In the world of sports, we have many team names that derive from from Native American terms. But today, some people believe that these mascots are considered to be racist toward native tribes. Recently, this has become a controversy in sports due to many people feeling that it is a derogatory slur towards a group of people who have had a tough time fighting for rights in our nation. They view this issue as it is damaging the reputation of a certain group of people, and that “Native Americans are people, not mascots”. In the recent years, this issue has only increased. The team that that has been receiving the most pressure to change their name is the NFL’s Washington Redskins. Though the team has publicly stated that the team name was chosen in honor of former coach Lone Star Dietz (who was a Sioux Indian), there continues to be scrutiny over the name. This is even starting to become a problem with sports broadcasters, as some have refused to call them as the “Washington Redskins”, instead opting for names such as “the Washington team”. As of 2015, there are over 115 organizations, Native American tribes, or other major groups of people who support the idea a of name change for the team. |