illustrated , 30 Jan. 2018, www.si.com/mlb/2018/01/30/cleveland-indians-chief-wahoo-logo.
Waldstein, David. “Cleveland Indians Will Abandon Chief Wahoo Logo Next Year.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 29 Jan. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/sports/baseball/cleveland-indians-chief-wahoo-logo.html.