Indian Mascots Essay, Research Paper

In these types of cases where there is a dispute over Native American mascots, there are pros and cons on both sides. On the one hand, there is much pride in a schools mascot. It symbolizes the pride in the school and promotes the spirit of the crowd. Fans and students of the school look at those mascots and feel a rush of school spirit that only the mascot can bring out. Even long after they graduate, they will look back on their school days and see themselves as that mascot. As I look back at my days in high school and in college I will always call myself a Sentinel and a Golden Bear. In this case, one of the residents says how most of the community feels by stating that he felt “strength and determination” as a Redskin. He also says, “What I feel distasteful about all this, somehow we are made to feel wrong or dirty because of our logo?We have nothing to be ashamed of.”

The Native Americans feel as if this is a form of racism. By definition, racism is the feeling that one race is superior to another. This is not the case. It is not the feeling that Native Americans are any less superior than any of the other races. It is easy to see why their nationality has been seen as a symbol of strength and pride. They have survived being moved out and seen as outcasts in a country that was originally theirs. We see this as a sign of great survival.

Native Americans have every right to be upset. Unfortunately, there are not any other nationalities that are displayed as a mascot, which makes it a difficult case to decide. Religion is one of the ways that we compile our morals to decide what is right. Associating that sacred form of life with a group of teams whether it be sporting teams, bands, etc., would be wrong. Although I do not agree that this form of representation is racist, I do agree that it violates their rights as a people and their belief system.

Finally, my decision for this case would be to change the name of the mascot. After reviewing both sides of the case and weighing them, it seems as though it may benefit everyone to change the name. In my final decision, the reason that weighed most on my mind was the after math of the decision. By changing the name of the mascot, there will be upset members of the community for a while, but the Redskin name being changed will not truly hurt the community and have any long-term effects. By keeping the name, it will continue to insult an entire race of people to the point where it may hurt the teams also. Protestors may be at home games preaching their beliefs. This may affect the home field advantage and possibly bring down what may be an excited crowd. The name of a school mascot is not worth the pain and insult that may be felt by an entire race of people.