Why Do We Still Have Native American Mascots in Sports?

As I was watching football on television last weekend there was one question that kept coming to me, one that had nothing to do with winning or losing, Brett Favre's latest comeback, or the antics of some flamboyant player. My question was, why do we still have teams with Native American mascots and themes, when many Native Americans (and others) find these patently offensive?

This is not merely a question of free speech, but one of human dignity. Perhaps the best example I can cite here is that of the Washington Redskins football team. It is interesting how I can type "Redskins" here, a pejorative term for Native Americans, yet I would never think of using pejorative terms for other American ethnic groups, for example, well known terms for African or Asian Americans. Not that I would want to use these terms. The point is that those terms have become somewhat taboo in American culture, yet a term like "Redskins" can still be used for an NFL franchise.

There are other examples showing how America has changed over the years, like the story of Little Sambo. Interestingly Little Sambo was originally about an (Asian) Indian boy. But in American folk culture Sambo came to be depicted as a Black boy. Some of these cartoons can be found today on the internet on sites such as Youtube.com. The Sambo cartoons, as well as others, such as some of the old Bugs Bunny cartoons, are no longer acceptable in mainstream American culture. Another example that made me feel very uncomfortable was the depiction of the Japanese soldier on the show "Gilligan's Island." Coke bottle glasses and overly clownish buck teeth play up some negative Asian stereotypes that are no longer acceptable today.

Now compare Little Sambo and the Japanese sailor to some of the Native American mascots, such as the Redskins and the logo for the Cleveland Indians baseball team. Why are these still acceptable? One answer could be that there just are not a lot of Native Americans around in the areas where these teams play. Many Americans do not see Native Americans as possible friends for their children or as prospective spouses. There is also the issue of power. Other minority groups have been able to organize and fight off some of these stereotypes and offensive depictions.

My aim here is not to alienate sports fans, even fans of the teams with Native American mascots. But the question still comes to mind, would it be acceptable to name a sports team after one of the negative terms for another American minority? Do these teams really need Native American mascots? Is hanging on to these images because of some "tradition" really more important than the dignity of some of our fellow Americans? Some people argue that the mascots actually honor Native Americans. But Native Americans themselves do not see it this way. Could anyone imagine arguing similarly that Little Sambo actually honors African Americans?

Now is the time to show some of the inclusiveness that is supposed to be part of American culture and let the Native American mascots go the way of the depictions of Little Sambo and the Japanese sailor. Fortunately, this is already happening in some places. Many college programs have already done away with their Native American mascots. The University of Illinois is perhaps the best example, finally doing away with The Chief in 2007. Where the professional leagues should be leading, we now see them falling behind on this issue. How long will it take?