US - are sports team names insulting indigenous people?

[HabBear]

In the US there's been a growth in politically correct behavior expectations. Some people are big fans of being politically correct always, others are more lenient, believing instead that context and intent needs to play a part in whether an action or word is politically incorrect.

One way this politically correct movement is manifesting itself is in a small but growing protest agains sports team names after the indigenous people of the North American continent.

Examples:

• Cleveland Indians (baseball)
• Washington Redskins (football)
• Kansas City Chiefs (football)

What do you all think about this? Are these team names "insulting"? Should they be banished? Or are they celebratory and, in a way, honoring the heritage of North America?

The hype is currently found in the US but I realize this could apply globally, so global discussion is certainly welcome!

[trubadix]

Of course these names are honoring the Native Americans. When sports teams chose names like these it's to reinforce their intimidating image towards their opponents and make their fans feel proud and scary. Just like ancient warriors did when they disguised themselves as mighty beasts or monsters. The fans are like "We are the Chiefs, we are mighty warriors, don't mess with us".

This whole virtue signaling and political correctness has gone way too far. Remember the Hawaii taxi driver who had a hula doll on his dashboard and an SJW got him fired? It's Hawaii, hula dolls are everywhere, locals are selling them, nobody is offended, get over it!

[GreenBits]

In the US there's been a growth in politically correct behavior expectations. Some people are big fans of being politically correct always, others are more lenient, believing instead that context and intent needs to play a part in whether an action or word is politically incorrect.

One way this politically correct movement is manifesting itself is in a small but growing protest agains sports team names after the indigenous people of the North American continent.

Examples:

• Cleveland Indians (baseball)
• Washington Redskins (football)
• Kansas City Chiefs (football)

What do you all think about this? Are these team names "insulting"? Should they be banished? Or are they celebratory and, in a way, honoring the heritage of North America?

The hype is currently found in the US but I realize this could apply globally, so global discussion is certainly welcome!

I think the most fair thing to do, since they are 'honoring' those cultures (with cartoon racial stereotypes) is to ask them if they think the symbols are flattering.* To save everyone some trouble, I doubt seriously people like having their race reduced to a burnt sienna midget with buck teeth and a feather. Especially when it's being used for a game, and on top of that, they don't get paid.

It's one thing to directly reference the correct name of a group if you would like to reference them. The Spartans, for example. It's another thing to take a deragotory term (call a NA a redskin and see how far you get) and use it to represent a group. Chiefs and Indians are fine. Redskins, is like having a team called 'The Yellow Fellas' or 'The Darkies'. It could be better, basically.

Also the mascots. Before they changed or dropped them, they were kinda fucking racist, but meh.

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*With that being said, apparently, 9/10 Native Americans surveyed in the one poll I just read, don't really give a fuck and don't find it offensive at all. That's one survey, and personally I think the sampling method may have been flawed, but to be fair, it did include Native Americans from a diverse set of backgrounds.

But Fox does manage to get 60 percent approval ratings for Trump in polls while others get sub 30s. And the survey said Hillary was supposed to win the election. In a nutshell, surveys suck

[Sithara007]

How these names are insulting? I feel that these names make the natives proud. They are less then 1% of the American population, and if the sports teams are named after them, it is a great honor.

[HabBear]

I think the most fair thing to do, since they are 'honoring' those cultures (with cartoon racial stereotypes) is to ask them if they think the symbols are flattering.* To save everyone some trouble, I doubt seriously people like having their race reduced to a burnt sienna midget with buck teeth and a feather. Especially when it's being used for a game, and on top of that, they don't get paid.

Whose they? Native Americans?

I have deep knowledge on the history of the Cleveland Indians (but not the other teams I mentioned). In the case of the Indians, the team was named after a Native Amercian who was a star player - Louis Sockalexis. If the MLB wanted to really honor Native Americans, they shouldn't try to rub them out of history but rather induct Louis Sockalexis to the hall of fame.

And if the politically correct route is "the" way to go, doesn't it have to be applied across all references to a group of people? Therefore team names Spartans, Cowboys, Patriots, Trojans, Vikings, All Blacks, Mets (Metropolitans are city goers), Corn Huskers, Mariners, Phillies, Canadians, etc., are offensive too?

Or is it just the logo that's offensive?

Agreed, "Surveys suck".

[Xester]

In the US there's been a growth in politically correct behavior expectations. Some people are big fans of being politically correct always, others are more lenient, believing instead that context and intent needs to play a part in whether an action or word is politically incorrect.

One way this politically correct movement is manifesting itself is in a small but growing protest agains sports team names after the indigenous people of the North American continent.

Examples:

• Cleveland Indians (baseball)
• Washington Redskins (football)
• Kansas City Chiefs (football)

What do you all think about this? Are these team names "insulting"? Should they be banished? Or are they celebratory and, in a way, honoring the heritage of North America?

The hype is currently found in the US but I realize this could apply globally, so global discussion is certainly welcome!

If you will read the history of those countries who use the names of indigenous peoples then you will come to understand why they are using those names. It is a sign of respect and honor, they are using those names to remind them that once the land that they are occupying have ones been the land of the indigenous people. Thus having those name doesnt imply disrespect but respect.

[Okurkabinladin]

In the US there's been a growth in politically correct behavior expectations. Some people are big fans of being politically correct always, others are more lenient, believing instead that context and intent needs to play a part in whether an action or word is politically incorrect.

One way this politically correct movement is manifesting itself is in a small but growing protest agains sports team names after the indigenous people of the North American continent.

Examples:

• Cleveland Indians (baseball)
• Washington Redskins (football)
• Kansas City Chiefs (football)

What do you all think about this? Are these team names "insulting"? Should they be banished? Or are they celebratory and, in a way, honoring the heritage of North America?

The hype is currently found in the US but I realize this could apply globally, so global discussion is certainly welcome!

If you will read the history of those countries who use the names of indigenous peoples then you will come to understand why they are using those names. It is a sign of respect and honor, they are using those names to remind them that once the land that they are occupying have ones been the land of the indigenous people. Thus having those name doesnt imply disrespect but respect.

Social justice warriors just looking for another issue to bitch about and harass common folk with.

I agree, that ultimate sign of disrespect would be to erase any mention of Native influence for the sake of puritanical correctness. Whom would such malpractice serve exactly?

Not the sport, not the Natives and not the fans of the clubs.

[Malsetid]

Can't say it's insulting. Of course if you're a professional sport team, you'd choose a name that you would be known for and I think having these names are honoring our native American brothers and sisters. You wouldn't want to have an insulting name to carry for your professional sport team right?

[Sithara007]

If you will read the history of those countries who use the names of indigenous peoples then you will come to understand why they are using those names. It is a sign of respect and honor, they are using those names to remind them that once the land that they are occupying have ones been the land of the indigenous people. Thus having those name doesnt imply disrespect but respect.

Agreed 100%. Not just in the United States, but also in countries such as New Zealand, Australia and Brazil we have sports teams named after the indigenous people. It is a honor to these people.

[joebrook]

I believe these names are rather honoring and showing respect to the native indians. I believe the native are not exhibiting any signs of offense by this at all.

[Hazir]

Political correctness is not helping anyone, in fact people are scared to say what is really going on because of it.
Rampant political correctness took over minds and people are not thinking clearly anymore. If you think that there is something wrong with these names:
Cleveland Indians, Washington Redskins or Kansas City Chiefs there are seriously something wrong with your head, they are totally fine.

Stop wasting time on this and find some real problems.

[TheCoinGrabber]

Lemme guess, when we find a single-cell organism somewhere in space they'd be like "We must stop all space missions, our journeys could be bringing untold harm to life-forms we haven't met yet!".

They get offended by everything save for their offensive existence.

In the US there's been a growth in politically correct behavior expectations. Some people are big fans of being politically correct always, others are more lenient, believing instead that context and intent needs to play a part in whether an action or word is politically incorrect.

One way this politically correct movement is manifesting itself is in a small but growing protest agains sports team names after the indigenous people of the North American continent.

Examples:

• Cleveland Indians (baseball)
• Washington Redskins (football)
• Kansas City Chiefs (football)

What do you all think about this? Are these team names "insulting"? Should they be banished? Or are they celebratory and, in a way, honoring the heritage of North America?

The hype is currently found in the US but I realize this could apply globally, so global discussion is certainly welcome!

If you will read the history of those countries who use the names of indigenous peoples then you will come to understand why they are using those names. It is a sign of respect and honor, they are using those names to remind them that once the land that they are occupying have ones been the land of the indigenous people. Thus having those name doesnt imply disrespect but respect.

Social justice warriors just looking for another issue to bitch about and harass common folk with.

I agree, that ultimate sign of disrespect would be to erase any mention of Native influence for the sake of puritanical correctness. Whom would such malpractice serve exactly?

Not the sport, not the Natives and not the fans of the clubs.

Funny is you don't see these miscreants bitching about female circumcision, or child marriages, etc... They'll show their tail feathers and make an apologist statement like "but that is their culture, we respect everyone's culture,". CULTure my ass!

Of course these names are honoring the Native Americans. When sports teams chose names like these it's to reinforce their intimidating image towards their opponents and make their fans feel proud and scary. Just like ancient warriors did when they disguised themselves as mighty beasts or monsters. The fans are like "We are the Chiefs, we are mighty warriors, don't mess with us".

This whole virtue signaling and political correctness has gone way too far. Remember the Hawaii taxi driver who had a hula doll on his dashboard and an SJW got him fired? It's Hawaii, hula dolls are everywhere, locals are selling them, nobody is offended, get over it!

Yikes, that was horrible. How did the driver got through it? If hula dolls were everywhere, they also have to fire anyone in possession of those. Freakin SJWs. They even get more horrible if they're vegans. Like, "you're a savage meat-eater". I'd usually retort, "you wouldn't have that brain if we never ate meat, but then again, that thing up your head don't need much nourishing anyway,".

[Sithara007]

The funniest thing is that the entire issue was provoked by the non-native leftist extremists, who are using this incident to stay in the limelight. Almost none of the natives are having any issues with these names.

[HabBear]

The funniest thing is that the entire issue was provoked by the non-native leftist extremists, who are using this incident to stay in the limelight. Almost none of the natives are having any issues with these names.

Agreed, and it's certainly not the sports team names that are driving income inequality, alcoholism, and other troubles that the Natives of the of the North American continent tend to realize when living on their Land. The sad reality is that their Reservation land is in incredibly rural areas where only subsistence farming could make one's life rewarding. If there is no business or marketplace how can anyone earn a living? I'm digressing.

It's ironic that the Commissioner for Major League Baseball wants to honor Native Americans by eliminating their references around the league. Why remove the history Native Americans had in Baseball? If they wanted to Honor Native Americans they'd put Louis Sockalexis and other famous Native American ball players in the Hall of Fame!